Malacañang said the Philippines' ties with Kuwait have normalized as it announced the signing of the memorandum of agreement to provide legal protection for Filipino domestic workers in the Middle Eastern country.

“The countries had a joint statement to cease differences and we will move on. That is why the first step in moving on is the MOA,” Presidential Spokesperson Harry Roque announced late Saturday night in a press briefing upon his arrival from Kuwait with 87 repatriated domestic workers.

Under the agreement, the Philippines and Kuwait undertake to “uphold ethical recruitment policies, systems, and procedures for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers, subject to the applicable laws and regulations of both parties.”

Roque stressed with the MOA, Filipino domestic workers in Kuwait will now be governed by a standard contract.

The agreement ensures employers will provide food, housing, clothing, and the registering of the domestic worker in Kuwait’s health insurance system. It also provides one month’s salary to workers for every year of service rendered after the expiration of the work contract.

The agreement was signed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Cayetano and Kuwaiti Minister of Foreign Affairs Sabah Khaled Al-Hamad Al-Sabah.

Roque also announced the lifting of the deployment ban for skilled and semi-skilled workers to Kuwait, which he said was the next step in the normalization of diplomatic ties with Kuwait.

Roque said the government is considering lifting the deployment ban on domestic workers.

Roque said Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III will implement reforms on the recruitment of domestic workers before the ban on their deployment is lifted. DMS