High-level team off to Kuwait talks, preaches patience on workers’ ban

By Maricel V. Cruz

THE high-level team dispatched by the government to Kuwait will hold exploratory talks with their counterparts from the Gulf state, but this does not guarantee that the entry ban for new Filipino workers will be lifted immediately.

“We have to explore our options. The meetings will be exploratory talks first,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said in a radio interview. “I hope our countrymen will understand that we cannot guarantee the return of normal deployment of our skilled workers right away. We have to prioritize attaining justice and the protection of our fellow Filipinos working as househelps,” he added.

Citing a “very reliable source,” Remula made the disclosure in a hastily called press conference a day before the National Bureau of Investigation is set to formally file a complaint against Teves today (Wednesday) in connection with the killing of Negros Oriental Gov. Roel Degamo and nine others last March 4.

“He’s usually a very reliable source for those who come in and out of the country... (He) may have access to flight data into the country,” the Justice chief said of his source. Teves’ lawyer, Ferdinand Topacio, declined to comment on Remulla’s statement. He later said in a TV Patrol report that his client’s return was “fake news.” rides the shoulders of Gilas Pilipinas after the men’s basketball team regained the gold medal – and regional hoops pride -- against host Cambodia at the 32nd Southeast Asian Games in Phnom Penh on May 16. Justin Brownlee (32) led the Filipinos with 23 points (see full story in Sports page C1) AFP