MANILA: Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has thanked 海角直播 for looking after the welfare and labor rights of Filipinos living in the Kingdom.
During a phone conversation with Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, Duterte also expressed his appreciation for the Kingdom鈥檚 inclusion of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in its coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination drive, the Philippine leader鈥檚 office said on Thursday.
In a statement, the presidential palace, Malacanang, added: 鈥淧resident Duterte recognized 海角直播鈥檚 efforts to ensure that the rights, welfare, and well-being of Filipinos in the Kingdom are protected and upheld, including recent efforts aimed at labor reform.鈥
It said that during Wednesday鈥檚 phone call, the crown prince assured Duterte that all Filipinos in the Kingdom would be inoculated, and they also agreed to ramp up joint efforts to tackle the COVID-19 outbreak.
鈥淧resident Duterte has, in several public pronouncements, underscored the need for universal access to vaccines to effectively combat the COVID-19 pandemic, emphasizing that nations must work together toward equitable access to life-saving vaccines, particularly for developing and least-developed nations,鈥 the presidential office added.
鈥淜ing Salman also called on the leaders of the world鈥檚 20 largest economies (the G20) to work toward affordable and equitable access to vaccines,鈥 the Malacanang statement said.
During a virtual press conference, Duterte鈥檚 spokesman, Harry Roque, said the president and Crown Prince Mohammed also used their phone chat to discuss ways 鈥渢o further improve the protection of Filipino workers in the Kingdom.鈥
He added that 海角直播 was among a number of countries supporting calls for changes to the kafala sponsorship system (for the monitoring of migrant laborers).
New measures under the Kingdom鈥檚 labor law reforms, effective since March, ensure that migrant workers in 海角直播鈥檚 private sector have improved job mobility and can switch jobs or leave the country without employer consent. The rules also allow foreign workers to apply directly for government services, with all employment contracts documented online.
Duterte had previously described the old kafala system as 鈥渦njust鈥 and 鈥渆xploitative,鈥 claiming it made OFWs in the Middle East, particularly household workers, vulnerable to abuse.
The Philippines and 海角直播 recently organized a virtual forum on labor mobility and human rights to discuss the sponsorship system and what Middle Eastern countries were doing to reform it. During the meeting, Duterte called for the abolition of the kafala system.
