THE deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait “still holds,” Malacañang said on Monday, despite the Gulf state’s death sentence on two suspects in the murder of Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis.

Speaking to reporters, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the death sentence was not the sole condition to lift the deployment ban to Kuwait.

Manila, he said, wanted an agreement protecting the rights of Filipino domestic workers.

“The total ban on sending OFWs to Kuwait is still on. But of course, an agreement, a memorandum of understanding is being formulated and hopefully, the state parties will come to terms as to how our OFWs in Kuwait, as well as in other Middle Eastern countries will be protected. So basically, that will be a solution to this ban,” Guevarra said during a news conference.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello 3rd, in a statement, said the death sentence on Demafelis’ employers indicated sincerity on the part of Kuwait, but added he was not ready to recommend to the President the lifting of the total ban on the deployment of workers to the Gulf state.

“If ever…a partial lifting may be considered for skilled workers but only after the formal agreement with Kuwait on the protection of Filipino workers is signed,” Bello’s statement read.

“President Duterte has set two requirements before the deployment ban is lifted. One is the signing of a memorandum of agreement that will give added protection to Filipino workers in Kuwait and second, for the Kuwaiti government to render justice for the death of household service worker Joanna Demafelis,” Bello said.

News out of Kuwait on Sunday said Demafelis’ employers, Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun, were tried in absentia by a Kuwaiti court and sentenced with death by hanging.

The two were nabbed separately in February. Assef is in Lebanese custody, while Hassoun is detained in Syria.

The decision came two months since an enraged President Rodrigo Duterte issued a deployment ban following the death of Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year.

Labor Undersecretary Jacinto Paras said the Philippine government would continue to pressure Kuwait to extradite or find other ways to get hold of the suspects.

The Philippines is set to sign an agreement with Kuwait to protect Filipino workers in that country.

Among the provisions Duterte wanted added to the deal were: adequate sleeping hours, nutritious meals and not just leftovers, rest on holidays, and the right to keep their passports.

Other provisions include workers being allowed to keep cellphones, the prohibition of transfer of workers from

 one employer to another without their consent or clearance from overseas labor offices, banning employers with records of worker abuse from hiring workers, and a $400 minimum wage.

In 2016, about 105,000 OFWs were deployed to Kuwait, 57,061 of which were household service workers. Skilled workers made up the balance of 105,000. There are some 270,000 OFWs in Kuwait, about 150,000 of which are household workers.

Senate President Aquilino Pimentel 3rd said the death sentence handed down by a Kuwaiti court to the couple linked to Demafelis’ death should serve as a venue for the Philippines to “mend ties” with Kuwait.

Senators Nancy Binay, Panfilo Lacson, Grace Poe, and Joel Villanueva however said it was too early to claim victory in Demafelis case.

Lacson said that the conviction in absentia of Demafelis’ employers “may appear like a pyrrhic victory for Joanna’s family and the Filipino people until the execution of the sentence is finally carried out.”

 Villanueva said: “We sincerely hope that this would not just be a paper victory.”

The Demafelis family said it would not accept any blood money from their sister’s employers.

In an interview over GMA News, Jojet Demafelis, the eldest of the nine Demafelis siblings, said they were seeking justice, which does not come with a price tag.

“Hindi po namin kailangan ang ganoon. Ang kailangan po namin ay hustisya po para sa kapatid namin, pero ang bayad-bayad na ganyan, wala po sa amin ‘yan (We don’t need that. What we want is justice for our sister. Compensation amounts to nothing for us),” Jojet said.

In an earlier interview over radio station dzBB, Jojet said his family was relieved after Bello confirmed the death sentence on Joanna’s killers.

“Unti-unti nababawasan po iyong bigat ng dinadala ng mga magulang ko at tsaka ng mga kapatid ko rin po (Little by little the heaviness borne by my parents and siblings is being eased),” Jojet said.</s>THE deployment ban of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Kuwait “still holds,” Malacañang said on Monday, despite reports that the two suspects in the murder of Filipino worker Joanna Demafelis had been sentenced to death in the Gulf nation.

Speaking to reporters, Senior Deputy Executive Secretary Menardo Guevarra said the death sentence was not the sole condition to lift the deployment ban to Kuwait but was also hinged on the outcome of the negotiations between the Philippines and Kuwait for an agreement to outline the rights of Filipino domestic workers.

“The agreement . . . that still holds, the ban. The total ban on sending OFWs to Kuwait is still on. But of course, an agreement, a memorandum of understanding is being formulated and hopefully, the state parties will come to terms as to how our OFWs in Kuwait, as well as in other Middle Eastern countries, will be protected. So basically, that will be a solution to this ban, this total ban about sending OFWs to Kuwait,” Guevarra said during a press conference.

“It’s still the agreement between the two countries on the manner of treating our OFWs that will matter, not the matter of the couple being brought to justice,” he added. “I think that is very specific to a particular case. We have to think about the others who are similarly situated.”

Guevarra was reacting to reports that the Kuwaiti court sentenced Demafelis’ employers, Lebanese Nader Essam Assaf and his Syrian wife Mona Hassoun, to die by hanging.

The two were arrested separately in February. Assef is under custody in Lebanon while Hassoun is detained in Syria.

Guevarra said the Philippine government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), was now verifying with Kuwait authorities the reported development in Demafelis’ case.

This came about two months since an enraged President Rodrigo Duterte issued a total deployment ban over the death of Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year.

“Well, by this time the President might have heard about that was picked up abroad. And the directive that was given by the President was for the DFA, through the Mission in Kuwait, to find out, to verify whether in fact such an event took place. I’m referring to the sentencing of this couple, who I understand are at large, still at large. They are not in Kuwait,” Guevarra said.

“The President and I suppose the entire Filipino people will be happy to know that that it is true. Syempre, that’s what we want — justice for Demafelis. So let’s hope that in fact, that is true and that the couple will actually be aprehended and brought to the bars of justice,” he added.

Asked how the sentence would be enforced if the reports proved to be correct, Guevarra said, “Well, that really belongs to the realm of Kuwaiti Law.

“So if they have probable some extradition treaty with any country kung saan makikita yung mga hinahanap. Then probably, they’ll avail themselves of such mutual legal assistance or extradition treaties, if possible,” he added.

The Philippines is set to sign an agreement with Kuwait on protecting Filipino workers in that country.

Among the provisions Duterte wanted to be added to the deal for Filipino workers were: adequate sleeping hours, nutritious meals and not just leftovers, rest on holidays, and the right to keep their passports.

Other provisions include workers being allowed to keep cellphones, the prohibition of transfer of workers from one employer to another without their consent or clearance from the overseas labor offices, and banning employers with records of worker abuse from hiring workers. CATHERINE S. VALENTE</s>(CNN) A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Lebanese man and his wife to death in absentia for the murder of a Filipina maid, the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs said.

The case of Joanna Demafelis, a 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer earlier this year, prompted a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines, with Manila banning its citizens from working in the Gulf state.

Demafelis' body was discovered in the couple's abandoned apartment more than a year after she went missing. Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, and his wife Mona Hassoun, who is Syrian, were the subject of an Interpol manhunt.

Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas said a criminal court had on April 1 sentenced Assaf and his wife to death by hanging.

The Philippines government said Monday it had been informed of the sentence by a Kuwaiti official and added it had obtained a copy of the court decision.

Assaf has been detained in Lebanon, which is now considering a Kuwaiti extradition request, according to the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs. Hassoun was detained in Syria, according to CNN Philippines

The Kuwait Ministry of Justice did not immediately respond to CNN requests for confirmation.

'Swift action'

Philippines foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Manila noted "the swift action taken by Kuwaiti authorities" in connection with Demafelis' murder.

"This is a very important development in our quest for justice for Joanna," he added.

Jessica, sister of Filipina overseas worker Joanna Demafelis, cries near the casket shortly after its arrival in Manila on February 16.

The discovery of Demafelis' body in February led to a fiery outburst from Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who vowed to "sell his soul to the devil" to bring home workers who were being abused in Kuwait.

After Demafelis' death and other instances of worker abuse, Duterte's government offered free flights home for the 10,900 or so Filipinos who have overstayed their visas, and ordered a ban on the further deployment of workers to Kuwait.

Of more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, at least 60% are domestic workers who live and work in the homes of their employers for more money than they can earn at home.

Demafelis' family lost contact with her in May 2016, about two years after she arrived in the Middle East, according to CNN Philippines.

They said she never said anything bad about her employers, but had suspicions she was being watched. Demafelis was only able to speak to them three times a year.

During her last phone call, Demafelis said she planned to come home in 2018. But after not hearing from her for a nearly year, Demafelis' family reported her missing, her sister told CNN Philippines.

Investigators tried to find her through the Kuwaiti agency that recruited her, but discovered it had closed down.</s>KUWAIT CITY: A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced in absentia a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death by hanging over the murder of a Filipina maid, a judicial source said.



The court issued the sentence in the first hearing in the case of Joanna Demafelis, the 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year.

The sentencing can still be appealed if the couple returns to Kuwait, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

The Demafelis murder triggered a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines, prompting Manila to impose a departure ban for its citizens planning to work in the Gulf state.

The Lebanese-Syrian couple was arrested in February in the Syrian capital Damascus following an Interpol manhunt.

Syrian authorities handed the husband, Nader Essam Assaf, over to Lebanese authorities, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus.

An estimated 252,000 Filipinos and Filipinas work in Kuwait and depend on remittances to help their families back home.

Rights groups have raised alarm around the plight of workers in the Gulf and other Arab countries, where migrant labour is regulated under a system known as "kafala".

The kafala, or sponsorship, system ties migrant workers´ visas to their employers, prohibiting workers from leaving or changing jobs without prior consent.</s>Kuwait City - A Kuwaiti court on Sunday sentenced in absentia a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death by hanging over the murder of a Filipina maid, a judicial source said.

The court issued the sentence in the first hearing in the case of Joanna Demafelis, the 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer in Kuwait earlier this year.

The sentencing can still be appealed if the couple returns to Kuwait, the source told AFP on condition of anonymity.

Philippines Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa declined to comment on the verdict, telling AFP his country would await the rendition of the convicts.

The Lebanese-Syrian couple was arrested in February in the Syrian capital Damascus following an Interpol manhunt.

Syrian authorities handed the husband, Nader Essam Assaf, over to Lebanese authorities, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus.

Philippines Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Sarah Arriola on Sunday was scheduled to hold talks with officials in Kuwait on conditions for Filipino workers, including labour law violations.

The Demafelis murder triggered a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines, prompting Manila to impose a departure ban for its citizens planning to work in the Gulf state.

An estimated 252,000 Filipinos and Filipinas work in Kuwait and depend on remittances to help their families back home.

In the wake of the Demafelis murder, Manila has been working to facilitate the return of its nationals who wish to leave, including those who have lost their residency status.

Ambassador Villa told AFP Sunday that his country has already repatriated 4,000 Filipino nationals living in Kuwait without the necessary paperwork.

"We are now in talks with Kuwaiti authorities to secure an amnesty that will allow 6,000 Filipinos living without papers to return," he said.

Rights groups have voiced alarm over the plight of workers in the Gulf and other Arab countries, where migrant labour is regulated under a system known as "kafala".

The kafala, or sponsorship, system ties migrant workers' visas to their employers, prohibiting workers from leaving the country or changing jobs without prior consent.</s>JOANNA Demafelis loved life. She took hundreds of selfies and posted them all over social media. So it was unusual when she stopped.

Her family grew worried about the maid from the Philippines who had moved to Kuwait to support them. Their fears turned out to be justified.

In February this year, a full 12 months after she went missing, Ms Demafelis’ body was discovered inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment where she’d worked for a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife.

The sixth of nine children had moved overseas in 2014 like many young Filipino women do to help their families survive. They were struggling to repair the battered family home after Typhoon Haiyan tore through.

She would call family routinely and never complained. But when the calls stopped, her family went to authorities.

The Lebanese-Syrian couple was arrested in February in the Syrian capital Damascus following an Interpol manhunt.

Syrian authorities handed the husband, Nader Essam Assaf, over to Lebanese authorities, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus. On Sunday, the pair was sentenced in absentia to hang for their crimes, but the fallout has impacted an entire country.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte responded to Demafelis’ death by banning the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, though that won’t affect the more than 250,000 Filipinos still working in the oil-rich nation.

The Philippine senate, meanwhile, has opened an inquiry into what went wrong.

The president, who is prone at making public outbursts, also lashed out at Middle Eastern nations.

“The Filipino is no slave to anyone, anywhere and everywhere,” an enraged Mr Duterte said shortly after Demafelis’ body was found. “We send to you a Filipino worker ... do not give us back a battered worker or a mutilated corpse.”

In the wake of the Demafelis murder, Manila has been working to facilitate the return of its nationals who wish to leave, including those who have lost their residency status.

Ambassador Renato Pedro Villa declined to comment on the verdict over the weekend when asked by reporters but told AFP on Sunday that his country has already repatriated 4000 Filipino nationals living in Kuwait without the necessary paperwork.

“We are now in talks with Kuwaiti authorities to secure an amnesty that will allow 6000 Filipinos living without papers to return,” he said.

Rights groups have voiced alarm over the plight of workers in the Gulf and other Arab countries, where migrant labour is regulated under a system known as “kafala”.

The kafala, or sponsorship, system ties migrant workers’ visas to their employers, prohibiting workers from leaving the country or changing jobs without prior consent.

In February, a casket carrying the body of Ms Demafelis arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport in Manila, four years after she left. Her relatives were inconsolable.

Back home, Philippine labour officials pledged to shoulder the repair of her family’s house — still not fixed — where relatives were preparing for her funeral.

— with AFP</s>A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Lebanese man and his wife to death after they were convicted in absentia of killing a Filipina maid in a case that triggered a crisis between the Philippines and the Gulf Arab state, Kuwaiti newspapers reported on Sunday.

A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Lebanese man and his wife to death after they were convicted in absentia of killing a Filipina maid in a case that triggered a crisis between the Philippines and the Gulf Arab state, Kuwaiti newspapers reported on Sunday.

Couple sentenced to death for murder of maid in Kuwait

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte last month ordered workers in Kuwait to return home over alleged abuse following the discovery of the female worker’s body in the freezer of an abandoned home that belonged to a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife.

Kuwaiti newspaper al-Rai said the pair were convicted in absentia of premeditated murder. Al-Qabas, another newspaper, said the criminal court issued its verdict at its first hearing, convicting the pair of “killing the Filipina worker and putting her body in the freezer”. It said the murder was discovered more than a year after it had taken place and that the couple had been sentenced in absentia. Both newspapers reported the death sentence.

The sentences are subject to appeal under Kuwaiti law. Lebanese media reported last month that the worker’s former employer was in custody in connection with the case and that authorities were considering a Kuwaiti request to extradite him.

AFP news agency, quoting a judicial source, reported in February that the woman was being held in her native Syria. Kuwait and the Philippines, eager to end the crisis, signed an agreement last month regulating some working conditions for domestic workers in the Gulf Arab State.

There are more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, the Philippine Foreign Ministry estimates, with most working as domestic helpers. There are also large numbers in the United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.</s>(CNN) A Kuwaiti court has sentenced a Lebanese man and his wife to death in absentia for the murder of a Filipina maid, the Philippines Foreign Ministry said.

The case of Joanna Demafelis, a 29-year-old maid whose body was found in a freezer earlier this year, prompted a diplomatic crisis between Kuwait and the Philippines, with Manila banning its citizens from working in the Gulf state.

Demafelis' body was discovered in the couple's abandoned apartment more than a year after she went missing. Nader Essam Assaf, a Lebanese national, and his wife Mona Hassoun, who is Syrian, were the subject of an Interpol manhunt.

Kuwaiti newspaper al-Qabas said a criminal court had on April 1 sentenced Assaf and his wife to death by hanging.

The Philippines government said Monday it had been informed of the sentence by a Kuwaiti official and added it had obtained a copy of the court decision.

The Kuwait Ministry of Justice did not immediately respond to CNN requests for confirmation.

Philippines foreign affairs secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said Manila noted "the swift action taken by Kuwaiti authorities" in connection with Demafelis' murder.

"This is a very important development in our quest for justice for Joanna," he added.

The discovery of Demafelis' body in February led to a fiery outburst from Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, who vowed to "sell his soul to the devil" to bring home workers who were being abused in Kuwait.

Of more than 250,000 Filipinos in Kuwait, at least 60% are domestic workers who live and work in the homes of their employers for more money than they can earn at home.

Demafelis' family lost contact with her in May 2016, about two years after she arrived in the Middle East, according to CNN Philippines.

They said she never said anything bad about her employers, but had suspicions she was being watched. Demafelis was only able to speak to them three times a year.

During her last phone call, Demafelis said she planned to come home in 2018. But after not hearing from her for a nearly year, Demafelis' family reported her missing, her sister told CNN Philippines.

Investigators tried to find her through the Kuwaiti agency that recruited her, but discovered it had closed down.</s>Joanna Demafelis left Philippines in search for a better life after she was offered a job in the Middle East in 2014.

Little did she know that she would never come back.

The 29-year-old was hired by a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife who lived in Kuwait.

Last year, the heinous couple retorted to domestic abuse and killed her.

After Demafelis went missing for a year, her dead body was reportedly discovered from a freezer placed in an apartment, which was abandoned by the couple. Nader Essam Assaf and his wife Mona Hassoun fled for Syria after the discovery. After an Interpol manhunt, Assaf was detained by the Syrian authorities and was handed over to Lebanon. His wife was placed in custody in Damascus.

After a month of being arrested, Assaf confessed to murdering the domestic worker.

As per local media, there was evidence the maid was tortured and strangled to death.

The Kuwaiti Criminal Court sentenced the couple to death by hanging for the brutal murder.

"The court has ruled in absentia to punish the defendants by hanging on the charges they were assigned to," the court documents, obtained by al-Rai newspaper, read.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte was outraged after discovering about the Filipina murder case and vowed to "sell his soul to the devil" to bring the Filipina workers back home, who were being abused and assaulted in Kuwait.



 Over 2 million Philippine citizens work overseas, but after Defamelis’ murder and other stories of abuse on domestic workers, Duterte’s government offered free flights home for approximately 10,900 Filipinos who overstayed their visas.

Duterte also ordered a ban on further deployment of workers in the Persian Gulf country.

Defamelis’ family said she was planning to visit them in 2018, but after not being in touch with her for nearly a year, they reported her missing to the authorities. What followed was devastating.

For decades, domestic help in the oil-rich Persian Gulf, hailing from developing south and Southeast Asian countries, have suffered torture at the hands of their wealthy employers. Not much is being done about it, though.</s>Joanna Demafelis loved life. She took hundreds of selfies and posted them all over social media. So it was unusual when she stopped.

Her family grew worried about the maid from the Philippines who had moved to Kuwait to support them. Their fears turned out to be justified.

In February this year, a full 12 months after she went missing, Demafelis’ body was discovered inside a freezer in an abandoned apartment where she’d worked for a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife.

The sixth of nine children had moved overseas in 2014 like many young Filipino women do to help their families survive. They were struggling to repair the battered family home after Typhoon Haiyan tore through.

She would call family routinely and never complained. But when the calls stopped, her family went to authorities.

The Lebanese-Syrian couple was arrested in February in the Syrian capital Damascus following an Interpol manhunt.

Syrian authorities handed the husband, Nader Essam Assaf, over to Lebanese authorities, while his Syrian wife remained in custody in Damascus.

On Sunday, the pair was sentenced in absentia to hang for their crimes, but the fallout has impacted an entire country.

Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte responded to Demafelis’ death by banning the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, though that won’t affect the more than 250,000 Filipinos still working in the oil-rich nation.

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A court in Kuwait sentences a Lebanese man and his Syrian wife to death in absentia for the murder of their Filipino maid. The case sparked an Interpol manhunt and diplomatic tensions.