By Arjay L. Balinbin

FILIPINO WORKERS’ worsening conditions abroad had prompted President Rodrigo R. Duterte to appoint Iglesia ni Cristo (INC) Executive Minister Eduardo V. Manalo as his special envoy for the concerns of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), Presidential Spokesperson Herminio Harry L. Roque, Jr. said on Thursday, Feb. 15.

According to Mr. Roque, the government and the OFWs will benefit from Mr. Manalo’s appointment because of his “established network,” saying the INC leader has existing projects that cater to both members and nonmembers of the religious group.

Mr. Roque said Mr. Manalo, as a special appointee, will not receive any compensation from the government.

The spokesman stressed that Mr. Manalo’s appointment does not violate the separation of the Church and State doctrine.

Mr. Roque also emphasized that Mr. Manalo’s appointment is not political payment (“bayad politikal”) for his role in Mr. Duterte’s election victory in 2016.

“Hindi po iyan bayad-politikal. Siguro po itong mga pangyayari ngayon na nagiging biktima ng pag-aabuso ang ating mga OFWs ay nag-udyok na maitalaga itong si Mr. Manalo,” he said.

(That is not a political payback. Perhaps, the main factor for his appointment is the current condition of our OFWs who have become victims of abuses.)

Mr. Roque also said, “I’d like to think that the long-term Filipino-Kuwaiti relations will not be affected,” in response to Kuwaiti Foreign Minister Sheikh Sabah al-Khalid al-Sabah’s remarks Tuesday that Mr. Duterte’s call to evacuate OFWs from Kuwait could damage ties between the two countries

As of this reporting, Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter S. Cayetano was scheduled to meet with Kuwait’s ambassador to the Philippines.

Mr. Roque said the President’s instruction to Mr. Cayetano is to “get a commitment from the Kuwaiti government on how they will protect the Filipino nationals” who currently work in their country.

Mr. Cayetano, according to his office, is set to hold a press conference on Friday, Feb. 16, to discuss issues concerning Kuwait, including his meeting with Kuwait’s ambassador.

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