A party-list lawmaker on Thursday urged the Philippine government to kick out Kuwaiti ambassador Musaed Saleh Ahmad Althwaikh “in equivalent retaliation” for Kuwait’s decision to expel Philippine envoy Renato Pedro Villa from the Middle Eastern country.

“We intend to file a House resolution declaring the Kuwaiti diplomat persona non grata. Once we obtain plenary approval of the resolution, we will send it to our Bureau of Immigration for enforcement,” said ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III.

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In a statement, the lawmaker, who advocates for OFWs in the House of Representatives, urged the Duterte administration to take retaliatory steps against Kuwait, which was outraged by a “rescue mission” of Filipino domestics that was conducted by Philippine authorities without consulting the Kuwaiti government.

“The Kuwait ambassador has been recalled by his government for consultation anyway. We might as well forbid him from coming back,” Bertiz said.

“Kuwait should not have expelled Villa, considering that the Department of Foreign Affairs had already apologized for the misunderstanding caused by the (Philippine) embassy’s highly aggressive efforts to safeguard our workers there,” the congressman said.

He noted that Foreign Secretary Alan Cayetano had already reassured the Kuwaiti government of the Philippines’ respect for the emirate’s sovereignty and the dignity of the Kuwaiti people.

“What the Kuwaiti government did was a needless escalation of a simple diplomatic spat,” Bertiz said.

Bertiz also accused the Kuwaiti ambassador of conveying “false assurances” when he met with President Duterte and other Cabinet members Monday in Davao City.

“The Kuwait ambassador had assured us that his government will protect the rights and welfare of the 252,000 Filipino workers in the emirate. Yet, two days later, they threw out our ambassador – the highest official responsible for looking after our citizens there,” he said.

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