Duterte: I'll rob a central bank so OFWs in Kuwait can come home

President Rodrigo Duterte on Sunday said he would "rob a central bank" if needed so that all distressed Filipino migrant workers in Kuwait could go home.

In a press conference at the Davao International Airport upon his arrival from Singapore, Duterte said he intends to use the money that Chinese president Xi Jinping has pledged the Philippines to refurbish hospitals for the benefit of arriving OFWs from Kuwait.

"Gamitin ko 'yung pera. Sabi ko, diyan na muna 'yan. Place it in trust. And once we start to withdraw all Filipinos there in Kuwait, maybe I'll tell you the result of our intervention in behalf of our countrymen," Duterte said.

"Though the calamitous events did not occur here but para sa akin kung naghihirap lang 'yung mga kababayan ko, gagamitin ko. Magnanakaw pa ako kung gusto mo. Ako na ang magnakaw sa central bank mismo. But they have to come home," he added.

He, however, did not name the central bank he was referring to.

Duterte said he recognizes the plight of Filipino migrant workers, and despite the recent cases of abuses against OFWs in Kuwait, he said he does not hate the Kuwaiti government and its people.

"Lahat 'yung nandiyan ngayon 700 facing charges. Wala akong --I do not nurture hate against the Kuwaiti people and government for after all the so many years that we were in the best of relations, nakinabang naman ang mga Pilipino.

"Maraming nagtatrabaho doon. There are a lot of guys working there for so many years to enable their children to study and finish. And for that matter alone, the sheer help that we had. I'm grateful," he said.

The challenge for him, he said, is to get all Filipinos who are working in Kuwait to come home.

"There are about 700 guys who are in temporary shelters seeking sanctuary. We will spend that money. All of it. To the last --- kahit na last na piso natin to get them back," he said. 

"Ang problema, kung sila ang may kaso hindi sila makalabas. But if I can use the money to pay for whatever utang nila, ubusin ko 'yang pera na 'yan para sa tao." 

The President said he would order Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to start a mobilization that would allow the repatriation of OFWs in Kuwait.

"Maybe I told Bello and Secretary Cayetano to start the mobilization immediately. Nandiyan 'yung pera. O kung wala pa 'yun napasok sa National Treasury, I can always use emergency fund. To me it's a calamity. It is a calamity," Duterte said.

For the sake of "patriotism," Duterte said he would plead those who opted to stay in Kuwait to come home.

"Come home. Maski gaano tayo kahirap, mabubuhay tayo." 

"Economy is doing good and we are short of our workers. Walang master carpenter, wala na tayong master plumber, wala na tayong master electricians. 'Yung plumber sa atin, 'pag flush mo, imbes na papunta ng taas, ah baba, mag-sulpot doon sa itaas. They are all there in the Middle East," he added.

According to him, the total deployment ban he earlier ordered on Filipino migrant workers, particularly domestic workers, going to Kuwait would "stay permanently." —Erwin Colcol/LBG, GMA News