Labour Secretary of the Philippines Silvestre Bello announceda "total ban" on new employment in the country, including Filipinoswho had already obtained employment permits but had not yet left for Kuwait.
Philippine authorities have not ruled out revoking thepermits of Filipinos currently working in Kuwait or of previous hires returningon new contracts.
[Philippines halts sending workers to Kuwait]
The move would affect thousands of workers and it cameafter Duterte last month barred Filipinos from seeking work in Kuwait, althoughthe ban exempted those who had already secured permission.
Authorities say 252,000 Filipinos work in Kuwait, manyas maids. They are among more than two million employed in the Middle East, whobring a huge sum of remittances to the Philippine economy.-VNA