KUWAIT CITY, March 17 (Xinhua) -- Kuwait and Philippines have signed a draft deal to regulate the work of domestic helpers, the Kuwait News Agency (KUNA) said on Saturday.

Sami Al-Hamad, the Kuwaiti Foreign Ministry Undersecretary for Consulate Affairs, said the deal came as a result of a meeting between a visiting Kuwaiti ministerial delegation and Filipino authorities in Manila.

The deal will ensure the rights of both employers and employees, said Al-Hamad, affirming that the Kuwaiti side requested that the doors for labor recruitment would be re-opened for Kuwaiti agencies, especially the government-backed Al-Durra company.

He said that those interested in employing domestic workers would be able to do so by paying reasonable fees, adding that employers must ensure that their laborers would have the right to retain their passport, as well as the right of refusing transfer of their working visa to another employer.

Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered a ban of deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait due to numerous cases of abuses.

The Philippines is one of the primary sources of domestic workers abroad, including in the Middle East like Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.

The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs said there are about 250,000 Filipinos working in Kuwait, most as domestic helpers.