MANILA, May 16 (Xinhua) -- Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered on Wednesday the lifting of the total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait.

Presidential spokesman Harry Roque said Duterte instructed Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello "to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait." He said the move was upon the recommendation of Philippine Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o.

Roque announced on Tuesday the lifting of the ban for semi-skilled and skilled Filipino workers to Kuwait, adding that some 20,000 Filipino workers are expected to be deployed soon to Kuwait.

The lifting of the total ban paves the way for the deployment of Filipino maids to Kuwait.

The Philippines and Kuwait signed last week a memorandum of agreement (MOA) that provides "legal protection for Filipino maids in the Gulf State."

Roque said on Sunday the Philippines and Kuwait undertake "to uphold ethical recruitment policies, systems, and procedures for the recruitment and employment of domestic workers, subject to the applicable laws and regulations of both parties."

Kuwait is a major labor destination for Filipinos in the Middle East, with over 250,000 currently working there, mostly as domestic helpers.

However, recent incidents of abuses against Filipino maids, where some resulted in deaths, prompted Manila to enforce a deployment ban for Filipino workers earlier this year.

The Philippine government sent a team to Kuwait last week led by Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano and Bello to mend ties with the Gulf State.?