MANILA—President Rodrigo Duterte has ordered the total lifting of the deployment ban of workers to Kuwait, Malacañang said Wednesday.

"Upon recommendation of Special Envoy to Kuwait Abdullah Mama-o, President Rodrigo Roa Duterte tonight instructed Secretary Silvestre Bello to totally lift the ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait," Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque said in a statement.

Roque on Tuesday said the government has implemented the lifting of the deployment ban of skilled and semi-skilled workers after the two countries forged a deal to protect Filipino migrant workers in the Gulf state.

• Palace: Partial lifting of deployment ban to Kuwait begins

In February, Manila ordered a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Kuwait, following instructions from Duterte.

The move came after a string of reported deaths and abuses on Filipino workers in Kuwait, including Joanna Demafelis, whose body was found in a freezer.

Last Saturday, Roque also announced that the relationship of the two nations has returned to normal after a diplomatic row over the treatment of Filipino workers.

• Palace: PH-Kuwait ties back to normal