ALKHOBAR, 22 April — The top Philippine labor official in Alkhobar has asked the embassy in Riyadh to reiterate its request with the host government to establish a consulate or at least an extension office to be based here in Alkhobar.
Labor Attaché Jainal Rasul Jr. made the recommendation to Ambassador Rafael Seguis as he cited the increasing number of Filipino labor and police cases in the Eastern Region.
Rasul, who heads the Eastern Region Operations (ERO) of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA), told Arab News that a need for at least an extension office is necessary if the host government will not allow a Philippine consulate to be established in the region.
The embassy has an “Embassy on Wheels” that regularly travels from Riyadh to Alkhobar to perform consular and other services.
But Rasul said the number of Filipinos in the region, now estimated at 120,000, is already too big for just an out-of-town mission.
He also asked for four additional Arabic interpreters and two more vehicles to complement the its services. He noted that of the ERO’s staff, 11 are based in Riyadh, and only four are Arabic-literate.
At present the ERO has only one vehicle and is not in good condition. Rasul said that sometimes they have to commute by bus from Riyadh to Dammam just to attend to the problems of OFWs who request for immediate assistance.
Rasul further asked that OWWA Manila should send a revolving fund since the release of project funds from the home office had always been delayed.
He also cited that ERO has the least priority in receiving PTA tickets from Manila compared to the posts in Riyadh and Jeddah. He said Alkhobar should also be given priority in issuing the prepaid ticket advice for Filipino workers needing urgent repatriation.
Together with Supervising Welfare Officer Sotero Tornea Jr., Rasul submitted recently ERO’s 2001 Accomplishment Report to Ambassador Seguis highlighting that out of the 2,216 reported OFW cases in year 2001, about 94 percent or a total of 2,079 cases were resolved and disposed as of the year-end.
Of the resolved cases, 1,414 were repatriated to the Philippines, 35 were released or transferred to other employers, 339 got restitution of money claims, 271 returned to work. The remaining 20 were categorized as special cases.
The report said the figures showed a comparatively higher resolution rate versus POLO-OWWA’s performance in the year 2000 when it handled only 1,956 cases in the Eastern Region and solved about 1,702 with an 87- percent resolution rate.
Of the 1,414 who opted to be repatriated in 2001, only 61 enjoyed the PTA tickets facilitated by OWWA Manila, the report said. Most were shouldered by employers and others through generous contribution from the Filipino community.
The report said ERO also played an important role in coordination with the Assistance to National Unit (ANU) of the Philippine Embassy in repatriating home 58 remains of OFWs who died last year.
Rasul acknowledged that the Accredited Community Partners (ACP) in the region contributed a lot in assisting ERO in its crisis intervention program. The ACPs were tapped to augment the POLO’s limited manpower in reaching out the OFWs particularly in far-flung areas such as Hofuf, Jubail, and Khafji.
In November 2001, Rasul published a manual entitled “OFW Guide to Saudi Labor Law” which seeks to educate Filipino workers on their basic rights while maintaining a healthy relationship with their employers.
The POLO and ACP in the eastern region had a busy year in 2001 by jointly sponsoring enhancement and training programs for OFWs.