RIYADH, 8 January 2004 — The Philippine Embassy said here yesterday that it had solved the problems of three stranded Filipino workers.
The three men, members of a group of 16 striking overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), were detained by the police late last month while on a hunger strike in the embassy.
“The three workers can be repatriated immediately after they sign the final settlement papers with their respective Saudi employers,” said Labor Attache Alberto S. Abalayan.
The attache said that Abdul Aziz Al-Khalifa, employer of two of the Filipino workers, Danny Morales and Jesulito Merginio, had agreed to repatriate them at his own expense.
“But the two OFWs are required to sign a final settlement and cooperate with the embassy to speed up the repatriation,” Abalayan said.
Both Morales and Merginio complained of long working hours, no days off and poor accommodation. They also alleged that they were not given an iqama and were not allowed to get driving licenses.
In a report to Philippine Ambassador Bahnarim A. Guinomla, Abalayan said that the third OFW, Jaime dela Paz, is required to settle a cash advance amounting to SR2,500 and pay for his air ticket before he can return to the Philippines.
Referring to the embassy’s actions in relating to the 16 striking workers, some Filipino community organizations and leaders said: “Nobody appreciates the role of the embassy, especially in handling this case of striking workers.”
The 16 striking OFWs occupied the chancery lobby for eight days, and were removed from the premises by the Saudi police. The incident was widely reported in the local media.
Many Filipino workers said that the labor wing of the chancery worked very slowly to solve the problems of the striking workers. A regional organization of overseas Filipinos called KGS — The Brotherhood of Filipinos in the Middle East — stated that some 300 Filipino workers remain stranded in Saudi Arabia.
The KGS alleges that “the embassy has been making too many promises without any end results.” The KGS and other similar groups have called on the Philippine Embassy to intensify efforts to solve the problems of runaway workers.
A press statement from the Philippine Embassy said that the embassy “had sought cooperation of the workers in processing their cases.” It urged the OFWs to sign settlement papers with their employers to facilitate their return home.
In a recent interview, the Philippine ambassador also said that the embassy was seeking royal clemency for a large number of OFWs in different jails and reformatory centers.
