RIYADH, 17 March 2004 — Four more of last December’s 16 hunger strikers at the Philippine Embassy were repatriated yesterday, according to Labor Attache Manuel Roldan of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).

“I am happy about this. The four will finally join their families in the Philippines. Their repatriation is an indication that the Philippine Embassy and the POLO did their best on their behalf. We are doing — and we will do the same — for all overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are similarly situated,” Roldan told Arab News.

The four who have left the Kingdom are Jerry Ranes, Cesar Evangelista, Pepito Mepania, and Danilo Mondragon. Four others — Froilan de Guzman, Danny Latiana, Reynaldo Carino and Jose Tejada — have already been repatriated. Two others — Paulino Buslon and Robert Pacquin — are expected to leave within a week.

Roldan said that the repatriation of the four was made possible by POLO’s negotiations with their employers and Robbi Marohombsar, POLO’s case officer in charge of deportation. Roldan explained that the problem faced by the embassy and the POLO was that they had no immediate control over the processing and issuing of exit visas.

“We did our best. The four who left last night brought to eight the total number of hunger strikers we have so far repatriated. Two more are expected to leave shortly,” he said.

Of the 16, six are still in the Kingdom and the embassy and the POLO are also working for their repatriation. The six are Jaime de la Paz, Ernesto Villamaria, Domingo Yalung, Melvyn Batayola, Joselito Merginio and Danilo Morales.

The 16 went on a hunger strike in December to dramatize their demands that the embassy send them home. When they refused to end the widely-publicized hunger strike, the Philippine Embassy called the Saudi police. The strikers allege that they were handcuffed, although embassy officials said that the police were called to escort the strikers to the hospital for treatment since some of them were sick. The strikers claim that they were not treated because they had no money for medical examinations.