JEDDAH, 11 August 2005 — A Filipino woman who got “stranded” in Yanbu when she refused to accept a job other than what she was hired for was able to fly home without help from her recruitment agency or employer.

Cora Nacional got not only a plane ticket but also pocket money, courtesy of compatriots in Yanbu who passed the hat around when it became apparent that help was slow in coming, even from the Philippine government.

“In eight days, we were able to raise 4,242 riyals, enough to buy a one-way ticket and some pocket money for Cora to bring home,” said an action officer of the Pusong Mamon Task Force (PMTF), who asked not to be named.

Nacional left Yanbu on Tuesday night on board a Saudia flight and took a connecting flight to Manila at the Jeddah international airport, Arab News learned.

As gathered by Arab News, Nacional, a resident of suburban Caloocan City in Manila, arrived in Saudi Arabia on July 10 to work at Al-Ansari Specialist Hospital in Yanbu. She was recruited and deployed in Manila by the Al-Sadiq Manpower Corporation to work as janitress.

Trouble began three days on her arrival in Yanbu when her employer allegedly ordered her to work instead as domestic helper for his sister-in-law.

Nacional reportedly refused but was told that she couldn’t do anything but comply.

After a day working as a domestic helper, she begged his employer to send her back to her original job in the hospital, claiming she was made to work all day.

“She said she was not allowed a break and was made to starve,” the Pusong Mamon action officer told Arab News.

“She asked her employer to send her back to the Philippines if he couldn’t reinstate her to her hospital assignment,” he added.

The task force said the employer initially agreed to release Nacional on condition that she returns the money spent by the hospital to hire her.

The employer eventually dropped his demand when OFWs who intervened said he could recover all the money from the agency that deployed Nacional

However, the employer refused to provide the ticket, prompting Pusong Mamon to seek help. While reporting the case to the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, the task force also asked compatriots to help buy a ticket.

Among the donors were the Yanbu Filipino Bowlers Association, Samref, Petrocon/ Crystal Boys, Yanbu Steel Company employees and staff, Allan and friends, and YSC. Many individuals contributed anonymously.

Officials of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, or POLO, said they asked for a ticket from Manila for Nacional on Aug. 1. For still unclear reasons, the ticket never made it to Jeddah.

In repatriation cases like Nacional’s, the recruitment agency in the Philippines has 48 hours to provide the repatriation ticket or its license would be suspended, they said.

Nacional was told that she could seek a refund of the ticket she purchased from the agency in Manila that deployed her.

She expressed sadness that her while her dream of landing a decent job became a reality, it was abbreviated. But she said she was also happy to have kababayan (compatriots) who cared to respond at her time of need, thus making her avoid the ordeal thousands of OFWs have to go through.

“I will not forget you all, wherever I go,” she said in a note addressed to all OFWs who helped her or sympathized with her cause.