MANILA, 2 March 2006 — President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo has ordered the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure the early repatriation of two Filipino workers killed in Monday’s checkpoint shooting in Riyadh, the president’s spokesman said yesterday.
Press Secretary Ignacio Bunye said President Arroyo has also told the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) to provide “full assistance” to the victims.
A report by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has identified the two dead Filipino workers as Abel Monterela and Felix Llorando.
Charge d’Affaires Germinia Aguilar Usudan had said three other Filipinos — Rodel Canlas Miranda, Salvador Traquena Bibon, and Jimmy Mayo Pactor — were injured and are still confined at a Riyadh hospital.
Reports from Riyadh had earlier said the two Filipinos were killed along with their Indian driver in an apparent case of mistaken identity.
All six were on board a four-door pick-up of their company, the Bader Al Soubo Construction Co., and were on their way to a work site on Olaya Road when security forces chasing suspected terrorists opened fire on their vehicle.
Five terrorists were killed in a raid on that same day and another was arrested in Al-Rawabi district.
Saudi Arabia's ambassador to the Philippines, Mohammed Ameen Wali, was seen at the Philippine foreign secretary's office yesterday morning to help shed light on the shooting incident.
“The president is deeply saddened by this news and she asks all Filipinos to pray for the safety of our modern-day heroes, many of who risk life and limb to work overseas in order to bring about a better future for their families,” Bunye said in a press statement.
