DAMMAM, Saudi Arabia, 11 May 2006 — Some 200 more Filipino workers who are in the Kingdom’s jails for various offenses have been granted a royal pardon as a goodwill gesture on the state visit of Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, officials said yesterday.

Arroyo herself announced the development on Monday night when she met with the Filipino community in the Eastern Province at the Le Gulf Meridien Hotel.

Arroyo oozed with thanks for Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Abdullah for the mass pardon, which she described as “the best gift” that she got from the Saudi government in her four-day visit.

Presidential spokesman Ignacio Bunye, who was with Arroyo in her four-day visit, was quoted by the Malacañang Palace broadcast pool yesterday as saying the total number of workers pardoned has reached 341.

Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis confirmed to Arab News that the first 174 were bound for Manila last night on board a Saudi Arabian Airlines flight from Riyadh.

Arroyo, who was also scheduled to leave the Kingdom late last night, is to welcome the workers at the airport in Manila today.

Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas earlier said they were trying to charter a flight to take all of the workers, but apparently the plan did not materialize. She said then number could even rise further as Saudi officials were still calling the Philippine consular officers about the release of prisoners from their respective jurisdictions. “The king has given his orders, and they are complying,” she said.

She said there are some 400 OFWs languishing in jails across the Kingdom, where over one million Filipinos also work. Even those convicted for embezzlement would be released, and King Abdullah had written off the fund claims, the labor chief said.

Arroyo said she was overwhelmed by the king’s gift because her original request was only for 50 Filipinos.

Arroyo was also received warmly by more than 2,000 Filipinos who gathered in Alkhobar on Tuesday night to see her.

“I am very happy to see all of you who are working in the Eastern region, particularly those who are in Jubail,” Arroyo said.

Ambassador Roy Cimatu, Arroyo’s special envoy for the Middle East, said the president was really happy for the “very warm reception” she got from OFWs in Alkhobar. “There were more well-wishers here compared to those in Riyadh and Jeddah,” Cimatu said.

Arroyo and her delegation met the Filipino community in Riyadh and nearby places on Monday night. She met briefly with the community in Jeddah on Tuesday morning.

In all the meetings, only Arroyo did the talking. There were no open forums, which many community members wanted.

Even then, Roilo Alojado, overall chairman of the All Filipino and Sports Commission, said that the positive announcements of Arroyo were a good consolation.

“There may be no response to the issues and concerns that we have submitted prior to the president’s arrival, as we had requested, but hopefully these issues will be relayed to the president and replied through proper government agencies,” he said.

In her speech, Arroyo said she has instructed Ambassador-designate Antonio Villamor, Labor Secretary Sto. Tomas, and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Marianito Roque to always make the welfare of OFWs a priority.

Arroyo also thanked those who voted for her during the national elections in 2004. Arroyo won by a big margin in the Kingdom, which posted the biggest number of overseas votes at more 93,000. She also thanked the PGMA-KSA Movement, which assisted her in the campaign.

“We are very happy that the night with the President Arroyo was very successful, despite the last-minute changes in the schedule,” said Buddy Alpuerto, president of the PGMA Movement in the Kingdom.

A group of children called PGMA Kids showed to Arroyo a song and dance number with the campaign jingle they used in 2004.

Prior to that, the Saringhimig, SPA-TDG, Filpop, and students of the International Philippine School in Alkhobar (IPSA) and the Philippine School in Dammam (PSD) entertained the community while waiting for the president’s arrival.

Long-Term Solutions

Migrante International, an alliance of organizations composed of overseas Filipinos and their families, was not impressed by what it called Arroyo’s gimmicks.

“OFWs in KSA need long-term solutions — not short-term gimmicks to problems,” the group said in a statement from Manila.

While the release of the workers from prison is certainly welcome news, it said, the plight of all the others that still languish in jail should be dealt with utmost urgency.

“What about the conditions of the more than 800,000 OFWs in the Kingdom? Clearly, Arroyo’s publicity stunts in Saudi Arabia will hardly address their troubles,” Migrante chairwoman said in the statement.

Migrante cited a report of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) in 2004 saying there are approximately 820,000 OFWs in Saudi Arabia with many of the women working as domestic or household workers (148,500) while the men work as production and construction workers (318,500).

“These jobs often leave the Filipino migrants vulnerable to a range of contract violations, including physical and emotional abuse. Contract substitution, delayed or non-payment of salaries, the refusal of employers to issue exit visas or grant employees a day-off are systemic problems that require more than an Arroyo photo-opportunity...” Migrante said.

In her speech in Jeddah, Arroyo said she will be releasing funds for the Philippine mission in the Kingdom to use in hiring Saudi lawyers to defend Filipinos facing charges.

Bragas-Regalado said that in the long-run, the best interests of Filipino migrants are served if instead of exporting workers — the Philippine government genuinely implements policies that create viable livelihood opportunities for its people. (With a report by the Inquirer News Service)