RIYADH, 12 August 2007 — A row that threatened to destroy harmony in the Second Philippine International School (SPIS) community appeared to have been solved yesterday after management agreed to settle its obligations to teachers and staff whose services are terminated.

Labor Attaché Resty Dela Fuente said the school management affirmed its commitment to pay what is required by Saudi labor law during a dialogue organized by the Philippine Embassy in a bid to prevent a dispute over end-of-service benefits (ESB) from going out of control.

He said the SPIS management was represented by Cornelio Icaonapo, Jr., SPIS assistant principal, and school administrator Josephine Reyes, sister school board Chairperson Marilyn Freduluces and finance chief Marylou Rosca.

“We believe the dispute is over,” said Dela Fuente, who intervened together with Ambassador Antonio P. Villamor in the dispute upon the request of affected school teachers and concerned community members.

As gathered by Arab News, the row started when the school management refused to pay the ESB and vacation leave claims of teachers Maru Arriola, Nenet Chan and Myrna Ardiente, who filed a non-renewal of their contracts in May.

Arriola and Chan filed ahead of Ardiente and were told allegedly by the administration that they would not receive any benefits.

Acting on the complaint of the teachers, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office headed by Dela Fuente wrote a letter inviting the SPIS management for discussion.

The management, however, did not respond, prompting Ardiente to seek the intervention of the Ministry of Labor of Saudi Arabia.

‘Just a Small Problem’

In a phone interview, Marylou Rosca said all the management was asking for was for the complainants “to give us time” to raise the amount being sought.

“We’re not bad people. This is just small problem that can be settled amicably,” she angrily said in a phone interview earlier this week.

She said the school had been facing budgetary constraints for the past years and that this had been explained to the faculty and teaching staff.

But other teachers joined the cause of the three teachers, saying they did not find the management’s response to the raging dispute reassuring.

“We are alarmed by these delaying tactics of the school management,” said Danilo Jarina, the academic coordinator for elementary education.

Jarina expressed concern that the contracts issued to SPIS teachers and staff included a disclaimer by the school on the matter of paying end-of-service benefits.

The disclaimer has reportedly alarmed POLO officials, who said such contract is a violation of the Saudi Labor Code.

During yesterday’s dialogue Dela Fuente stressed the same message to Icaonapo and Reyes, saying that the payment of ESB is required by the Kingdom’s laws and is non-negotiable.