RIYADH: The Philippine Embassy is exerting all efforts to secure the release of 18 overseas Filipino workers arrested by the religious police following a raid on a temporary safe house here on Friday.
“One of them has already been released, while others are still behind bars,” said Philippine Ambassador Antonio Villamor on Monday.
A safe house operated by a Filipino group, Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan (KGS), housing distressed and runaway OFWs was raided by the members of the Commission for the Promotion of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice following reports that there were unrelated men and women in the place.
All the Filipino workers and KGS office bearers detained by the religious police were then handed over to the local police, who took them to the Oraija Police Station for investigation. Five women were sent to Malaz Prison.
The envoy also clarified that the Philippine Embassy does not run any safe house of its own to accommodate runaway workers.
“The temporary shelter housing distressed workers was run by the KGS,” said Villamor, when asked about the legal status of the safe house.
Eric Jocson, chairperson of the Saudi chapter of KGS, who has been released with his five-year-old son claims that KGS was using the apartment where the raid was conducted only for counseling sessions for distressed workers.
A source said that prior to the police raid, the apartment used by KGS as a safe house had been under surveillance by the authorities.
