JEDDAH: Seventy-one stranded Filipino workers who have been camped out under Jeddah’s Kandara bridge arrived in Manila on Wednesday on the second repatriation flight this week.
The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the group consisted of 62 women, six men and three children.
According to The Philippine Star, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said on Friday at least 170 more overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) are being cleared by the Saudi Passport Department for final-exit.
On Tuesday, 66 other stranded OFWs touched down in Manila. GMANews.TV cited Anthony Basil, administration staff of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), saying that most of the Filipinos who arrived on Wednesday had traveled to Jeddah from Riyadh and the Eastern Province hoping to be deported by Saudi immigration authorities.
GMA said that group consisted of 24 adults and 42 children, many of whom had been camped out at the tent city under the Kandara bridge hoping to catch the attention of Saudi immigration officials. Previously 100 OFWs had been sent home.
The DFA claims that it has communicated with the Saudi Passport Department to help facilitate the repatriation of these Filipinos.
The number of stranded Filipinos (or workers of other nationalities) under the Kandara bridge and other gathering places is unknown.
The Saudi government and foreign missions work together to verify the identities of runaway workers to ensure they aren’t trying to be deported to flee criminal activity. Runaway workers often claim abusive treatment or nonpayment by sponsors; some exploit the deportation process to obtain a free ride home.
