“His employer is willing to cooperate with the Philippine Embassy for his repatriation although this is not possible at present because he’s very weak,” John Lenonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, told Arab News in an e-mail. “In the meantime, his bill is mounting.”

The man was identified as Eduardo C. Vidal, 34, from Wao, Lanao del Sur province. He used to work as a mechanic in a car shop in Al-Ahsa, Eastern Province. He arrived in the Kingdom in September 2008. Vidal’s hospital bill has grown to approximately SR150,000.

“According to the report of our affiliate Ariel Sarto, who worked as medical storekeeper at Mouwasat Hospital in Jubail where Vidal is confined, the latter accidentally stepped on a rusty iron nail while at work, causing him to be infected with tetanus. He was eventually brought to the hospital in November 2010,” said Monterona, adding that the organization is coordinating with relatives to seek a formal request for assistance from government agencies concerned.