Illegal Filipino workers uncooperative, says embassy

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has accused illegal workers staying at its premises of refusing to follow Saudi labor procedures including transferring to a social welfare center and agreeing to be fingerprinted.
Many have also refused to go with their exit visas to a Saudi deportation center, a requirement if they want to go home.
The Philippine Embassy said yesterday that its personnel did not provoke the campers who have been staying at its premises since May 4.
“The videos circulating on social media, particularly the Facebook account of one of the campers, do not tell the full story,” the embassy said in a statement.
The campers have been at the embassy grounds since May 4 despite numerous offers for them to be relocated to the Bahay Kalinga (BH) of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for women.
“There were originally 73 of them. This increased to 77 but it now stands at 70 after two males were repatriated and a few women opted voluntarily to leave and correct their status,” the embassy said.
On May 15 at around 5 p.m., it said, its staff found campers kicking and forcibly dismantling the makeshift billboards used as a barrier.
“The campers stormed the area near the embassy’s main doors and gates and shouted that an officer of the Diplomatic Quarter Police had entered the mission compound and tried to question one of them. They also alleged that the embassy allowed the officer to enter in an attempt to harass them,” the embassy said.
According to eyewitness accounts, an unnamed Saudi Diplomatic Quarter police officer entered the compound after he saw two Filipinos throwing two bags over the embassy’s fence.
“He was attempting to apprehend one of the campers who collected the bags. It was also reported that the camper in question hid under an unserviceable vehicle parked nearby to avoid being questioned. This resulted in scratches to his arm,” the embassy added.
The embassy had advised the campers several times that any donations or anyone delivering items for them should do so through the Bahay Kalinga outside the Diplomatic Quarter to avoid issues with the security guards.
According to the police, the officer saw two bags thrown over the fence by two Filipinos who were subsequently apprehended. The officer immediately responded by entering the embassy gates to intercept the two bags because they posed an immediate security threat to the embassy.
The officer reasoned that it was his obligation as he was on duty. Under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the host government is obligated to ensure the security and safety of diplomatic personnel.
Filipino community observers noted that the campers have been aggressive and uncooperative following attempts by the embassy to follow mandatory Saudi exit procedures.
On May 11, Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh) officers Romeo Pablo and Richard Senerez asked 13 women without children to go to the Saudi Social Welfare Authority (SWA) to get exit visas. They however refused and demanded that they all be repatriated at the same time.
The following day, the campers submitted a document demanding that Ambassador Ezzedin H. Tago sign a guarantee that they would be allowed to return to the embassy after getting their exit visas. The embassy rejected the demand because the Saudi deportation authorities may have asked them to stay temporarily at the SWA while processing the exit visas.
On May 15, POLO-Riyadh offered to transfer the 13 single women to the SWA but only one, Marigen Bestes Tabasa, accepted the offer.
On May 13, embassy case officer Hassan Cali approached two of the campers, Deo O. Oira and Donald Campo, and informed them that the Saudi Deportation Center required them to undergo mandatory fingerprinting but they refused.
“It was explained that the procedure was required pursuant to the announcement made by the Saudi ministries of labor and interior on May 10 for the rectification of the status of expatriate workers. However, they alleged that the process was not required in Jeddah,” the embassy said.
Despite assurances that they would be allowed to return to the Kingdom, they refused to cooperate, the embassy added.