Stranded Filipinos throng embassy shelter in Riyadh

A shelter run by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh for distressed women is currently overcrowded with 200 undocumented Filipinos compared to a daily average of 130 seeking help for repatriation to the Philippines.
“The shelter, called Bahay Kalinga, is overcrowded because undocumented women with children who have previously rented out flats across the city have sought the embassy’s help, saying their landlords have refused to renew their housing contract,” a source told Arab News.
The embassy eventually relocated them at the BK, which is administered by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO).
The POLO is an affiliate agency at the Philippine Embassy.
There are only 47 undocumented Filipino women remaining at the BK prior to the crackdown on illegal workers, said the source.
“This is because the POLO has been regularly repatriating Filipino women who had gone absconding from their employers,” it said.
The number of undocumented Filipino women at the BK was higher but 10 of them had since decided to go back to where they were staying before. They left due to health concerns.
Some of the remaining undocumented women were among those who had camped inside the embassy premises to dramatize their demand for repatriation.
“It is not that easy. While the women could be granted travel documents, Saudi authorities require birth certificates for the children, which they can’t provide. This hampers efforts to help them,” the source added.
The source also confirmed reports that three out of 18 people who were at the POLO demanding immediate repatriation on Tuesday were arrested by police. They have since been released.
They included women who have been endorsed at the BK.