RIYADH, 24 March 2004 — The Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) will repatriate five more overseas Filipino workers on Thursday and another five on Friday, according to Labor Attaché Manuel “Dodong” Roldan.
Roldan made the statement as he wished good luck to the 54 OFWs who left for the Philippines last night and whose repatriation has been made possible with the cooperation of the Department of Labor and Employment and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
“I thank Labor Secretary Patricia Sto. Tomas and OWWA Administrator Virgilio Angelo for extending all the necessary support. I also thank all my staff for working hard in following up the pending cases,” he said.
He also expressed the hope that the ordeal of the repatriated OFWs will become part of their growing up.
“I hope that their experiences while here will make them wiser in their decisions as far as working overseas is concerned,” he said.
He added that if they think they could land a better job in the Kingdom, they should not hesitate to come back.
As to the OFWs with pending cases, Roldan said that the final decision is not in the hands of the officials of the embassy and POLO. “It depends on how cooperative the employers are when POLO contacts them. They are the ones who will issue exit visas,” he said.
Those repatriated Tuesday night expressed happiness.
“I have been here for years. I also stayed at the Bahay Kalinga (OWWA) Center for a long time. Finally I will be rejoining my family,” said Sitig Cayugan who comes from Mindanao.
Guibon M. Casim of Cotabato urged other OFWs intending to work in the Kingdom to be very careful in choosing their agencies and employers.
