The Philippine Consul General in Jeddah Ezzedin Tago said the workers were flown home on board a Saudia flight chartered by the Philippine government.
The plane left Jeddah at about 2 a.m. Friday for Riyadh to pick up other stranded workers from the capital and the Eastern Province before proceeding to Manila, said Tago.
About 293 workers boarded the plane in Jeddah. It was unclear how many passengers joined the flight in Riyadh, but a community worker helping in the repatriation effort earlier said a total of 135 workers were on the list. Consulate officials said the workers were mostly victims of labor malpractices such as unpaid salaries, maltreatment, mental and physical abuse and other contract violations.
Most of the distressed workers were housed in a temporary shelter at the Haj Terminal, which was provided by the Philippine government in coordination with Jeddah authorities.
Some were workers who have finished serving time at Jeddah’s Briman Prison for petty crimes, said the consulate’s Assistance to Nationals Section.
Labor Attaché Vicente Cabe, head of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah, said Labor Secretary Marianito Roque authorized the chartering of a Saudia plane as many of the workers have been languishing at the temporary shelter for more than two months.
Many more stranded workers — some who ran away from employers, others who overstayed their pilgrimage visas — flocked to the consulate on Wednesday and Thursday in hopes of being included in the free flight, but they learned that the flight was first-come-first-served.
Tago urged those who have been left behind to register with the POLO for future flights. He said the repatriation effort takes a little longer because Saudi authorities first have to check the records of the workers before giving them exit papers in order to establish their identities and to ensure they are not fleeing from justice.
