The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah issued this warning on Wednesday amid the persistent influx of Filipino overstayers and runaways from various parts of the Kingdom to this city in hopes of exiting through the so-called “backdoor.”
In an advisory, the consulate warned in particular against a man using the name “Hassan,” “Toto” or “Joe” who has reportedly victimized hundreds of Filipinos.
The consulate said it has documented two recent cases in which the victims were duped of their hard-earned savings totaling SR6,500 ($1,733) by Hassan, who promised to have them sent home to the Philippines with the help of his supposed contacts in the immigration office.
“After some time, however, they came to realize that Mr. Hassan’s promises to have them repatriated were empty. Hence, they instead came to the consulate to avail of the so-called voluntary deportation process, which is conducted through the Haj Seaport Terminal, as arranged with Saudi authorities, at the expense of the Philippine government,” said the advisory.
It urged anyone who spots Hassan to report to the consulate or the local police. The consulate withheld the names of the victims for security reasons.
The advisory urged potential victims to be cautious in dealing with individuals “who pretend and profess to have connections and/or contacts with Saudi authorities and could facilitate repatriation to the Philippines for a fee.”
“It is strongly advised that instead contact with the consulate be made in this regard,” said the advisory.
Consul General Ezzedin Tago and other officials of the Philippine mission in the Kingdom have repeatedly warned that there is no such “backdoor exit” in Jeddah.
But the continued influx of such overstayers and runaway OFWs has compelled the consulate to seek help from Saudi authorities to allow their repatriation to the Philippines after having their names cleared of possible criminal cases.
In mid-2007, a total of 925 Filipinos were sent home through the joint effort of the consulate and the Saudi government. These were followed by mass repatriations in 2008, 2009 and earlier this year.
Since July, more than 700 were sent home in batches.
According to consulate officials, the overstayers are those who come to the Kingdom to perform Umrah but have not returned home before their visas expired. The rest escaped from their employers largely to escape exploitation, abuse and maltreatment.
