“Santo Domingo, who is from Santa Cruz, Manila, left on a Gulf Air flight and was met at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) by her son Vergel and other members of the family. After so many years, she was finally reunited with her family,” said John Leonard Monterona, Migrante Middle East regional coordinator.
Santo Domingo had earlier been referred by Migrante Middle East to the BK, which is administered by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh).
Before that, Santo Domingo was staying with a friend, Marcelina Calimag, who took care of her. Eventually, Calimag sought the help of the Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan (KGS) on behalf of Santo Domingo, who could not work because she was sick and weak.
Santo Domingo ran away from her employer years ago and worked in the black labor market. KGS eventually referred her case to Migrante.
“I immediately called the Philippine Embassy regarding Santo Domingo's case. I asked concerned officials to provide medical assistance to Santo Domingo and place her at the BK,” Monterona said.
He, however, said that it took more than three months before Santo Domingo could be repatriated because the embassy officials were waiting for approval from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs of the Department of Foreign Affairs to issue a guarantee letter.
“A letter of guarantee, which was being asked for by the Saudi immigration authorities, could have been issued because Santo Domingo was finally repatriated,” Monterona said.
Monterona added that a letter of guarantee ensures that if Santo Domingo's employer had a pending case against her, the embassy would have power of attorney to advocate on her behalf.
