RIYADH: Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin Tago expressed his gratitude to the Saudi government for granting royal clemency to seven overseas Filippino workers (OFWs) who were incarcerated in Saudi jails for various offenses.
“We welcome their notification and I am sure those released and their families are grateful for the amnesty,” the ambassador told Arab News in a text message.
The seven Filipinos were among a group of prisoners pardoned as part of Ramadan amnesty, the Embassy of Saudi Arabia in Manila said this weekend according to a local newspaper. The report said the names of those pardoned and details about their offenses were not released.
The gesture confirms the importance of strengthening the friendship between the Kingdom and the Philippines.
For the last 15 years Saudi Arabia consistently topped the list of destinations for OFWs, with an estimated 1.2 million of them working in the Kingdom.
Charge d’Affaires Abdulelah A.A. Aljebreen at the Saudi Embassy in Manila said: “This clemency distinguishes the Kingdom from the rest of the world as it preserves the family entity and social relationships and makes the pardoned ones feel the tolerance of Islam.”
Usually, the Saudi government grants pardon right after the observance of Ramadan to convicted offenders of petty crimes.
Migrante-Middle East (M-ME) regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said his group welcomed the granting of clemency. “As we continue to provide assistance to jailed OFWs especially those victims of trumped up charges in Saudi Arabia and in other Mideast countries, we would like to convey our appreciation to the Saudi government and King Abdullah. We look forward to their immediate release and repatriation so they will reunite with their families who have been long awaiting them,” Monterona said.
“We are hoping that more jailed OFWs will be pardoned this year. There are now between 600 and 800 male and female OFWs in Saudi jails for various offenses,” he said. The M-ME said there were 120 OFW inmates in Malaz jail in Riyadh as of November 2011.
“According to our estimate, there are around 30 to 50 OFWs still in Saudi jails, despite completion of their jail terms,’ Monterona claimed.
The group leader called on the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to look into the cases of overstaying OFW inmates, especially women, in Saudi Arabia and try to secure their release and arrange immediate deportation.
Royal pardon for OFWs
