Fifty-five distressed female overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) and their children are begging for repatriation at the Philippine halfway house in Riyadh, said Filipino migrant rights group Migrante-Middle East and North Africa (M-MENA).

According to a report issued last month, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has repatriated 1,100 OFWs.

Ninety-seven mothers with undocumented children have also acquired exit visas after a Ministry of Interior team conducted DNA tests and fingerprinting procedures.

M-MENA coordinator John Leonard Monterona said most women OFWs have been staying at Bahay Kalinga, a halfway house, for more than three months. Some have been there for over a year.

Over 500 stranded OFWs have been staying at a “Tent City” in Jeddah since April.

“Being at the Bahay Kalinga for so long shows that repatriation procedures have not been granted due attention by the Philippine Embassy and labor officials in Riyadh,” Monterona added.

“If the reasons for the delays of their repatriation are the pending payment of penalties due to violation of Saudi immigration policies and airplane tickets, then the Philippine government should allocate a quota from its billion-peso special purpose funds (SPF) and other presidential funds to pay for airplane tickets and pending penalties that have been incurred due to violation of Saudi immigration policies,” Monterona said.

“The billions generated in these funds obviously came from the people’s taxes and other state exactions this government imposes on its people,” Monterona averred.

Monterona noted that OFW remittances sent to the Philippines last year reached $21 billion (SR 78.8 billion). “Such huge OFW remittances keep the economy afloat due to massive local consumption and spending by the families of 12 million OFWs. The government is also earning money from VAT and EVAT on products and services,” Monterona said.