The House of Representatives has moved to call the attention of the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to provide assistance to documented and undocumented OFWs (Overseas Filipino Workers) in distress.

A select committee of the House of Representatives mandated the DFA to help not only documented OFWs who are in distress but also those without documents, according to media on Saturday.

John Leonard Monterona, Regional Coordinator of the Filipino migrant rights group, Migrante-Middle East welcomed the move on behalf of OFWs around the world.

OFWs have been fighting for their right to protection from injustice in the different countries they work in. Remittances by OFWs amount to nearly $22 billion annually making the country’s economy one of the strongest in Asia.

However, despite their huge contribution to the national economy, OFWs have been marginalized and are victims of various atrocities by their sponsors abroad with the Philippine government paying little attention to their sufferings.

“The mandate for providing assistance to documented and un-documented OFWs should have been adapted from the very beginning and the DFA has a duty to extend its assistance to Filipinos wherever they are when necessary. Despite being undocumented workers (without legal resident or work permits as per the Kingdom’s labor and residency regulations), they are still citizens of the Philippines and are also contributing to the Philippine economy by sending hundreds of thousands of dollars to their respective families back home,” said Saleh Bucay, Riyadh-based community leader.

According to Monterona, there are at least 60 male undocumented OFWs at a villa rented by the embassy here in Riyadh while there are around 40 distressed women OFWs, some of them with children at the embassy-run Bahay Kalinga.

He claimed that in Jeddah, there are nearly 10,000 undocumented OFWs who were not able to avail Saudi Arabia’s amnesty program for undocumented workers to legalize their status or leave the country. In Riyadh, the number of undocumented OFWs is estimated to reach at least 8,000, while in Alkhobar and the Eastern region, it is estimated at about 6,000.

Monterona stressed that the Philippine government mass repatriation program must continue without break,” he said, adding that the diplomatic mission here should continue to seek dialogue with its local counterpart and thereby lobby the host government to grant a general amnesty of all undocumented Filipino migrant workers in the Kingdom.

Isidro Ungab, Davao Citry Representative said his panel has approved the inclusion of a special provision in the DFA budget expanding the coverage of legal assistance to all migrant workers in distress, whether documented or undocumented.

As of June this year, 6,002 Filipinos were in different jails abroad for various offenses, according to the DFA. Of that number, 807 were facing drug-related charges, 79 were accused of crimes punishable by death, while 3,407 were victims of human trafficking syndicates.