RIYADH: During the last 10 days of Ramadan, nearly 100 stranded Filipino workers in Riyadh sent a letter of appeal to Custodian of the Two Holy Mosques King Salman through the Saudi Postal Services Agency.

They want to be repatriated along with their fellow 300 Filipinos, most of them female workers, in various shelters in the capital.

A copy of the two-page appeal letter, with Arabic translation, was sent to Arab News. “We respectfully appeal that we be allowed to be repatriated without going through the hassle of getting exit visa clearance from our respective sponsors so that we will be reunited with our families in the Philippines,” the Filipinos request in the letter.

“We also appeal to you to order the repatriation of our fellow Filipino female workers in distress, who are also stranded and are currently staying at the Philippine Embassy’s shelter. There are nearly 200 of them, some with children.”

“Likewise, we appeal to you to order the repatriation of our fellow Filipino female workers housed at a holding center at Exit 6 along with female migrant workers managed by the Saudi Social Welfare Administration (SSWA). There are at least 100 Filipino female workers staying at the SSWA holding center.”

“We pray to Your Highness for compassion and humanitarian consideration,” the letter concludes.

So far, four of the 21 stranded male Filipinos in Riyadh with exit visas have been repatriated, while 84 still await completion of deportation formalities, according to migrant rights group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME).

“There were four stranded male Filipinos repatriated since we initiated the ‘swift and free mass repatriation’ campaign out of the 100-plus stranded Filipinos housed at a villa in Riyadh,” said M-ME Regional Coordinator John Leonard Monterona.

He added that the four were part of the 21 who have obtained exit visas after successful negotiation with their respective sponsors. The remaining 17 are waiting for the release of their airplane tickets as per information obtained from the Philippine Overseas Labor officials in Riyadh.

Repatriation of the remaining 84 male Filipinos is under negotiation with their respective employers.

Of the 84, 30 have absconding cases, while 20 were not issued iqamas (residency permits) by their respective sponsors.

“We have urged the embassy and POLO-OWWA officials to follow up with Saudi authorities, especially with the Governor of Riyadh, to seek the waiving of exit visa requirement citing humanitarian considerations to fast track the repatriation of the stranded OFWs,” Monterona explained.