97 OFWs in Saudi to be repatriated

Ninety-seven distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia will be repatriated after the Riyadh Governorate issued them airline tickets, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

In a report, the DFA reported that the Philippine embassy in Saudi Arabia said the 97 OFWs who have been staying at the Saudi Social Welfare Administration (SSWA) or at Bahay Kalinga, the embassy’s Filipino welfare center, will be returning to their families in the Philippines on different dates.

Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim Guinomla said the embassy has been processing the OFWs’ travel documents for submission to Saudi immigration authorities to facilitate their departure from Saudi Arabia.

Guinomla said Saudi immigration officials have set Saturday as the deadline for the submission of the OFWs’ travel papers.

According to him, many of the distressed OFWs have labor disputes with their employers, though some of them were endorsed by their employers or the police.

Guinomla conveyed his gratitude to the Office of Prince Salman bin Abdulaziz, the governor of Riyadh, for his generosity and compassion for the OFWs.

The embassy said the OFWs endorsed to the SSWA have 21 days within which to resolve their problems with their sponsors, although they may stay a maximum of 45 days at the facility. — Pia Lee-Brago