Gov’t to provide legal aid to Pinoy driver in Saudi blast

VIENTIANE, Lao PDR (via PLDT) – The Philippine government will provide legal assistance to a Filipino truck driver said to be responsible for the tanker explosion that killed 22 people, including a fellow Filipino, in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia last Nov. 1.

Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said they are coordinating with the Saudi government in investigating the tragic accident.

Del Rosario informed President Aquino that truck driver Robin Kebeng is in the custody of the Criminal Investigation Office in Riyadh.

“We will be providing him all the assistance that he needs,” Del Rosario said in an interview at Don Chan Hotel here.

Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) yesterday assured the family of Kebeng that the agency will allocate funds for the legal expenses of the jailed Filipino worker.

OWWA chief Carmelita Dimzon said Kebeng is entitled to assistance and benefits because he is a bonafide OWWA member.

Dimzon said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is hiring a lawyer for Kebeng and will shoulder all the litigation cost of the Filipino worker.

“The DFA will be handling all the expenses for the trial, and on our part we will be providing a counterpart fund,” she said.

Dimzon added that OWWA personnel visited Kebeng’s family in Benguet to determine the necessary assistance the government could provide them.

“We will wait for developments, but for now we don’t see the need to send a member of Kebeng’s family to Saudi Arabia because they may not be allowed to talk to him” Dimzon said.

She said OWWA will closely coordinate with Kebeng’s family so that appropriate assistance can be extended to them.

Meanwhile, the DFA will assist the family of Florentino Santiago, the Filipino fatality in the fuel tanker blast, in bringing home his remains. 

– With Mayen Jaymalin, Rainier Allan Ronda, Artemio Dumlao