Stranded OFWs in Jeddah camp site balloon to 1,500

MANILA, Philippines - The number of stranded overseas Filipino workers camping out beside the Philippine Consultate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia asking to be repatriated has ballooned to almost 1,500, a migrant workers' rights group said Tuesday.

"It may lead to full blown humanitarian crisis in just a matter of days if not properly attended," John Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said.

He said that Saudi policemen have already been deployed near the camp site to secure the area.

"For just a matter six days since starting to build makeshift tents made of sacks, their numbers immediately surge to 1,450, less than half are women, sickly and old, and some with children," he added.

Monterona said that the growing number of stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia poses a challenge to the Philippine government repatriation program.

"Even PNoy could arrange to allocate funds from his social funds and other sources if his government has political will to act for the mass repatriation of the stranded and undocumented OFWs in Saudi Arabia," Monterona said.

He noted that the Aquino administration should instruct the Department of Foreign Affairs and Philippine diplomatic posts to arrange and facilitate the repatriation of the stranded OFWs with the Saudi immigration authorities.