Press Release
10 April 2013
80 Stranded OFWs camp out beside PH Consulate in Saudi Arabia
To press Philippine officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to attend on their repatriation days after the Saudi authorities temporarily halted the crackdown of illegals and overstaying migrants, around eighty (80) stranded and undocumented overseas Filipino workers have camped out beside the Philippine Consulate General (PCG) building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, according to a local chapter of Migrante in the oil-rich Kingdom.
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Some of the Stranded OFWs camped out beside PH Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
10 April 2013, Photo courtesy of Migrante-Jeddah(1)
Earlier today, Migrante officials in Jeddah have received unconfirmed report that a number of stranded and undocumented OFWs started to build their tent made of sacks near the PCG building in Jeddah, western city of Saudi Arabia.
Bobby Fajarito, Migrante-Jeddah vice chairperson and spokesman of Jeddah Filipino Society, immediately visited the site to verify said report and were surprised to see around 80 stranded OFWs, 20 of them are women with children.
Some of the Stranded women OFWs and their children camped out beside PH Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 10 April 2013, Photo courtesy of Migrante-Jeddah(2)
“Most of them came from Dammam and in the Eastern part of Saudi Arabia, some from Riyadh, Saudi’s capital. They really wanted to be repatriated but PH officials allegedly are not attending their request for repatriation. They were only told that PH repatriation program has been stopped,” Fajarito quoting OFW Raffy Llaneta during a discussion at their tent.
According to Fajarito, some of the stranded were advised by PH embassy officials in Riyadh to proceed in Jeddah telling the stranded ‘it is easy to be repatriated in Jeddah’.
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Some of the Stranded women OFWs and their children camped out beside PH Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 10 April 2013, Photo courtesy of Migrante-Jeddah(3)
On previous years from 2008 to 2010, stranded and undocumented migrants stayed below the Khadera Bridge also in Jeddah hoping that Jawasat, Saudi’s immigration police, will arrest and bring them at the deportation centers for repatriation.
Sometime November 2011, around 200 stranded OFWs camped out beside the PH Consulate building after Saudi authorities disallowed undocumented migrants and have installed concrete barriers under the Khadera bridge forcing stranded OFWs to camp out at the side of PH Consulate building.
The surging numbers of stranded OFWs camping out at the PH Consulate forced PH officials and even the PH vice president to visit Jeddad to attend the repatriation of the more than 200 undocumented OFWs.
Some of the Stranded OFWs camped out beside PH Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
10 April 2013, Photo courtesy of Migrante-Jeddah(4)
“The stranded, especially women with children, have asked assistance from us like food, water and other basic needs. We will try our best to provide what we can do while we call on PH Consulate officials to provide their needs,” Fajarito added.
Free and swift mass repatriation of all undocumented
Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), meanwhile, renewed its call to PNoy administration to revive the government repatriation program.
“In lieu of the surging numbers of stranded and undocumented OFWs camping out at the PH Consulate in Jeddah, some of them women with children, we are calling again Pres. Aquino to immediately order all concerned govt. agencies to intensify their repatriation program and ensure free and swift repatriation of the stranded OFWs prioritizing women OFWs and their children,” Monterona urged.
Monterona said government funds allotted for OFWs repatriation must be used. He said there is repatriation fund allotted by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an adjunct agency to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE).
“Even PNoy could arrange to allocate funds from his social funds and other sources if his government has political will to effect mass repatriation of the stranded and undocumented OFWs in Saudi Arabia,”Monterona suggested.
In regards to the documentation of the stranded and undocumented, Monterona said the PNoy govt. should instruct the DFA and PH diplomatic posts to arrange and work it out with the Saudi immigration authorities.
“It would be better if PNoy govt. through the DFA will help us lobby to the host government the granting of general amnesty and fast track the repatriation of all undocumented OFWs, prioritizing women and their children,” Monterona ended. # # #
References:
Bobby Fajarito
Vice chairperson, Migrante-Jeddah, KSA
Mobile No. 00966 541225101
John Leonard Monterona
Migrante-Middle East coordinator
Vice chairperson, MIGRANTE Sectoral Party of OFWs and Families
Mobile No. 00966 559428739
PH Mobile No. 0063 923 420 0112
2013-04-10 07:18:15
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