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Jailers become OFW's saviors in Saudi Arabia


MANILA, Philippines - And his jailers became his saviors. This is what happened to an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) when the same Saudi authorities who had him arrested helped him get out of prison. After finding out that driver Eddie C. Javier was wrongly accused of killing a man during a road accident, Saudi police helped the Filipino raise money for his release, according to migrant advocacy group Migrante International-Middle East chapter. In exchange for his freedom, Javier, who was imprisoned for eight months, had to pay diya or blood money to the victim’s family, according to Migrante’s John Leonard Monterona. Monterona said the 75,000 Saudi riyal (P960,300) raised by an Islamic charitable organization was not enough for Javier to pay for his release. Thus, Saudi authorities contributed an additional 22,000 Saudi riyals (P281,688) for Javier to finally walk out of jail. Based on police records, an elderly Saudi man died in June 2008 after the car he was driving slammed into a vehicle that Javier parked at the shoulder of a highway in Al Saba in the mountainous region of Assir. Javier, a 35-year-old Cordilleran who worked with general contractor Shibh Al Jazeera and Ali Fairs Ahmad Al Hassaner, was reportedly standing beside the company vehicle when the accident happened. However, despite Javier’s apparent innocence, he still ended up being arrested and charged by the police on June 29, 2008. Migrante said police officers told Javier that he would stay in jail until the completion of the investigation. When the investigation took long, Javier’s employer decided to abandon him. Monterona said Migrante came into the picture when Mary Jane Javier, the wife of Eddie, who is also a former OFW in Taiwan, sought the group’s assistance. “Mrs. Javier along with Migrante staff in the Philippines went to DFA’s Assistance to the Nationals section to seek for assistance but was only told it will refer the case to the attention of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia," Monterona said. Monterona said the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah was able to send an official to check on Javier’s condition. “But like the police in Philippine action movies who usually arrive late for a rescue, Vice Consul Leo Ausan was surprised that he could no longer find Javier in prison because the OFW was already released," Monterona said. The Philippine mission was not immediately available to comment on Monterona’s claim. - D'Jay Lazaro, GMANews.TV
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