Some stranded OFWs in Jeddah already sick

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia - - Because of the hot weather and lack of supplies, many of the stranded Filipino workers staying at the Hajj terminal in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia have been falling sick. “We have lots of the stranded here in the safe house who (are) suffering from high blood pressure, others have flu. Some of the stranded females here are pregnant. We have also some children and they need milk and pampers and our problem is we do not have any more resources to support or daily expenses," said Conrado Soriano, one of the leaders of the stranded Filipinos. According to Anthony Basil, administration staff of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), most of the stranded OFWs are runaways from Riyadh and the Eastern Province. But instead of seeking help from the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Alkhobar, many of the workers opted to travel to Jeddah in hopes of being sent home for free by Saudi authorities. Some of them even lived under the Khandara Overpass, along with other nationals such as Indians, Pakistanis, and Bangladeshis, who are also trying to attract the attention of Saudi police so that they would be deported to their countries. They were transferred to the Hajj terminal after they camped out in front of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, demanding repatriation. Upon hearing of their grievances, OWWA officials checked the condition of the workers, conducted treatment, and distributed medication. “I’m happy that the Philippine Consulate is doing their best to accommodate us especially when they provided us shelter and food and they look after our sick colleagues here and provided us medicines," said Soriano. OWWA welfare officer Romualdo Exmundo, a doctor by profession, said some of the stranded have flu and high blood pressure after examining them. “The highest I checked (has) a 200 over 120 blood pressure...the poor lady did not know that her blood pressure is already high. She can have a stroke or a heart attack with her condition," he said. The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday said they have already recommended the case of 170 stranded Filipino workers to the Saudi immigration. DFA undersecretary for migrant workers affairs Esteban Conejos Jr. said they would soon be deported. This group is already the second batch to be repatriated to Manila. An earlier batch consisting of 100 OFWs have already returned to the country. The Filipino community in Saudi Arabia is estimated to have reached 1.2 million last year and the figure continues to increase. It is also still the top destination among overseas Filipino workers, data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed. - GMANews.TV