All 698 Pinoys in Saudi shelter repatriated — DOLE

All the close to 700 Filipino workers who were staying in a shelter in Saudi Arabia had been repatriated, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). In a statement, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said all the 698 Filipinos who used to stay at the Seaport Hajj Terminal in Jeddah have been repatriated as of September 1. “Our Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Jeddah had reported that as of September 1, there is not a single Filipino national remaining in the Hajj Seaport Terminal," Baldoz said. Citing a report by Labor Attaché to Jeddah Vicente Cabe, Baldoz said that 137 of the 628 repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Jeddah from July 10 to August 31 this year were children. Of the total number of repatriated Filipino workers, 399 were adult females while 162 were adult males. OFWs who seek shelter in Saudi Arabia are usually those who escaped abusive employers. The DOLE explained that the Seaport Hajj Terminal is a place designated and operated by the Saudi government as a temporary shelter for deportees to curtail the incidence of overstaying foreigners loitering in public places like the Kandara Bridge. “This is the place where overstaying foreigners, including Filipinos, who surrender for voluntary deportation, are brought. The Philippines is one of only two countries that have made an arrangement with the Saudi government for the use of the terminal. The other country is Egypt," Baldoz said. She added the Philippines is only one of two countries in Saudi Arabia that shoulder the repatriation tickets of its overstaying nationals, and assist them in the process of repatriation. In his report, Cabe said not all Filipinos qualified for repatriation stayed at the terminal, but everyone who were there were provided meals twice a day by the POLO, which also paid for the accommodation of Filipino nationals in the terminal. Baldoz dismissed reports that the OFWs who were admitted to the terminal were not properly attended to by the POLO and the Philippine Embassy, saying that Philippine officials and staff regularly visited the Filipinos there to monitor their situation and provide assistance. Baldoz earlier ordered to all labor attaches and welfare officers to speed up the repatriation of all OFWs who would like to return to the Philippines regardless of their status, and had issued the policy that distressed Filipino nationals be repatriated within 30 days after their exit permits have been obtained. She had also authorized the use of P10 million from the 2010 budget of the DOLE as additional repatriation fund. The amount is part of the P50 million allocated by Congress last year as repatriation fund. - Jerrie M. Abella/KBK, GMANews.TV