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10 OFWs victimized by contract substitution repatriated
At least 10 Filipino workers victimized by contract substitution in Saudi Arabia were repatriated to the Philippines Saturday night. Philippine labor officials said the repatriation followed prolonged negotiations with Afras Company, which employed the Filipinos last year. “The 10 Filipino workers ran away from their employer twice after their contract was substituted, resulting in a situation where many of them were not fit for the jobs they were assigned to. Their salaries were also lower than what they had signed for before leaving the Philippines," Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh (POLO-Riyadh) Assistant Labor Attaché Wally Villazor said in an article posted Sunday on Saudi-based news site Arab News. He added at least six more Filipino workers will also be leaving on April 20. Also, the POLO is working for the repatriation of 23 more Filipino workers who ran away from Afras. Contract substitution occurs when a Filipino worker signs a contract back home to gain necessary clearance. But the contract is replaced with one with fewer benefits, less pay or other alterations once the OFW arrives to the destination country. The Philippines mandates a $400 (P17,285) monthly minimum wage in a contract before an OFW gets a clearance to depart. In the case of the 10 distressed OFWs, Villazor said the POLO negotiated with the two recruitment agencies in Manila — AISIS and Al-Ahram — and their representative in Saudi Arabia. “We suggested that we resolve the problem by coming up with amicable settlements. As a result, the agencies paid the tickets while the OFWs had to pay Afras SR1,000 (P11,523) each," he said. The Arab News report identified the 10 OFWs who left as:
- Esmari Mursimal
- Malayan Ignacio
- Salih Mujahid
- Esmail Benjamin
- Mamalo Nasser
- Nadi Jahparhalil
- Caril Esmael
- Ngapas Mohammad
- Bali Samsudinom
- Alimao Norodin
