PHL vows to help 10 distressed Pinoy fishermen in Saudi

Philippine authorities in Saudi Arabia vowed to help the 10 fishermen caught fishing there illegally in July last year, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said. “The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah will continue its assistance to the fishermen until they are repatriated to Manila," DFA spokesperson Raul Hernandez told GMA News Online in a text message on Tuesday. Hernandez said the fishermen’s employer in the Kingdom and their recruitment agency in Manila are already coordinating to hasten the Filipinos' return to the Philippines. “Their recruiter has agreed to pay the employer and is still negotiating the amount," Hernandez said, noting that the consulate and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Jeddah have mediated in their negotiations. At present, the fishermen are already staying at the Hajj Seaport Terminal, according to Hernandez. Unemployed for over a year The 10 fishermen, whose travel documents have been withheld by their employer, have been unemployed for over a year already, according to Patnubay, a Saudi Arabia-based organization helping distressed overseas Filipino workers there. Patnubay bared the fishermen’s plight to GMA News Online last week, urging the Philippine government to help migrant workers who are part of the Aquino administration’s priorities. On Friday, the fishermen sought for their immediate repatriation as they said they are already experiencing the exact opposite of what was promised to them before departing for Saudi Arabia in June 2010. “[P]inabayaan nalang kami ng employer naming [matapos kaming mahuli ng Coast Guard]," said Redentor Hubahib, one of the 10 fishermen stranded in Saudi Arabia. “Mula noon, hindi na kami binigyan ng sweldo at pagkain ng employer namin," he also said, noting that they were offered a monthly salary of 1,500 Saudi riyals, roughly equivalent to P17,000. Incorrect claims However, Placewell International Services Corp., the fishermen’s recruiter, told GMA News Online that it is incorrect for the fishermen to claim that they never received their salaries. Placewell vice president for operations Eleonor Escueta said, “We continue to remit their salaries to their families even though they have not rendered service to their employer. Naiintindihan naman naming ‘yung kalagayan nila." In a telephone conversation with GMA News Online, she said she can show a copy or proof of the money transfers. Still, she assured the fishermen and their families that it is doing its part so that the OFWs would be repatriated at the soonest possible time. “Hindi namin sila pababayaan," she said. — VVP, GMA News