PHL Embassy opens shelters for undocumented Pinoys in Riyadh





The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh has opened two temporary shelters to accommodate undocumented Filipinos requesting repatriation, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.
 
The DFA said that while it does not encourage illegal Filipinos in Saudi to set up camps outside the diplomatic mission like in Jeddah, it said those who wish to move into the shelters may do so.
 
On May 4, a group of Filipinos gathered outside the embassy in the Diplomatic Quarter in Riyadh demanding for immediate repatriation.
 
After gathering their personal details for documentation, embassy officials advised them to return to their houses and wait for the completion of the repatriation process.
 
The group, however, refused and two men also chanted to instigate the crowd. This alarmed the neighboring embassy, which called up the Diplomatic Police.
 
The police tried to calm the two men down but they refused to cooperate. They were briefly taken into police custody but were later released.
 
Such incident, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said, prompted the embassy to rent a rest house with a capacity of 100 people to serve as temporary shelter.
 
The Bahay Kalinga, a temporary shelter being run by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office, is also open to women and children.
 
Hernandez said the embassy will also forward the names and other personal details of 3,441 individuals requesting repatriation to Saudi authorities.

Jeddah
 
In Jeddah, hundreds of undocumented Filipinos have set up camps outside the Philippine consulate there since April 11 after Saudi Arabia launched a massive crackdown on illegal foreign workers in the Kingdom under its so-called Saudization policy.
 
Saudization or nitaqat prioritizes the employment of Saudi nationals in private firms dominated by foreigners such as Filipinos.
 
All those who are not in possession of proper immigration documents will be arrested and deported.
 
Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah on April 6 ordered a three-month delay to the crackdown on illegal migrant workers which has so far led to thousands of deportations.
 
The reprieve, which will end on July 9 this year, aims to give foreigners in the kingdom a chance to sort out their papers.
 
As of Monday, Hernandez said 72 individuals are staying at the embassy grounds.
 
“They are being given tents, food and other basic necessities. We intend to transfer them to the rest house because Saudi regulations prohibit anyone from residing or even setting up camp inside diplomatic missions,” he said.
 
Hernandez denied that the embassy is urging undocumented Filipino workers seeking repatriation to Manila to camp outside the chancery.
 
“Mass actions are against Saudi law,” Hernandez said. “We urge our kababayans there to refrain from participating in such activities as these will only complicate the situation even further.”
 
“It would be more difficult for us to repatriate them if charges are filed against them.”
 
Instead, undocumented Filipinos are asked to submit their personal details and concerns to the embassy or consulate, so they could be provided appropriate assistance.
 
“The process is quite tedious so we are appealing for patience. We would like to assure them that everything is being done to facilitate their repatriation,” Hernandez said. — RSJ, GMA News

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