PHL officials in Riyadh deny calling OFWs to camp out near foreign offices



By Ma. Fe Nicodemus

Philippine Embassy officials in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, have denied claims they are encouraging distressed overseas Filipino workers to camp out near the Philippine offices in the kingdom and warned OFWs of not doing so. 

The Philippine foreign office made the denial after reports some Filipinos there, posing as agents of the Embassy, went around encouraging distressed OFWs to do a campout like the ones in Jeddah are doing.

"The Embassy has not authorized any person or group regarding such action, nor has made any representations with the Government of Saudi Arabia for any such arrangement," the Ebassy in Riyadh said in an   “ advisory” 
 [http://www.philembassy-riyadh.org/index.php/component/k2/item/1547-no-need-to-come-to-embassy-and-camp-out-for-repatriation]released on May 1.

This came nearly a month after over a thousand undocumented OFWs began to troop to the consulate in Jeddah for refuge.

"Filipinos with irregular status who are affected by recent developments and stricter implementation by Saudi authorities regarding labor and immigration law violations need only visit the Embassy or (the Philippine Overseas Labor Office) to have their respective cases documented and enable them to be given appropriate advice or assistance," it added.

The embassy claimed it received inquiries from Filipinos who were verifying calls from "individuals" who encouraged them (undocumented OFWs) to "camp inside the premises of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and in areas located adjacent to the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Filipino Workers Resource Center (FWRC) or Bahay Kalinga, in order to seek repatriation."

Likewise, the advisory reminded Filipinos in Saudi Arabia that "public rallies and protests are a violation of Saudi law, and impacts on the ability of the Embassy to deliver much-needed consular services to the Filipino community there."

For now, the Embassy in Riyadh said it is taking information of overstaying Filipinos for documentation purposes, and endorsing these cases to the concerned Saudi authorities.
It advised Filipinos to call the following numbers for information regarding assistance the Embassy can extend:
- Jeddah and regions under the jurisdiction of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah (Regions of Makkah Al-Mukarramah, Tabuk, Al-Madinah, Abha, Jizan, Najran)" -- 0555-219-613; 0561-956-142
- Riyadh, Hail, Qassim, Northern Border, Al-Jouf: 054-591-7834
- Eastern Region: 050-126-9742

Jeddah campers
Hundreds of undocumented Filipinos are huddling in tents near the Philippine consulate in Jeddah to escape a crackdown by the Saudi government on illegal foreign workers.

The Saudi government, however, has imposed a reprieve for three months, ending on July 4, to allow the illegal aliens to process their papers for repatriation.

Without money, the distressed OFWs in Jeddah are scrambling for food, water, medicine and shelter. All of them have either run from their abusive employers or expired residence and work permits.  ―Kakammpi


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