1,500 illegal OFWs in Saudi will be allowed to return to PHL without penalty

As the Saudi Arabia government resumes its crackdown on illegal workers, around 1,500 undocumented Filipinos in the Kingdom will be allowed to return home without being fined or penalized, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

These Filipinos, Foreign Affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez said, “have already completed the prescribed repatriation procedure" before the grace period lapsed "and are just waiting for exit visas.”

 

Saudi will round up illegal foreign workers anew after the three-month grace period lapsed on Nov. 3, affecting an undetermined number of undocumented Filipino workers who refused to return home citing lack of employment opportunities in the Philippines.

There has been no reported arrest of Filipinos yet, Hernandez told a press briefing.

Now that the amnesty has ended, normal immigration and labor laws and regulation will again be enforced, as well as detention, Hernandez said.

 

Philippine officials in Saudi have offered assistance to illegally staying Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to process their documents during the grace period, but only 4,420 have been successfully repatriated home.

Thousands of undocumented workers, according to Philippine labor groups, remain in the Kingdom.

 

“It is difficult to accurately estimate the number of undocumented Filipinos in Saudi Arabia because, as illegal aliens, they normally try to avoid detection,” Hernandez said.

'Saudization'

 

Saudi Arabia, home to more than 1 million Filipinos, first imposed the crackdown last March in view of its “Saudization” policy that encourages the employment of Saudi nationals and documented workers in private firms. The policy has led to thousands of arrests and deportations.

 

After a month, Saudi King Abdullah ordered a three-month delay in the arrest of illegal workers on April 6, but extended it for another three months following appeals from the Philippines and other labor-sending states with illegal workers in the Kingdom.

 

The previous crackdown forced hundreds of illegal Filipino workers to set up camps outside the premises of the country’s consulate in Jeddah and the embassy in Riyadh, hoping their presence near a diplomatic mission would give them protection and prevent their arrest.

 

Hernandez assured the public that the government is closely monitoring the situation in Saudi and that it is ready to respond to any developments.

 

Philippine Embassy, consulate and labor offices in Saudi have formed teams that will visit jails, deportation centers and police stations, he said.

 

“They will provide assistance to undocumented Filipinos who might be arrested and issue them travel documents, if necessary,” said Hernandez.

 

Undocumented Filipinos were also advised to follow the instructions of Saudi authorities if arrested, Hernandez said, adding Philippine officials “will try their best to reach and assist you as soon as possible.”

 

Temporary shelters have likewise been set up in Riyadh and Jeddah to accommodate undocumented Filipinos.

 

There is no assurance that they will not be rounded up by Saudi authorities, Hernandez said, but the Philippines has appealed to the Saudi government to respect the shelters for Filipinos.

 

“This condition have already been reported by our embassy to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Saudi Arabia and we are hoping that they would respect the nature of the centers that we have for our Overseas Filipino workers,” Hernandez said.

 

As of Monday, 335 Filipinos are in Philippine shelters in Riyadh and 107 in Jeddah. — RSJ, GMA News