OFW, depressed over retrenchment, dies in Saudi Arabia

A Filipino worker who was among the tens of thousands of migrant workers affected by the downsizing of construction companies in Saudi Arabia died on Sunday following a stroke.
Rizalino Jacinto, 56, was rushed to the hospital Saturday after he was found unconscious in the room he shares with his wife Brenda, who is also an overseas Filipino worker.
"Bagama't masakit [ay] tanggap ko na po ang mga nangyari," Brenda told GMA News in an interview. "Hangad ko na lang na maiuwi ang labi ng aking mister at makuha ang matagal na niyang inaantay."
She was referring to her husband's unpaid salary and end-of-service benefits from Saudi Oger, one of the large firms in Saudi Arabia that laid off thousands of its foreign workers late last year due to the slump in oil prices.
An estimated 11,000 Filipino workers were affected by the massive retrenchment.
Jacinto's friends said he has been depressed since he lost his job in the Kingdom.
"Alam mo baon na sila sa utang, ang mga kinakain lang nila araw-araw ay inuutang lang nila sa tindahan," one of Jacinto's housemates said.
The Philippine labor office in Saudi Arabia said Jacinto's family will receive death and other benefits from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration as he was a registered worker.
Before he was laid off, Jacinto had worked in Saudi Oger for over 20 years. —Ronaldo Concha/KBK, GMA News

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

PCG: China’s bullying in West Philippine Sea undermines international law --- Ghio Ong - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — Letting China sustain its aggression in the West Philippine Sea would make other countries doubt the strength of international law currently being asserted by the Philippines, Commodore Jay Tarriela of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) said. “Allowing China to blatantly disregard the established rules-based order threatens the very foundation that we all depend on,” he wrote in a post on X last Tuesday. He added, “If we permit this, countries worldwide may forget why this order was created in the first place. Nations could begin to doubt the significance of adhering to international law if powerful bullies can easily violate it.” Tarriela also said defiance of other countries to a rules-based order would result in the prevalence of cruelty. He wrote, “This could lead us back to a time when might makes right, undermining the global structures that keep human greed, savagery and barbarism in check. Such a scenario would not only invite challenges from aggressive ...
Read more

China ships maintain presence in key West Philippine Sea areas --- Michael Punongbayan - The Philippine Star

STAR / Michael Varcas MANILA, Philippines — While Chinese vessels in the West Philippine Sea (WPS) have decreased in number, they have maintained a presence in three key land features where naval and coast guard ships have intensified operations in the past seven days, according to the Philippine Navy. Latest monitoring by the Philippine Navy showed armed ships of the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) maintaining a menacing presence around the grounded BRP Sierra Madre in Ayungin Shoal, Panatag Shoal and Escoda Shoal. According to the Philippine Navy, there are 17 Chinese military vessels and 28 China Coast Guard (CCG) boats spotted inside the country’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ) between Sept. 23 and 30, or one vessel more than in the previous week Sept.17-23. Five of the warships were seen roaming around the vicinity of Escoda Shoal, along with 10 CCG vessels and 12 maritime militia vessels (MMVs). There are also two PLAN ships in Ayungin Shoal as well as 10 CCG boats and 12...
Read more

Social media seen as cause of rising intermarriages --- Helen Flores - The Philippine Star

MANILA, Philippines — The Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) sees social media as the main reason for the rising number of Filipinos marrying or becoming partners of foreign nationals. In 2022, the CFO recorded 6,854 marriages or partnerships with foreign nationals, a 40.1 percent increase from the 4,891 “intermarriages” recorded in 2021. “First of all, what we see in the increase in the marriage rate of Filipinos or Filipinos with foreign partners is because of social media, (that) is number one; matchings; letters, introduction of their friends,” CFO chairperson Romulo Arugay said at the Bagong Pilipinas Ngayon public briefing yesterday. Arugay said the agency has been registering a high number of intermarriages since 2007, but the figures went down during the COVID-19 pandemic. From over 6,500 Filipinos who married foreign nationals, only 600 are men, he said. Most of them are married to Americans, Japanese, Germans, Canadians and Australians, Arugay said. Arugay warned Fi...
Read more