OFWs in Riyadh warned vs fellow Pinoys ‘seeking help’

The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh warned Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia to be wary of compatriots who are pretending to be in need of assistance but are actually working with local immigration officials.

In a release, the Embassy said a Filipino worker fell for the scheme two weeks ago, after coming to the aid of an OFW who claimed she needed to be “rescued".

The Embassy said according to the victim’s narration, a Filipina called him and asked that she be brought to the Embassy or the Philippine Overseas Labor Office.

The Embassy said that even as the Kingdom prohibits people from taking into their custody those workers who escaped their employers, the victim still agreed to assist the “distressed" Filipina.

The victim first brought the Filipina to his residence.

It turned out, according to the Embassy, that they were followed by immigration authorities, who stormed the victim’s house and demanded for his immigration documents as well as those of the others living with him.

The authorities likewise grilled residents of the house to find out if unmarried or unrelated women and men were living together, or if there were OFWs there who escaped their sponsors.

The Filipina who earlier asked to be rescued eventually boarded the vehicle used by the authorities and left, the Embassy added.

“Sa kabutihang palad ay walang kinulong sa mga kababayan nating tumulong sa kadahilanang wala naming nakitang kakulangan sa kanilang mga papeles," the release said.

(Fortunately, none of the Filipino residents in the house were arrested because they all had proper documentation.)

Filipinos in the Kingdom are thus reminded to refer to the Embassy fellow Filipinos who are seeking help, instead if assisting them themselves, to avoid getting into trouble.

The Embassy said in such cases, Filipinos may call the following numbers: 482-3559, 482-3615, 480-1918, 482-1577, 482-4354, 482-0507 and 482-1802. —Jerrie M. Abella/VS, GMANews.TV

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