OFW accuses labor office staff of pocketing money


by Raffy A. Beltran, ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau


...staff denies wrongdoing
AL KHOBAR, Saudi Arabia – A distressed overseas Filipino worker in Saudi Arabia accused a staff of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office-Eastern Region Operations (POLO-ERO) of pocketing money intended for his immediate repatriation.
In a sworn statement, Joel Lacanilao said POLO-ERO administrative staff Jack Arroyo ordered him to pay 10,000 Saudi riyals to allegedly facilitate his repatriation that, according to him, never happened.
The complaint reached the attention of Migrante Middle East chapter, which then issued a statement requesting the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to probe Arroyo.
But Arroyo belied the accusations hurled against him.
He explained Lacanilao’s employers were demanding the said amount as compensation for the recruitment cost they incurred in bringing the OFW to work in Saudi Arabia.
Arroyo added that Lacanilao’s Philippine recruitment agency shouldered 7,000 Saudi riyals and the OFW was able to produce the remaining 3,000.
The POLO-ERO staff stressed that he did not pocket the money. He added that he has proof - in the form of a receipt 0 that the employer received the full amount of payment.
However, Arroyo alleged that after the payment was made, the issuance of the exit visa was delayed due to an unscheduled two-week travel of Lacanilao’s employer to Dubai and United Arab Emirates.
This was further delayed when the company filed a case against the OFW for absconding and that prevented his employer from giving him his exit visa until after the case was settled.
When the case was finally settled, Lacanilao’s passport was immediately stamped with his exit visa.
According to Labor Attaché Adam Musa, the case no longer has its merit as the exit visa was already obtained and stamped on the OFW’s passport.
Musa also refuted that Arroyo was being recalled due to the case. He said Arroyo is really on his way home as his tour of duty has already ended in July and was already on extension.
ABS-CBN Middle East News Bureau tried to get Migrante’s Eastern Region Coordinator, Jerry de Guzman, to further comment on the issue. But the officer maintained that everything is already in their press statement.

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