DOLE to 20,000 undocumented Pinoy workers in Saudi: Take advantage of reprieve

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz urged some 20,000 undocumented Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia to take advantage of the kingdom's three-month reprieve on its crackdown on illegal workers to legalize their stay there.

In a statement on Wednesday, Baldoz said the employers should legalize the stay of undocumented Filipino workers in Saudi by acquiring Iqama and residency permit for them.

She stressed that Saudi authorities will fully enforce the counrty's labor and visa requirements, and punish violators with steep fines and jail time after the three-month reprieve.

Saudi penalties range from 1,000 to 50,000 Saudi riyals (P11,002-P550,105), Baldoz noted.

“The main problem, however, are the undocumented mothers and children seeking repatriation who have to pass stringent requirements imposed by the local authorities,” said Baldoz.

“Most of the parents do not possess a marriage contract, or have an expired Iqama, or have no Iqama at all. Under Shariah Law, birth out of wedlock is punishable by imprisonment before deportation,” she explained.

A 2012 report of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) and the Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) showed that there are:
  • 20,000 undocumented workers in Riyadh;
  • 10,000 in Jeddah and in the Western Region;
  • 300 in the Eastern Region; and
  • 100 in Central Region.

Saudi is host to the biggest population of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs)—about 1.5 million—many of whom are nurses, engineers, architects, and domestic workers. - VVP, GMA News

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