PHL gov't to examine cases of Pinoys camping outside PHL consulate in Jeddah


(Updated 3:50 p.m.) The Philippine government will look into each case of the over 1,000 Filipinos camping outside the country's consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia to be able to find means for immediately repatriate them, a Palace spokesperson said over the weekend.
 
“Kailangan natin tingnan isa-isa ang kanilang kaso. Pagdating sa Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, may requirement ng exit visa at kailangan klaro lahat ng paperwork bago sila mabigyan noon,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said in an interview over government-run dzRB radio Sunday.
 
Valte added that problems may arise for some of the overseas Filipino workers who left their employers without notice. 
 
“A lot of them absconded from employers, so may problema sa documentation,” she said.
 
Over 1,000 Filipinos are currently camping outside the Philippine consulate in Jeddah, hoping to be repatriated before a crackdown on illegal workers launched by the Saudi government lands them in prison.

Last April 6, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah ordered a three-month delay to the crackdown on undocumented migrant workers to enable them the chance to sort out their papers. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already asked the Saudi government to waive certain requirements for an exit visa, including the No Objection Certificate from employers who can no longer be contacted.

 
Filipino violators need to pay the penalties, which consists of about:
 
  • 2,000 Saudi Riyals (SR) (P22,000) for absconding;
  • SR2,400 (P26,000) for their expired iqama or residence permit;
  • SR1,000 riyals (P11,000) for losing their iqamas; and
  • SR600 to SR650 (P6,600 - P7,000) for each year of staying illegally in Saudi Arabia, home to over 1 million Filipino workers.

When asked if the waiver applies to all other illegal Filipinos in Saudi, Hernandez said in an earlier text message: "We will extend assistance to all undocumented/runaway OFWs seeking the help of the embassy and consulate in Saudi Arabia."
 
Hernandez likewise admitted that it would be very costly for the government to shoulder all the penalties given its limited budget used for assisting distressed Filipino workers worldwide.
 
When asked on Monday how much is the budget for assisting distressed Filipino workers, Hernandez said in a text message to GMA News Online: "Around P150 million for the 2013." 
 
The Commission on Filipinos Overseas said that as of 2011, there were around 20,000 undocumented Pinoys in the kingdom. — with Andreo Calonzo and Amanda Fernandez/RSJ/HS, GMA News

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