PHL Embassy tells Pinoys in Saudi Arabia: Don't panic amid crackdown


Amid an ongoing crackdown on illegal foreign workers there, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia appealed to Filipinos not to panic, especially if they had already undergone steps to process their final exit.

The embassy, in a news release posted on its website, also issued hotlines the Filipinos can call if they encounter problems.

"In the meantime, the Philippine Embassy and the Consulate advises all those who have taken steps to process their final exit and repatriation to remain calm and not panic," it said.

Also, it said it and the Consulate continue to coordinate with concerned authorities for the processing of the final exit of Filipino workers waiting to be repatriated.

Saudi Arabian authorities have started a crackdown on illegal foreign workers after the Nov. 3 deadline for them to correct their status or leave the kingdom had lapsed.

Hotlines

The embassy set up 24-hour hotlines for Filipinos to call. These are aside from the landlines posted on the Embassy’s website:

Embassy’s Assistance to Nationals Section: 056 9893301

Consulate’s Assistance to Nationals Section: 055 5219613

Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Riyadh): 054 5917834; 050 7537997

Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Eastern Province): 050 126 9742


Procedures

Also, the Embassy said it is confirming the procedures and time frame for those who have no original copy of their residence card or iqama, their passport with the border number, or those who have not encoded their fingerprint.

As of Tuesday, the Embassy in Riyadh said it has received advice on procedures for the females, and is coordinating for the procedures for males.

The Embassy and the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah created special roving teams to go around jails, prisons and detention centers around the Kingdom.

Such teams will visit violators who were detained, and provide them with travel documents to "facilitate their early deportation."

"The Embassy assures the Filipino community all over the Kingdom that the Philippine Government is ready to provide appropriate assistance to Filipinos," it said.

Rules

Meanwhile, it said: "The Embassy urges all Filipino nationals in the Kingdom to familiarize themselves with the new rules."

A summary of the most salient provisions of the new rules includes:

- Foreign workers who work illegally for their own account, absconded from their sponsors, and over-stayers will be apprehended, penalized and deported.

- Those who employ illegal or absconded workers, provide cover, harbor or transport them, or “aids them by any means” will also be pursued.

- Employers will bear the cost of deportation of illegal workers, except where the foreign worker works for himself in which case he will bear the cost of his own deportation.

- Illegal workers who cannot afford the travel ticket will be deported at the cost of the Saudi government.

- Over-stayers will deported at the expense of the employer. If he works for himself, the company or person who sponsored his visit will bear the cost of deportation;

- All companies and individual employers, including government agencies, shall ensure that their workers obtain and renew their iqamas in due time.

- Deported foreign workers shall be prohibited from returning to the Kingdom.

- Offending foreigners will be accommodated in Saudi government centers pending deportation.

— LBG, GMA News

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