Some OFWs in Saudi Arabia reduced to selling blood for cash


Some OFWs in Saudi Arabia who have not received their salaries for five months have been reduced to selling their blood just to earn money, a report on "News To Go" said Wednesday.
"Dito lang kami sa bahay, sir, tapos kung walang-walang pera na nagdo-donate na lang kami ng dugo [sa mga ospital]," one of the OFWs said. "Pagkatapos pahinga ng konti, ibang ospital naman."
The report said the OFWs, who are currently without work, are also worried of getting arrested as their residence permits have become invalid.
In a memorandum, the OFWs' employer has asked for understanding for its failure to give their salaries. It also promised to give their one-month salary next week.
The employer, which the report only described as a large firm, also promised that things will go back to normal in March.
The report also said failure to send remittances to their families in the Philippines has resulted in some of the OFWs having problems regarding their marriages.
The OFWs, meanwhile, have expressed their intention to go home to the Philippines.
"Di naman namin alam kung ano ang hinihintay namin dito, kung meron o wala, sir," one of the OFWs said. "Pero at least kung nakauwi na kami sa Pilipinas, mas maganda ho siguro ang laban dun."
Pro-OFW groups have warned of massive retrenchments looming in the Middle East as a result of the drastic drop in oil prices. he government, on the other hand, said programs are in place to assist OFWs who may be displaced by the oil situation in the region.
There are an estimated 2 million OFWs in the Middle East, most of them in Saudi Arabia. —KBK, GMA News

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