Repatriated OFWs from Saudi Arabia still waiting for backwages, ask Marcos for help

Several repatriated Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia asked President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. for help in getting their backwages, Mark Salazar reported on Friday“24 Oras.” Allen Del Rosario, a former computer programmer in Riyadh, is among the thousands of OFWs who lost their jobs in Riyadh and Jeddah which left them begging in the streets for food in 2016. They were convinced by former Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) secretary Silvestre Bello III to return to the Philippines and wait for their backwages. “Nanghihingi na lang kami sa mga NGO (non-government organization) at Filipino communities ng kaunting makakain po. ‘Yun ho ang ano, kaya napalipas namin ‘yung three months na ganun lagi,” Del Rosario said. (We were just asking NGOs and Filipino communities for their help so that we can eat. That's what happened, that's why we survived in the past three months.) “Since 2016, ni-repatriate kami na wala man lang kaming dala ni piso sa bulsa. Pinakain lang kami ng OWWA (Overseas Workers Welfare Administration) sa airport, pagkatapos po, inihatid sa bahay. May transportation naman pong pinrovide kaya lang ‘yun na lang po, hanggang ngayon, naghihintay pa rin kami,” he added. (Since 2016, we were repatriated without even a peso in our pockets. The OWWA just fed us at the airport, then transported us home. Transportation was provided but until now, we are still waiting for the backwages.) Del Rosario hoped that the Philippine government would not forget them as it started to build ties with Saudi Arabia. He said he has not yet received his almost P500,000 in backwages for almost six years. He said that they also sent a letter to the President, and they hoped the matter would be raised with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia who is set to visit the Philippines before the end of the year. “Panawagan po namin kay President BBM po na mag-intercede na po kasi anim na taon na po. Hindi naman po namin ninilimos ‘yung pera eh,” Del Rosario said. (We call on the President to intercede because it has been six years. We are not begging for the money.) “Medyo mahirap po. Hindi ho kasi ako sanay magtrabaho sa labas. Nagtatricycle na lang po ako ngayon,” he added. (It's a bit difficult. I'm not used to working outside. I'm just a tricycle driver now.) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) said that this issue would be resolved. “We are of the impression that the Saudi [officials] will grant or eventually grant all that was being requested given the atmosphere in the negotiations... There was a mutual benefit for both parties so we see no reason why these things will not be addressed,” OUMWA official Roy Ecraela said. The DMW earlier said that the Philippine government will lift its Saudi deployment ban on November 7 following the completion of bilateral discussions. The department said among matters that were agreed upon was a revision of the Standard Employment Contract of OFWs to reflect all guarantees under the Saudi Labor Reform Initiatives including insurance for unpaid wages, timely release of salaries through electronic payments, and a pre-termination clause. “We decided that we go for what has already been agreed upon rather than do a deal breaker because if we insist on it we might not get the others that we have previously agreed upon,” Ecraela said. The report said that among the conditions supposedly included in lifting the Saudi deployment ban is employers’ payment of the backwages and end-of-service benefits of more than 1,000 OFWs repatriated in 2016 after their companies closed due to the economic crisis. These issues, including the abuses of employers, were among the reasons that the deployment ban in Saudi was ordered by former President Rodrigo Duterte. “The minister expressed his concern that these benefits have not been given to the workers but promised to take it up with the higher authorities and the crown prince,” Ecraela said. — Richa Noriega/DVM, GMA News

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