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Saudi stranded Filipino workers ‘Open letter’ to PNoy reiterate appeals for swift mass repatriation

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Press Release

25 April 2013                           Reference:      John Leonard Monterona, Vice-chairperson

                                                                        #96 MIGRANTE partylist

                                                                        PH Mobile No. 0923 420 0112

                                                                        KSA Mobile No. 00966 55 942 8739

Saudi stranded Filipino workers ‘Open letter’ to PNoy reiterate appeals for swift mass repatriation

Leaders of the two thousand five hundred plus (2,500+) stranded Filipino workers still camping out at the so called ‘tent city’ in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia wrote and issued an ‘Open Letter’ (see attached) addressed to Philippine President Benigno Simeon Aquino III, Vice president Jejomar Binay, Philippine Senate and House of Representatives, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), an adjunct agency to the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE), and to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), to appeal anew for their ‘swift and free’ mass repatriation.

The letter dated April 24, 2013, signed by the leaders of Mga Bagong Bayani Stranded OFWs sa Jeddah briefly stated the dire condition of the stranded Filipino workers mostly women, some of them with children -who are now on their 15 days camp out, and still counting -beside the Philippine Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

April 24, 2013 Open Letter of the stranded Filipino workers in ‘Tent City’, Jeddah, KSA
“Nagsusumamo po kami at umaasa na matutulungan nyo kami sa lalong madaling panahon na makauwi ng Pilipinas at makasama ang aming mga pamilya. Maraming salamat po. (We sincerely appeal and hoping that you will help us as soon as possible to be back home in the Philippines and reunite with our families. Many thanks).”

A copy of the ‘Open Letter’ by the leaders of the stranded OFWs is given to Mr. Bobby Fajarito, Migrante-Jeddah vice chairperson last night after a consultation.

Leaders of the Mga Bagong Bayani Stranded OFWs in Jeddah, April 24, 2013
“We will arrange and will try our best that the ‘Open Letter’ singed by the leaders of our fellow OFWs will be handed over and read by PNoy, VP Binay, and all other concerned PH agencies, through our John Leonard Monterona, #96 MIGRANTE vice chairperson, who is now in Manila,” Fajarito said.

The camp out started on April 10 when around 80 Filipino workers, including women and some with children, built makeshift tents besides the PH consulate building to press the PH government for their ‘swift and free’ mass repatriation.

Aerial view of ‘Tent City’ where thousands of stranded Filipino workers have camped out beside the PH Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia
As early as September 2012, there were already around 7,000 stranded Filipino workers who have listed up at the PH consulate seeking assistance for their repatriation. Many of them have been undocumented and overstayers for more than a year while others for 3 to 6 long years after running away from their respective employers due to rampant labor rights violations, abuses and maltreatment, according to Filipino migrant rights group Migrante-Middle East (M-ME).

“As early as September 2012, we have been regularly and religiously following up the repatriation of the stranded Filipino workers, who have also sought our assistance, with PH consulate Assistance to the Nationals (ATN) and labor officials,”said John Leonard Monterona, #96MIGRANTE vice chairperson.

Monterona said his group in several case dialogs with PH officials in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia has in fact been urging the latter to initiate a high level talk with the host government to explore the possibility of granting general amnesty to the 7,000 stranded OFWs citing humanitarian considerations.

Another option, according to Monterona, is to seek the issuance of a waiver for the issuance of exit clearance from the sponsors of the stranded OFWs.

“We can appeal to the Saudi host govt. to order this to their nationals who are the respective sponsors of the stranded OFWs so that the penalties (fines and imprisonment) will be extinguished,”Monterona suggested.

Meanwhile, Monterona said, the PH govt. should pay its outstanding unpaid lease rental to the Al Mina Hajj terminal, to put the former in a better position to renegotiate the lease agreement and thereby relocate the 2,500+ stranded OFWs camping out besides the PH consulate building.

The Al Mina hajj terminal was rented by the PH govt. and was used as temporary shelter of stranded OFWs since 2009 until 2011 while processing their repatriation formalities.

“We have heard that until now the 1.4-M Saudi rials (roughly P15.3-M) lease rental has not been paid yet, despite our repeated reminders to the DFA and DoLE-OWWA officials since last year,” Monterona noted.

Monterona said, “Citing lack of government funds is not a good excuse,” noting that PNoy and his delegation will be attending the APEC confab in Brunei next week with an estimated cost of P7-M. “PNoy should have a lean delegation in line to its ‘cost cutting’ measures.”

Monterona lambasted PNoy administration for its ‘lavish campaign sorties and TV/Radio campaign ads’ endorsing Team PNoy senatorial candidates.

“Even PNoy precious time have been spent so much in campaign sorties rather than attending the issues and concerns of the people such as spiraling prices of basic goods, oil products and petroleum, electricity and water rate hikes, power shortage in Mindanao, rising rate of unemployment, genuine land reform implementation, and wage hikes demanded by Filipino workers, among others,” Monterona concluded. # # #


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