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SIXTY of the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who
camped out under a bridge in Jeddah have been cleared for
deportation and are expected to return to the Philippines in April.
According to Undersecretary for
Migrant Workers Affairs, Esteban Conejos, the Department of Foreign
Affairs (DFA) is now legally processing the papers of these OFWs who
are either overstaying or fleeing from their employers.
“We are extending all possible
aid to those OFWs,” said Conejos. “However, we must do so within
the legal process of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.”
The DFA is currently in the
process of facilitating the exit papers of the 117 OFWs, who trekked
to Jeddah in the hopes of returning to the Philippines immediately.
Of the total number 27—24
females and 3 males—have already been cleared for deportation and
have been booked on a flight back to the Philippines on April 11.
Another 33 have also been cleared
for deportation and will be returning to the Philippines as soon as
their seats can be booked. All flights are to be paid by the
government.
According to Conejos, the OFWs
who camped out under the bridge at Jeddah in January of this year
were under the mistaken notion that the area was a pick-up point for
quick deportation procedures.
“They were told that there was
a bus that would pick them up and take them to the deportation
center and they would be processed within a matter of days,” said
Conejos. “However, that only applies for those who have overstayed
with a Hadj or Omra visa, [or are] Muslim Pilgrims.”
The militant group Migrante
International branded as “criminal neglect” the handling of the
stranded OFWs in Jeddah, adding that they even demanded the recall
and investigation of two Philippine officials in Saudi Arabia.
“We are incensed by the way our
embassy officials allow OFWs to suffer deplorable conditions. Their
neglect of Filipino citizens is outrageous and we will not let it
pass. We commit to pursuing all avenues, including upcoming Senate
hearings on negligent officials abroad,” Connie Bragas-Regalado,
Migrante Chairperson, said.
The two officials were identified
by Migrante as Ambassador Antonio Villamor and Jeddah Consul General
Ezzedin Tago.
--Katrice R. Jalbuena
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