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Pinoy Abroad
SCAM VICTIM

OFW prevented from leaving Saudi Arabia due to ‘unpaid’ debt


JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia — An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) here who was supposed to fly to the Philippines for a vacation last month was prevented from leaving the airport due to a four-year-old debt that he said he had already settled.

"Na-hold ako dito sa immigration. May kaso daw po ako sa dati kong utang noong 2014," said Ernesto Guillamon in an interview with GMA News.

He said he was about to board his flight when he was stopped by an immigration officer who told him that his residence permit (Iqama) was "blocked" and that he has to get clearance first before he could be allowed to leave Saudi Arabia.

Upon probing, Guillamon, who was from Caloocan City, traced the root of the problem to the SAR3,000 debt he had in 2014.

But according to him, he had already paid the debt, so he was surprised when he learned that it accumulated interest, causing it to balloon to SAR15,000, or roughly equivalent to P200,000.

Worse, he learned from friends that the person in charge of the collection has gone missing.

"Sumabay na rin ako sa mga kasamahan ko na umutang sa isang lending company at umutang ako ng SAR3,000 para pampagawa ng bahay. Hindi ko po alam na hindi ibinabayad [ng collector] ang pera na aming ibinibigay sa kanya," the OFW said.

Guillamon, now pressed to clear his name, has already brought his problem to the attention of the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah through the Kaagapay ng Bawat OFW group. The Consulate has allowed him to temporarily stay within its premises while his case was pending.

Consul General Edgar Badajos, meanwhile, advised OFWs to steer clear of debts if they can help it.

"Hangga't maari ay huwag na mangutang, pero kung kailangang-kailangan talagang mangutang ay dapat kaya mong bayaran at kung may pambayad ka ay bayaran mo na agad," he said.

Badajos also cautioned OFWs against swindlers. "Kung magbabayad ka, look for the person you can trust. Kung hindi mo kaya magbayad mismo sa taong nagpautang at kung nag-trust ka taong iyon ay siguraduhin mong ibinayad niya kasi kung hindi mo gagawin 'yan, pag ikaw ay pauwi na ay baka ma-hold ka sa immigration." —Ronaldo Concha/KBK, GMA News

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