POLO launches mobile service for OFWs in Saudi Arabia

The Department of Labor and Employment has launched a mobile service to address the needs of migrant Filipino workers in Al Khobar and other areas in the eastern region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.

Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) - Al Khobar labor attaché Hector Cruz Jr. on Friday said authorities have allowed the operations of POLO-on-wheels to provide consular, welfare, and documentary needs of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the region.

“We are proud to report that we have been allowed by the ministry to have our POLO on wheels and accept public services three times a week. This is great news because for our workers, instead of traveling for about 430 kilometers to our POLO in Riyadh, we can already attend to their needs anywhere in the eastern region,” he said, noting there are POLO offices only in Riyadh and Jeddah.

“We will now be doing our outreach program on a regular basis through our POLO on wheels project. Our staff will now be the one to come to serve you and provide the services that our kababayans need,” he added.

Cruz said that the mobile POLO is set to be rolled out this week.

This project is also pursuant to the directive of Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III to ensure that services are available to OFWs for their protection and welfare, he noted.

“While we have been allowed to operate our POLO on wheels, the government [has] also set some guidelines which we will strictly follow, such as we cannot operate on commercial districts,” he said.

Further, Cruz said that the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs has also authorized POLO to manage a shelter outside the city to house distressed OFWs and those awaiting repatriation.

POLO recorded about 220,000 to 230,000 Filipinos in the eastern region of Saudi Arabia. Of which, 215,000 are documented OFWs, their dependents, and some permanent migrants.

OFWs in the Saudi Arabia eastern region are mostly in the industry of oil exploration and drilling, while some are in the service-oriented sectors such as in cafés, restaurants, and in the maintenance services sector. —Giselle Ombay/KG, GMA News