114 stranded Pinoys arrive from Saudi Arabia

After being stranded for several months in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, some 114 repatriated Filipinos, including 30 children, who claimed they were maltreated by their employers arrived home shortly after midnight Tuesday. Radio dzBB’s Denver Trinidad reported early Wednesday the 114 Filipinos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on a Gulf Air flight shortly after midnight. They were the latest batch of Filipinos repatriated from Jeddah in Saudi Arabia since January. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) head Carmelita Dimzon said the Filipinos could not leave until recently due to problems with Saudi immigration authorities. The Filipinos were allowed to leave only after their employers lifted objections to their departure. In a separate report, one of the 84 overseas Filipino workers among the batch recounted her ordeal in the Kingdom, describing how her dream of working overseas turned into a nightmare after serving a Saudi Arabian princess. In a report by James Velasquez, Jeanette dela Cruz expressed gratitude over their repatriation after waiting for several months. “Ang pagkain namin dalawang tinapay sa umaga, kami rin ang bumibili ng needs namin… Verbal abuse, sinisigawan kami then pinagbantaan kaming papatayin," she said in a 24 Oras newscast. (We ate only two pieces of bread every morning, and we provide for own needs. We experience verbal abuse, we were shouted at and threatened with being killed.) The report also said some of the repatriated OFWs did not receive the right amount of salaries as indicated on their contracts, or did not receive their salaries on time, while other claimed they were maltreated by their owners. “Siyempre masakit din sa kalooban mo na kababayan mo na ganun ang sinasapit sa ibang bansa, masakit sa amin yun. Kaya hanggang makakaya namin ay tinutulungan (naming) silang lahat," said Ed Bellida, advocacy and social marketing chief of OWWA. (Of course it also breaks our hearts that our compatriots suffered while working overseas. That’s why we try our best to help all of them.) More than 300 more OFWs remain stranded in the Middle Eastern country pending completion of the necessary papers. OWWA meanwhile vowed to do what it can to help repatriate the stranded OFWs. – FRJ/GMANews.TV