LETTER TO THE EDITOR | Humanitarian crisis for OFWs stranded in Jeddah

By: John Leonard Monterona, Migrante
April 20, 2013 3:59 PM

InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5

Dear Editor:
The number of stranded overseas Filipino workers camped out beside the Philippine Consulate building in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, since April 10 has surged to around 2,500 and counting. The situation has become a full blown humanitarian crisis. About 60 percent of the stranded OFWs are women; some of them have children. There are about 50 who are old and sick. The stranded OFWs' "tent city" is under the direct heat of the sun, with temperature during the day reaching to 42- to 46-degrees Celsius. Swift action is needed to avert a crisis.

As early as September 2012, there were already 7,000 stranded OFWs who went to the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah seeking to avail of the government's repatriation program. Philippine consulate and labor officials told them that they will be called if the formalities of their documentations have been accomplished. Many of them religiously and regularly followed up on their repatriation with Philippine officials, only to be told that they to pay fines related to failure to renew their residence permits - locally known as Iqama - and for running away from their sponsor-employer (absconding). The OFWs would need to pay 2,500 to 8,000 Saudi rials each, depending on the length of their period of non-documentation. Only upon paying the fines can they be repatriated via "special permit"arrangement. Understandably, only a few could afford the fines. Being undocumented, our fellow OFWs precisely do not have regular work, and in fact have been struggling for their daily sustenance and temporary shelter.

Given the dire situation of the stranded OFWs, they really need government assistance. The repatriation of distressed and undocumented OFWs is within the purview of government's responsibility, as mandated by the Migrant Workers Act or Republic Act 10022.

What actions do the Philippine government need to undertake in order to avert this humanitarian crisis?
First, it must initiate high-level talks with concerned Saudi government officials and explore the possibility of the granting a general amnesty to all undocumented and stranded OFWs. Our conservative estimate is that there are 22,000 affected OFWs Kingdom-wide. The Philippine government may seek the assistance of the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the United Nations Special Rapporteur for Migrants, and other similar international human rights organizations in exploring the granting of general amnesty with the host Saudi government. The general amnesty will extinguish the penalties or fines imposed by Saudi immigration law.

If the host government does not want to grant general amnesty, the Philippine government may also explore the granting of a waiver for the issuance of exit permits by the sponsors of the stranded OFWs. The waiver will expedite the repatriation process, especially for those who have no absconding cases.

Third, while exploring the first and second proposed actions as stated above, the Philippine government should pay its outstanding or unpaid lease rental for the Al Mina hajj terminal that was used as a temporary shelter of previous stranded OFWs way back 2009 to 2011. The unpaid lease rental reached around 1.4-million Saudi rials, roughly equivalent to P15.3 million. If this were to be paid, the Philippine government can renegotiate with the management of the Al Mina hajj terminal for another lease agreement, so that the stranded OFWs - especially the old and sick, the women and children - can be relocated from their camp site beside the Philippine consulate building.

The 3-month grace period given by the Saudi govt. to all undocumented and stranded to fix their documents will end on July 9, and the time remaining is not enough to get all the 7,000 stranded OFWs repatriated via the usual legal process.

A call by the Philippine government for the 2,500 stranded OFWs to go back to their own accommodations, and its urgings for the OFws to avoid or leave the camp, only shows that the Philippine government dilly-dallying and reactive in dealing this humanitarian crisis.
Is the PH govt. willing to accept responsibility for the repatriation of the stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia?

(Signed) John Leonard Monterona
Vice Chairperson, MIGRANTE#96 partylist. x x x."