OFW rights group backs cut in workers’ deployment to Saudi

Ople said there is a need to send a message to Riyadh for it to act accordingly on the plight of OFWs there. (File Photo: Bureau of Immigration, Philippines/Facebook)

MANILA — A group advocating for the welfare of Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) on Wednesday expressed support for the decision of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) to scale down the deployment of Filipinos to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Blas Ople Policy Center president Susan Ople said it is only right for DOLE to push for the welfare of the workers as the latter have fulfilled their contractual obligations.

“They actually fulfilled their side. They worked and rendered services but they were not paid because the companies went bankrupt or faced other financial and legal problems,” she said in an interview.

“It is incumbent on the government of Saudi Arabia because, this is not through any fault of the worker, to make sure that the workers get their just share of compensation,” the group official added.

Ople said there is a need to send a message to Riyadh for it to act accordingly on the plight of OFWs there.

“What DOLE is doing is trying to apply pressure on the host country. There’s a moral, legal, and even human rights issue that cannot be ignored,” she added.

Ople also urged the DOLE to ensure that there are enough safety nets to cushion the adverse effects of the measure.

“Is there a program directive from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to look for alternative employers? If new hires will be reduced, we need to find alternative markets,” Ople added.

Meanwhile, Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) president and Party-list Rep. Raymond Mendoza said they will ask DOLE for an explanation on the decision.

“We will ask (Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III) to explain the move. We will support that move, subject to our hearing to really understand the situation. He is the Secretary so he understands the situation. So we trust the judgment of the Secretary until the next hearing where we will call him,” Mendoza said in an interview.

On Tuesday, Bello announced the scaling down the sending of Filipinos to Saudi Arabia next year.

The decision was made due to the slow action of the Saudi government on the plight of more than 300 OFWs, whose salaries and monetary claims have yet to be settled.