MORE ABOUT THE STRANDED FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS IN KSA

MORE ABOUT THE STRANDED FILIPINO MIGRANT WORKERS IN KSA

Most of those in the government may be musing how come OFWs from almost all part of the world are following closely an issue they are mistakenly thought limited only to those in Saudi Arabia.

OFWs around the world are concerned about the issue because all of migrant workers are paying for obligatory “voluntary” OWWA  annual membership fee of US$25.00. Very few, if any, of those in Europe  which is of a considerable number, and other places where if they lost their jobs, they just look for another and does not have to be repatriated and  do not really need it and are paying in the interest of the creation of funds using the money they are paying for the benefit of all migrant workers documented or not.  But it appears that the Philippine government has other plans for their money.

Vice Consul Leo Ausan, who said that consular officials were still waiting for the approval of their budget request from the national government. This statement smells like a rotten fish. there must be a government budget allocated for that on a yearly basis considering that OWWA has P13.6 billion ($293.4 million) garnered from the compulsary contributions by OFWs. And we must also take into consideration that even undocumented migrant workers send remittances, and therefore, are part of the sector that in a big way, contribute in the creation of the national wealth. It is absurd to say they do not have funds ready for the repatriation of distressed or stranded migrant workers. The funds are there, and PERHAPS, the government is just thinking of using it elsewhere.

Voicing the unsavory question in the mind of many migrant workers around the world: are they indeed just “cashcows” for the Philippine government? If we cite the money that goes into the coffers from each migrant worker before they could get out of the country in terms of documentation fees to be paid which totals in millions of pesos every day aside from the service fees given to the recruiters, one would say so.

The documented OFWs has the right to question the Philippine government their reason for not answering the needs of the undocumented Filipino migrant workers and to receive honest answers, not lame explanations. All Filipinos has the right to receive assistance from the government.

And the OFWs around the world reiterates the demand: IMMEDIATE MASS REPATRIATION of stranded Filipino migrant workers in Saudi Arabia USING THE GOVERNMENT FUNDS!

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