29 July 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert today reiterated instructions by the President to see to the strict implementation of temporarily disallowing Filipino truck drivers based in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia from travelling to Iraq and crossing the Iraq-Saudi Border.  “I have instructed the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh (Riyadh PE) and all our posts in countries that share borders with Iraq to continue all efforts to momentarily bar Filipino truck drivers from crossing the border to Iraq.  I am personally monitoring the developments of such efforts in consonance with protecting our migrant workers in the Middle East,” Secretary Albert said. “We are asking for the cooperation of the appropriate border and immigration authorities in this matter,” she added.

Secretary Albert emphasized that the contracts of Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia strictly limit their work to that country and that these contracts do not allow Filipino workers to drive trucks into Iraq.

Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Bahnarim A. Guinomla reported that the Embassy has already coordinated with the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs to raise the issue of deployment of Filipino workers to Iraq by Saudi companies.  The Saudi Foreign Ministry, for its part, informed the Philippine Embassy that Saudi Foreign Ministry officials have discussed the matter with the Saudi Ministries of Labor and Trade as well as with representatives of the Council of Saudi Chambers of Commerce and Industry.

As a result of the meeting, Saudi government officials and business leaders came up with the following recommendations to Saudi companies involved in cross-border trucking:

                    ·        For the concerned Saudi companies to temporarily suspend the deployment of their trucks to Iraq, and if this is not feasible under their existing commitments;

                    ·        For the said companies not to deploy foreign workers to Iraq and, instead, hire locals (to cross the Iraq-Saudi border)

“We appreciate the efforts of Saudi authorities in recommending these measures for the benefit of our OFWs,” Secretary Albert said.  “We hope that the private companies would positively respond to the advice of the Saudi Foreign Ministry.  But in the meantime, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh still has to look for other ways to hinder Filipino truck drivers from travelling across the Iraq-Saudi border for their own safety and security,” the Secretary added.

To this end, Riyadh PE has met with the company that oversees the deployment of trailer trucks to Iraq for other Saudi companies.  Philippine Embassy officials pushed for the temporary halting of deployment of Filipino truck drivers to Iraq and for them to be replaced by locals, or at least for these companies to provide Filipino truck drivers with augmented security.

Riyadh PE also released a letter circular (please see attached image of the letter) written in English, Filipino and Arabic to all concerned Filipino truck drivers.  Said letter circular advises the Filipino workers that the Philippine government is continually working for the temporary banning of their deployment to Iraq.  The letter may be used by the truck drivers in supporting their actions in accordance with the Philippine government’s directive, should they refuse to be deployed to Iraq even after being told to do so by their employers.  END.