31 MAY 2004 – Three Filipino OFWs were killed and three others wounded when terrorists led an attack on Al-Rashid Petroleum Center Building and Oasis Tower Hotel in Al-Khobar, the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia confirmed in a report to the Department of Foreign Affairs this weekend.

The Embassy said there were a total of nine Filipinos who were in vicinity during the terrorist attack. The remaining three were uninjured and have been moved to safety.

Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia, Bahnarim A. Guinomla visited the King Fahd Clinic yesterday to see the remains of the three Filipino fatalities, two of whom worked as an accountant and driver for Resource Sciences Arabia Limited (RSAL), and another as a chief cook at a Japanese Restaurant at the Oasis Hotel.

After positively identifying the remains of the deceased, Ambassador Guinomla then proceeded to Fahd University Hospital and Astun Hospital where the three injured Filipinos were sent for treatment. One of the injured Filipinos, who suffered from serious injuries was scheduled for an operation during Guinomla’s visit and was not available to visitors. The remaining two Filipinos suffered relatively minor injuries and are now recuperating.

This weekend, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was able to talk to one of the injured survivors over the phone. She conveyed her condolences to the injured and instructed the Department of Foreign Affairs to ensure their welfare and safety.

In his report, Ambassador Guinomla cited one of the uninjured survivors, who was another worker at the Oasis Hotel, for having escorted some of the guests of the hotel to safety and for destroying the guest lists of the hotel to keep the terrorists from accessing them. The hostage-takers were said to be selectively killing hotel guests and personnel based on nationality and religion.

The management and investors of RSAL, who met with Ambassador Guinomla, expressed their condolences for the loss of their Filipino employees. They also condemned the violence that occurred, stating that it contradicted the teachings of Islam. They told Ambassador Guinomla that they would support the Embassy’s efforts to repatriate the remains of the deceased Filipinos.

“We are shocked and deeply saddened by this senseless killings of our OFWs,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo-Albert, who received Ambassador Guinomla’s report during her official trip to Bangladesh, said of the attacks. “We share in the grief of the other countries who also lost some of their citizens in the attacks. We would like to thank the Saudi Arabian government for ending the crisis decisively and securing the release of the remaining hostages.”

Secretary Albert also said that she instructed Ambassador Guinomla to advise the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia to be vigilant and take all necessary precautions against further such attacks.

Ambassador Guinomla is currently making representations with the employers of the deceased and injured Filipinos to secure their entitlements. - END