DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS 
P R E S S  R E L E A S E
www.dfa.gov.ph                                                                                           2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                                                                                 Tel. No. 834-4000 
SFA-AGR-020-06                                                                                                                                                                                                                             13 January 2006

PHILIPPINE EMBASSY RIYADH REPORTS 114 DISTRESSED OFWs READY TO RETURN HOME

13 January 2006 – – Philippine Ambassador to Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia Bahnarim A. Guinomla reported to the Department of Foreign Affairs that 114 OFWs are ready to return to the Philippines pending the confirmation of the booking of their airline tickets.

Ambassador Guinomla said that the 114 OFWs are composed of 56 OFWs who are presently staying at the Saudi Social Welfare Administration (SSWA) and 58 OFWs who are at the Bahay Kalinga, the Filipino welfare center of the Embassy.

The Ambassador stated that the Embassy was able to provide the OFWs with their travel documents after Saudi immigration authorities had set Saturday, 14 January 2006, as the deadline for the submission of their travel papers. (Please refer to Press Release SFA-AGR-006-06, dated 3 January 2006; and SFA-AGR-014-65, dated 9 January 2006 for the background information.)

Ambassador Guinomla explained that many of the distressed workers have labor disputes with their employers, although some of them were endorsed by the employers themselves or by the police.  END
 
 

/jay