Without much fanfare, President Duterte extends 500 million peso financial aid to OFW’s who has been stranded in Saudi Arabia for the past few months.
According to Arab News, “the Philippine government has stepped in to help Filipinos going without pay at Saudi Oger with SR40 million immediate financial assistance.”
“Newly elected President Rodrigo R. Duterte sent a high-profile team that comprised Atty. Guiling Mamondiong, new chief of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Silvestre Bello III, labor secretary; and John Bertiz, Acts-OFW partylist Congressman,” Arab News reported.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III told the stranded OFW’s in Saudi Oger that he visited them to personally know their issues first hand, not doctored information from government employees posted in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
We are here to learn your real status and I don’t want to get doctored information … Don’t be shy in telling us your problems.
The Labor Secretary also asked the stranded OFW’s if they eat 3 meals a day.
Although there was no mention how the OFW’s responded to Secretary Bello’s query, Arab News recalled telling the audience while looking at the direction of the embassy staffs and quote:
We are not taking care of our heroes!
It was learned that each OFW will get P20,000 (SR1,667) plus P6,000 (SR500) for his family back home apart from that, the visiting Philippine officials pledged to help OFWs’ children back home to continue their studies.
TESDA Chief Atty. Guiling Mamondiong “emphasized the important role of the TESDA in facilitating vocational and technical training to be conducted for the improvement of workers’ qualifications to raise their working status to a higher level.”
This is one of the reintegration programs being featured including livelihood and micro-businesses beneficial to the returning expatriates and OFW must not return home without a job.
Meanwhile, the visiting government officials led by Labor Secretary Bello extended President Duterte’s sincere thanks to the OFW and quote:
Your landslide vote gave the president victory.
On top of the financial aid, the government promised to assist them in the repatriation procedures, including their plane tickets, and legal assistance to claim their unpaid salaries and other entitlements.
The stranded OFW’s heaved a sigh of relief after suffering months scavenging for food just to survive without money in a foreign country.
On July 22, 2016, the stranded OFW’s in Saudi Oger were hoisted into the national limelight when 24 Oras of GMA News ran a short report highlighting their plight who were neglected by the Pnoy government.
Video courtesy of GMA News:
What are your thoughts on this? Please feel free to comment below.
Credits to Arab News
Ano ba yan,ang daming problemang ink wan nang magaling na noynoy. Kahit saan, may problema. Tapos parati nilang pinagyayabang ang “nagawa” daw ni noynoy. Anong nagawa? Kung meron man, Hindi ramdam.haay tapos mag a-advice pa pinsan niya para sa SONA ni President
Ano ang gnagawa ng embassy natin dyan?
The only President who has a real concern for OFWs. Like a dotting father without any hesitation, financial help was without fanfare and publicity. The financial aid sent to the stranded OFWs is a drop in the bucket compared to congress pork barrel. It’s high time that congress stop receiving pork barrel and Pres. DU30 to line veto any financial allocation for Senator and congressmen for what ever purpose or justification. This happens not only at the national level and could be much worse at the municipal level where accountability or serious audit is a panacea.
CHANGE is here NOT ONLY IN RHETORICal speeches but in reality..thank you mr. president
this has been like these for many years embassy and consular people just do not care and let this happen unabated the only thing they know is to milk the ofw’s of their hard earned money pimp for the maids and make money change or totally replace all personnel of the embassy and consulates in jeddah riyadh so that this type of making the ofw’s suffer will never be repeated again use the owwa funds to repatriate stranded workers ans help assist their families
Thank u mr pres duterte
hope they could also assist and help these people.
https://www.facebook.com/BataanWeatherPage/photos/a.365298243045.152266.365218933045/10153867199918046/?type=3&theater
They should look into the bad practices of the people in the embassy there. Kawawa ang mga OFW. I heard they are maltreated and made to pay in very disturbing circumstances.
Sa UNTV “Ito ang Balita” July 18 edition kaya unang lumabas yung News at later na lang sa GMA7. Nakuhanan pa nga dun ng pahayag c Sec. Bello na baka sa July 21 xa pumunta ng Saudi.
AS WHAT E SAID BEFORE I’M NOT SMART LIKE MARCOS..BUT OUR NEW PRESIDENT SHOWS WAY MORE THAN SMART PRES. CAN DO.. FULL OF ACTION.. LESS TALK..JUST WHAT PHIL NEEDED TO RISE AGAIN.. GOD BLESS YOU MR PRES DUTERTE..
isa ung bayaw ko sa hindi nasasahuran dahil sa naging problema sa company nila.. 6 months na walang sahod walang naipapadala sa pamilya nya at halos muntik nang walang makain sa jeddah sobirang pasakit sa kanila dahil hindi naman nila kasalanan magkaproblema ang company kasama sila nag suffer… hopefully po maibigay sa kanila ng mabilis kasi kung marami pang hihingin sa kanila mga papeles para lalo pang tumagal kahabagan naman nila ang mga OFW na yan sobrang nakakalungkot ang nangyari sa kanila sa jeddah… God bless you Pres. Duterte sa inaasahan ng pamilya ng mga ofw ang mabilisang pagbibigay ng financial aid sa kanila