PH consulate offers shelter for Pinoys in Jeddah

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine consulate in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, is readying 3 facilities that will serve as temporary shelter for undocumented overseas Filipino workers camping out beside the consulate.  

It has been two weeks since Filipinos started setting up camps in a vacant lot beside the consulate following the Saudi government’s crackdown on undocumented and overstaying foreign workers. 

Department of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Raul Hernandez said two temporary tents will be installed on the 4th floor of the consulate. It will be ready to accommodate up to 300 children and women by Friday, April 26.

Meanwhile, a Saudi businessman has offered to accommodate 80 women and children, and 90 men in his housing compound. The embassy is also seeking permission from the Saudi Ministry of Education to use the gymnasium of a Philippine school in Jeddah to house 500 more campers over the weekend. 

Hernandez said the consulate will not require any forms to gain entry to the shelters, and food will also be served to Filipinos free of charge. 

Since the crackdown started two weeks ago, more than 2,000 Filipinos have set up camps outside the embassy. 

To facilitate the repatriation of the Filipinos, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh earlier asked the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs for the following: 

1. waiver of public rights including issuance and renewal fees of iqama (residence permit);
2. help in locating and negotiating with the original sponsor to obtain a “no objection certificate, and if possible a waiver of the requirement in the absence of any derogatory criminal record or complaint by the sponsor against the Filipinos;
3. providing emergency shelters for the women and children; and
4. providing a similar arrangement for illegal Filipinos based in Riyadh and Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region. 

The Saudi government has yet to respond to the request but Hernandez called on Filipinos to be patient. 

“I think you should know that this is not just the request of Filipinos. This is also the request of other consulates from other countries –  Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, Pakistan, India. They are also making the same request that’s why maybe this is still being considered. And they have more people than us. They are not staying in one camp like us. Sila, they go to their consulates to find out what is happening, whether there are repatriations happening but in the evening, they go back to their original accommodations,” Hernandez said. 

Hernandez has also repeatedly reminded Filipinos in the area that the repatriation process could take time. 

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrants and Workers’ Affairs Jesus Yabes is presently in Saudi Arabia to work on expediting the repatriation of Filipinos in the area. – with reports from Angela Casauay/Rappler.com