MANILA, Philippines – Two weeks before the deadline to legalize the status of Filipino workers in Saudi, the Philippines has flown home less than half of those who initially wanted repatriation.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Thursday, October 17, said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and the Consulate General in Jeddah have repatriated 4,003 Filipino workers from Saudi.

Repatriates reached this number after 79 Filipinos arrived from Saudi on Wednesday, October 16, DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez said in a text message.

Hernandez said 1,761 Filipinos, on the other hand, await immigration clearance in Saudi.

Saudi extended the deadline to November 3 from the original July 3. Violators face up to two years in prison and fines of at least 100,000 riyal or $27,000. 

“The embassy and consulate general continue to work closely with concerned Saudi authorities for the expeditious issuance of exit visas for the remaining Filipinos who have signified their desire to return to the Philippines during the grace period granted by the Saudi government,” Hernandez said. 

The number of repatriates is only around 44% of the 9,000 Filipinos in Saudi who originally said they want repatriation.

This means the Philippines needs to repatriate 4,997 workers from Saudi in almost two weeks. Repatriation efforts began in April, and the Philippines repatriated less than this number. – Rappler.com