Over 200 distressed Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) in Jeddah received gifts from the Philippine government from December 20 to 22, just in time for the yuletide season.
Department of Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Sarah Lou Arriola and Chief of Presidential Protocol, Presidential Adviser on Foreign Affairs and Special Envoy of President Rodrigo Duterte to Tunisia, Saudi Arabia and Bahrain Robert Eric Borje visited Jeddah to share gifts of love to some 230 OFWs currently staying at the Consulate’s Bahay Kalinga and Male Shelter.
Undersecretary Arriola assured the wards that the Department of Foreign Affairs, through the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah, is doing its utmost best to address their concerns and are working for their immediate repatriation to the Philippines.
Undersecretary Borje, on the other hand, conveyed President Duterte’s message of love and hope for the wards, especially during the holiday season. He announced that President Duterte has authorized the release of an additional cash gift of $100 for them.
Arriola and Borje also met with members of the Filipino community for a dialogue on pressing issues and concerns affecting the OFWs and their families in the Philippines, including the creation of the Department of Overseas Filipinos.
During the visit, the two met with Director General Ibrahim Jalal of the Saudi Social Welfare Administration (SSWA), Makkah Al-Mukarramah Region in Jeddah to discuss possible areas of cooperation between the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah and SSWA that will benefit Filipinos in distress, particularly, Filipino Household Service Workers (HSWs).
They also met with representatives from Azzer Law Firm, the Philippine Consulate General’s legal retainer for Jeddah and the Western Region, for a briefing on the current status of the cases being handled by the law office.
Earlier this weekend, OWWA Deputy Executive Director Esther Margaux “Mocha” Uson visited Jeddah and also met with the Filipino community and distributed a cash gift of US$100 each to the wards from the President.
