The Philippine Overseas Workers Welfare Administration or POEA says that at least 10,000 overseas Filipino workers are currently stranded in the Philippines due to the prevailing deployment ban to Saudi Arabia.
POEA administrator Bernard Olalia says that Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello imposed the suspension of deployment as both countries await the new guidelines for household workers.
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“The deployment suspension is still ongoing,” POEA chief Bernard Olalia said.
The country imposed the deployment suspension after a retired Saudi general allegedly abused OFWs.
The Philippine government has worked hard to bring home the abused Filipinos recruited by the ‘influential’ general.
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Migration expert Emmanuel Geslani said that another reason for the deployment ban was the failure of Saudi to pay at least 9,000 OFWs of their unpaid wages amounting to over P4 billion.
Bello previously announced that the unpaid wages will be given before Christmas last year.
