The Philippine government on Friday thanked the Saudi government for its decision to shoulder nearly P25 million in blood money for jailed Filipino worker Rodelio Celestino Lanuza, saying the act affirmed the strong ties between the two countries.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday identified the Filipino truck driver who was among the 23 people killed when a fuel lorry hit a bridge and exploded in the Saudi capital Riyadh, engulfing buildings and cars in flames.
In October 2009, a Filipino migrant worker suffered a stroke and was confined at the Shumesy Hospital in Riyadh. He later developed complications, including kidney failure, and needed dialysis.
Fate and luck may finally be working in favor of overseas Filipino worker Rodelio “Dondon” Lanuza, who has been on death row in Damman, Saudi Arabia for the past 11 years. His tireless internet campaign for justice and assistance has caught the attention of a Filipino-American businesswoman and philanthropist, Loida Nicolas Lewis—as well as a Saudi prince whose identity remains a mystery.
Two Egyptians accused of murdering a Filipino were beheaded by the sword in the Saudi capital on Wednesday, said the interior ministry.
The Philippines is to ask for clarification from Saudi Arabia after it announced it would stop granting work permits for Filipino domestic staff, President Benigno Aquino’s spokesman said Thursday.
Saudi Arabia announced Wednesday it would stop granting work permits to domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia, following hiring conditions imposed by the Asian countries.
The spokesman for Saudi Arabia’s Labor Ministry says the kingdom will no longer issue work permits for domestic workers from the Philippines and Indonesia after new hiring guidelines laid out by those nations.
