110 repatriated OFWs get P20,000, other assistance

Over a hundred repatriated overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia have received an early Christmas gift from the government after they were provided assistance to help them start anew.

According to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac, the 110 recently repatriated OFWs received an assistance package, including a P20,000 financial aid from the Department of Labor and Employment (Dole).

Cacdac said that apart from the aid, the OFWs were also entitled to livelihood assistance should they opt to stay in the country.

Work site lockdown

Among those repatriated were the 88 workers of Azmeel Co. in Al Khobar who did not receive their wages and overtime pay following the lockdown of work sites there.

Also repatriated were 18 workers of Rakan Trading and Contracting Co. and four employees of Samama Co., whose contracts were violated by their Saudi employers.

Cacdac also promised legal assistance to OFWs who would file complaints against their employers or recruitment agencies.

Meanwhile, since some of the repatriated OFWs are involved in construction work, the Dole encouraged them to apply for projects under the Duterte administration’s “Build, Build, Build” program.