DMW helps out Filipinos in debtors’ jail

Migrant Undersecretary Hans Leo Cacdac. Image from OWWA / Facebook

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has repatriated four Filipinos previously detained in Saudi Arabia over unpaid debts.

The four Filipinos, who have been detained from three to five years, were deported back to the Philippines just last Sunday upon the orders of the Saudi government, Migrant Undersecretary Hans Cacdac said on Wednesday.

This is part of the DMW’s Aksyon fund, which focuses on giving legal, emergency, financial and humanitarian assistance to troubled overseas Filipino workers.

Out of their P1.1-billion Aksyon fund for 2023, over P100 million had been spent for assistance to more than 2,400 distressed migrant workers counting the four recently repatriated.

One of them was “Manuel” a printing press technician who was in jail for five years and eight months and “Edgar,” an aircon maintenance worker, went to prison for three years. While the other two, “Rey,” a trailer driver, and “Mario,” a merchandiser, were imprisoned for three years. The DMW did not identify them for privacy reasons.

Cacdac said there were many Filipinos in the Middle East having trouble paying off loans from credit cards that are fairly easy to get in the kingdom.

But eventually they were released by the Saudi authorities and Cacdac said the government was grateful for that. Each of them received financial assistance of P50,000 and will also receive a psychosocial evaluation from the DMW. —JACOB LAZARO

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