Saudi gov’t facilitates repatriation of 537 Filipinos

By: Kristine Angeli Sabillo - 10 years ago

Ambassador Ezzedin Tago speaks with a group of 58 Filipinos about to be repatriated to the Philippines. DFA PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday that 537 out of 644 Filipinos staying at a deportation facility in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia have been repatriated to the Philippines.

The Saudi government arranged two special flights last December 16 and 17 to bring the 537 individuals back to the Philippines.

“I thank the Saudi government for its continued assistance…I also commend the officers and staff of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah including our Labor and Social Service Attaches for helping our consulate in extending services to our nationals in Jeddah as well as in other regions of the Kingdom,” Philippine Ambassador Ezzedin Tago said in a statement.

The first group, flown into the country on December 16, was composed of 195 women, 39 children and 3 men while those on board the December 17 flight included 186 women and 94 children.

The plane tickets for the two Saudi Airlines flights were paid for by the Saudi government.

“Thus far, these are the biggest numbers of undocumented Filipinos repatriated in a single day this year,” the DFA said.

Filipinos staying at the Shumaisi Facility are those who voluntarily surrendered to Saudi immigration authorities on November 10, a week after the amnesty for undocumented migrants lapsed.

A total of 91 Filipinos remained at the facility, awaiting their exit visas.

Meanwhile, another group of 58 overseas Filipino workers left Saudi Arabia on December 23 through the assistance of the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) advanced the repatriation tickets of the workers, pending the payments of their employers and recruitment agencies.

At least 6,186 undocumented Filipino migrants in Saudi Arabia have been repatriated to the Philippines since the amnesty for illegal immigrants lapsed last November 3.