Saudi Claimants requesting an update from DMW in 2024

Should OWWA take over the Saudi Claim matter from the DMW? For almost a decade now, Filipino claimants for unpaid salaries from Construction companies that went under liquidation in Saudi Arabia are still waiting for payment from the Saudi Government.

Earlier, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has assured President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. to settle the unpaid wages of more than 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were left jobless after their companies in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia declared bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016.

President Marcos told reporters at the sidelines of his attendance to the ASEAN-GCC Summit in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia that the Saudi government is now processing the back wages of the affected OFWs and other details.

Almost 13,000 OFWs were laid off when Saudi Oger Ltd., Mohammad Al Mojil Group, J&P Saudi Litd., Drake & Scull, Bin Laden Group and other construction firms in Saudi Arabia declared bankruptcy in 2015 until 2018, according to data from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The DMW records showed 8,829 claimants from Saudi Oger and 3,454 from Mohammad Al Mojil. In March, the DMW announced it would grant PHP10,000 in humanitarian aid to each OFW waiting for back wage. The funding for the initiative came from the DMW, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Social Welfare and Development. However, some Saudi claimnts were not able to avail of HASC, and no clear update from the DMW on whether they can still avail of the said financial assistance or if they are still remaining funds for them. Where are the remaining funds then?

On February, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. disclosed that the OFWs displaced by the bankruptcies of Saudi Arabian construction companies have started receiving compensation. Marcos said 1,104 indemnity cheques from Alinma Bank amounting to P868,740,544 have been processed by the Overseas Filipino Bank and Land Bank. But after that there has no succeeding payments made by the Saudi Government up until today.

It's ironic that the moment OIC Cacdac took an oath of office as the Secretary of DMW, that was also the time the DMW  provided only little update to the claimants. One claimant said that everytime he will call the DMW office, the secretaries and staff are not yet available at 11:00 am in the morning even at 1:00 in the afternoon Whenever he tried to reach Ms. Jen, the office secretary of  Secretary Cacdac, she often ignored the call.

The claimants are hoping that the DMW will be proactive on this matter and hired some staff who are genuinely compassionate with the OFWs. Better yet, let OWWA take over on this issue if the DMW is not capable on handling Saudi Claim.