MANILA, Philippines - A migrant workers' rights group on Wednesday called on President Benigno Aquino III to recall Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzadin Tago for his alleged failure to provide the appropriate services to the 7,5000 stranded Filipinos in the oil-rich country.
"We support and join the demand of the various Filipino organizations and the 7,500 stranded Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to immediately recall Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzadin Tago," Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Monterona said.
Monterona said that instead of helping the stranded Filipinos, Tago harassed them to leave the Philippine embassy compound.
He claimed that Tago ordered his staff to cut off the electricity and water lines where the 120 stranded OFWs, mostly women and some with children, have stayed at the old canteen inside the embassy.
"Ambassador Tago also ordered the Philippine embassy closed and the donations for the stranded OFWs coming from various Filipino organizations such as food, water, and sanitation were confiscated," Monterona said.
He said Tago is half-Filipino, half-Egyptian, who was promoted to become Philippine ambassador to Saudi Arabia in 2011 after his stint as Consul General at the Philippine diplomatic mission in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
Tago replaced former Ambassardo Antonio Villamor who was a political appointee of then president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo.