Government allots P50 million for Saudi claimants

MANILA, Philippines — While awaiting the release of their unpaid wages, thousands of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) will receive a financial grant from the government, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople announced yesterday.

Ople said the government is extending P10,000 in financial aid to Filipino workers who have been seeking unpaid salaries in Saudi Arabia since 2016.

“The Marcos administration will give the financial assistance to the OFWs while waiting for the talks between the two governments set for this month,” Ople said.

She said the government has allotted P50 million to cover the financial grant to an estimated 10,000 worker-claimants.

According to Ople, the financial package will be jointly provided by the Department of Migrant Workers, Overseas Workers’ Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Department of Social Welfare and Development.

The OWWA Board of Trustees approved yesterday the distribution of the humanitarian package.

The OWWA will come out with implementing guidelines for the release of the funding, which will be released directly to the claimants.

OWWA Administrator Arnel Ignacio said they have sufficient funding for the humanitarian program.

Ople noted that over 100 claimants have died while waiting to collect the accumulated back wages from Saudi construction firms that declared bankruptcy in 2015 and 2016.

President Marcos had ordered Ople to make use of prudent diplomacy in discussing the issue of unpaid backwages with the Saudi government.