More than one hundred repatriated Filipino workers from Saudi Arabia were lucky enough to receive an early Christmas gift from the Philippine government in an aim to help them start a new life in the Philippines.
The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Hans Leo Cacdac said that there are about 110 repatriated OFWs who just recently arrived in the Philippines received a financial aid worth P20,000 coming from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Aside from the cash aid, these OFWs will also be given livelihood assistance in case they choose to stay in the Philippines.
88 out of the 110 repatriated OFWs previously worked as Azmeel Co. in Al Khobar where they failed to receive thei salaries and overtime fees due to the lockdown of their work sites. Another 18 repatriated workers were from Rakan Trading and Contracting Co. and another four from the Samama Co.
As these OFWs were not treated fairly by their employers in the oil-rich Arab country, Cacdac promised to provide legal assistance to them so they can properly file a case against their employers as well as their recruitment agencies.
Moreover, most of these OFWs worked in the construction industry in Saudi Arabia. The skills and experiences they got abroad should be very useful in the government’s “Build, Build, Build” project.
