MANILA, Philippines—The Saudi government has granted a six-month amnesty for overstaying foreigners, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said in a news release.
The amnesty ordered by King Abdullah bin Abdulazziz Al-Saud paves the way for the so-called illegals, including Filipinos, to go home to their home countries without any punishment, she said.
Citing a report by Al-Khobar-based Philippine Labor Attache David Des Dicang, Baldoz said the pardon would cover all foreigners who arrived in Saudi Arabia on Haj, Umrah, visit visa, or any other type of visa which had expired, or those who have violated passport regulations.
“This is, indeed, very good news for Filipino ‘illegals’ in Saudi Arabia,” Baldoz said.
The Saudi Interior Ministry has advised “illegal stayers” to leave the kingdom from September 25, 2010 to March 23, 2011 and can start by reporting to the nearest office of the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs and completing the necessary procedures for their departure, news reports in Saudi newspapers said.
Dicang said violators caught after this grace period will receive severe punishment including jail time and heavy fines. “The punishment will extend to those who transport or shelter or employ overstayers,” he said.
“We are grateful for this act of charity by the Saudi King,” Baldoz said.
This amnesty will make it easier for the Philippine government to abide by the instructions of President Benigno Aquino III to expand the government’s protection of all distressed overseas Filipino workers. The order includes bringing home stranded Filipinos in Saudi.
Since July, the Department and Foreign Affairs and the Department of Labor and Employment, through its labor attaches and the welfare officers of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, have been working double time to repatriate Filipinos not only in Saudi Arabia, but also those in other Middle East countries.
From July 10 to September 1 this year, the Philippine Overseas Labor Offices in Jeddah, Kuwait, and Bahrain have repatriated 773 Filipinos, including children of OFWs. Seven hundred and three of them were repatriated from Jeddah.
The Philippines had spent P15 million in repatriation costs.
“We enjoin overstaying Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to take advantage and avail of the amnesty so they can go home to the Philippines,” Baldoz said, even as she directed all labor attaches and welfare officers in the Kingdom to lend a helping hand to facilitate the departure of those who will avail of the pardon.
She also directed them to address the root cause of why Filipinos overstay. “Do the best you can to implement strictly our reform program, particularly on the recruitment and deployment of household service workers,” she said. - INQUIRER.net, September 23, 2010
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