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Ni Romeo Allan Butuyan II
UMAABOT na umano sa 843 na check payments, na may kabuuang halaga na P691.45 million ang nai-cleared ng Land Bank of the Philippines (LBP) bilang back pay at kabayaran sa iba pang benepisyo ng mga overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) sa Saudi Arabia na inalis sa kanilang trabaho noong pang 2015.
Ito ang ipinabatid ni House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chairman at KABAYAN party-list Rep. Ron P. Salo kasabay ng kanyang pagpapasalamat at pagpuri sa pamunuan ng Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) sa pagpupursige na matulungan ang mga dating Pinoy Saudi workers.
“The DMW has worked their fingers to the bone to achieve this milestone. I wish to commend and thank OIC USec. Cacdac, as well as the late DMW Secretary Ople, for their dedication in resolving the labor claims of OFWs in Saudi Arabia through numerous bilateral talks and going through the meticulous process of collating every detail to ensure the rightful claim of each OFW,” ang pahayag pa ng House panel head.
“We are thankful to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. for his dedication in serving and safeguarding the rights and well-being of OFWs and their families. His strong international and diplomatic relations with the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammad Bin Salman led to the swift resolution of the matter and the release of pending salaries, wages and end-of-service benefits,” dagdag ni Salo.
Bukod kina Pangulong Marcos at DMW, pinuri rin ng KABAYAN party-list lawmaker ang Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), ang Philippine Embassy sa Riyadh, ang Overseas Welfare Workers Association (OWWA), iba pang government officials, gayundin ang Saudi Arabian government.
Ayon kay Salo, binigyan katiyakan sa kanya ni Cacdac na patuloy na pakikipag-ugnayan at pagtulong ng DMW sa mga OFW claimant partikular ang maayos na pagproseso sa backpay ng mga ito at pagtanggap ng iba pang benepisyo. Hinimok naman ng kongresista ang iba pang OFWs na hindi pa nakatatanggap ng kanilang check payments na dumalog sa DWW kung saan maaari umanong tumawag ito sa hotline ng huli sa numerong 0920-5171059 o kaya’y mag-email sa saudiclaims@dmw.gov.ph.
