MANILA, Philippines—Eighty-eight stranded Filipino migrant workers have threatened to go on hunger strike to protest deplorable conditions in their jobsite in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, a labor group said Friday.
John Leonard Monterona, Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator, said "it remains uncertain when the distressed (overseas Filipino workers) would be sent back home."
"The OFWs have repeatedly appealed to both the Department of Foreign Affairs and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration to work for their immediate repatriation to Manila," Monterona said in an e-mail from the Saudi capital.
In early November, the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Riyadh said it was discussing with the Annasban Group of Companies, the OFWs' employer, the repatriation of the 88 workers "at the soonest possible time."
For its part, the DFA's Office for Migrant Workers' Affairs assured the workers and their families here that it was attending to the problem.
However, "up to now, the subject OFWs are still waiting for their repatriation," Monterona pointed out.
According to Monterona, "the 88 OFWs stopped working last Oct. 12 to protest their employer's labor malpractices," including unauthorized salary deductions, delayed payment of salaries and non-provision of medical benefits, among others.
Migrante International in Manila, meanwhile, has asked OWWA to provide the OFWs with plane tickets to speed up the repatriation process.
Monterona earlier disclosed that another 265 OFWs were stranded in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
In a related development, the Philippine embassy in Riyadh has asked Saudi authorities to provide the diplomatic mission with the list of jailed OFWs who are covered by the royal pardon.
Saudi King Abdullah recently issued a royal pardon to all jailed petty criminals to mark the return of Crown Prince Sultan bin Abdulaziz from medical treatment overseas.
The Philippine consulate general in Jeddah has sent a note verbale to the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Afffairs "on the matter of the inclusion of Filipinos in the royal pardon."
The country's diplomatic missions in the Middle East kingdom "continue to make representations to Saudi authorities for the inclusion of as many Filipino prisoners as possible in the royal pardon."
"The royal pardon applies to both Saudi nationals and foreigners who are detained or jailed for petty crimes and those who have made restitutions to their victims," the DFA said.