OFW deployment to Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) implemented a temporary suspension of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) deployment to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

According to a memorandum issued on May 27, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III ordered the POEA to suspend the deployment of OFWs to the KSA “effective immediately and until further notice.”

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Department received reports that departing OFWs are being required by their employers/foreign recruitment agencies to shoulder the costs of the health and safety protocol for COVID-19 and insurance coverage premium upon their entry in the Kingdom,” Bello said.

The DOLE chief said the agency would be issuing an official statement on the resumption of deployment in the KSA after the matter has been clarified accordingly.

Bello said the government of KSA required all foreigners entering the country to undergo a 10-day quarantine.

ADVERTISEMENT

The temporary suspension of OFWS deployment to Saudi Arabia ensures that the protocol will not financially burden Filipinos since they are being required to pay for the entire 10-day quarantine.

“’Yung 10 days na ma-quarantine ka doon, hindi bababa ng $3,500. Saan kukuha ang OFWs ng pambayad diyan?” Bello said.

OFW deployment to Saudi Arabia temporarily suspended

(For 10 days, you’ll be quarantined. The cost will be more or less $3,500. Where will the OFWs get that money?)

ADVERTISEMENT

The DOLE chief said that he is asking the government of KSA to require employers of OFWs to cover for their workers’ 10-day quarantine.

Meanwhile, Bello told OFWs stranded at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport that they would be given accommodation due to the suspension.

Based on the latest government estimates, around 800,000 OFWs in KSA make it one of the top destinations for Filipinos who want to work abroad.

Meanwhile, the Department of Health has asked the  to confirm reports that some countries ban  vaccinated with Sinovac or Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine.

According to social media posts that quoted the General Authority of Civil Aviation (GACA) of Saudi Arabia, travelers who received the said Chinese  would be denied entry.

The European Union allegedly will implement a similar ban, according to online reports.

Visit our Facebook page for more news updates.