1,190 OFWs back from Saudi

MANILA, Philippines - A total of 1,190 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) left jobless by the drop in oil prices in the Middle East have been repatriated from Saudi Arabia as of Sept. 14, the Department of Labor and Employment said yesterday.

In a report, Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the OFWs, repatriated under the government’s “Bring Them Home” mission program, were employees of Mohammad Al Mojil Group of Companies, Saudi Oger Ltd., Saudi Binladin Group, Rakan Trading and Arabtech.

These are among the nine companies that laid off workers after being affected by the oil price slump.

Bello said 259 of the repatriates came from Jeddah; Riyadh, 749; and Al Khobar, 182.

The program seeks bring home more than 11,000 stranded and overstaying OFWs affected by the employment crisis in the Middle East.

Each repatriate was also given P26,000 under the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s relief assistance program.