OFWs chide Pinoy labor attaches

Some 31 Filipino overseas workers (OFWs), who were arrested in a Philippine consulate rented-safehouse in Jeddah, arrived yesterday at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport complaining that the raid by the Saudi police was conducted reportedly on a tip provided by the two Filipino labor attaches.

They claimed that labor attaches Ismail Ali and Sharif Pongusta tipped off the Saudi police to raid their safehouse so that they would be forced to vacate the safe-house and free the Philippine consulate in Jeddah from paying the rent.

Virgilio Dichoso and Baldoren Hassan said that they were among the 31 Filipinos who ran away from their Arab employers for non-compliance of job contracts and non-payment of salaries.

The consulate placed them in a rented safe-house in Faisaliah district in Jeddah.

They said that the two labor attaches were complaining that they were running out of funds and that the consulate itself was finding it difficult to pay the rent for their safehouse.

To ease their burden, the two said that the two labor attaches tipped off the Saudi police to raid the safe-house which caused their arrest and subsequent detention and deportation.

The deported Filipinos also said that they will file a formal complaint against the two labor attaches with the Department of Labor, saying that the attaches should be recalled for "acting against their interest in a foreign land." – Rey Arquiza