Saudi Gazette

JEDDAH — Filipino workers of two contracting companies that were closed down received their outstanding dues thanks to the intervention of the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah.

The consulate successfully helped the workers to receive their salary arrears from the two construction companies in Jeddah with the help of local authorities, according to Philippine Consul General Edgar B. Badajos.

He said only a few of the employees of one of the firms were left to receive their dues and the consulate was working to solve their matter.

Speaking with Saudi Gazette, Badajos said his mission was making all efforts to help Filipino workers to receive pending salary arrears from the firms that were shut down following a slowdown in business activities.

Badajos assumed as the consul general in Jeddah. He said President Rodrigo Duterte was paying utmost attention to the welfare of OFWs in the Gulf region in the wake of media reports on mistreatment of some workers in Kuwait.

Badajos is a seasoned diplomat who had held high profile positions in the Philippine Foreign Ministry. Notable among his diplomatic involvement during the Duterte presidency was addressing the South China Sea issue on behalf of ASEAN.

Prior to his posting in Jeddah, Badajos served as director of the political-security division in the Office of ASEAN Affairs in the Philippine government. He had also served in the US, Canada, Thailand and the UN.

Badajos said the Philippine government was determined more than ever to address the plight of distressed OFWs.

The Philippine consulate is working to hold periodic legal awareness camps for the workers through a local legal firm to raise awareness on relevant labor regulations, he said.

He said they were also planning to include legal experts during outstation visits in various provinces of the Kingdom.

The consul general said that Assistance-to-Nationals Fund and the Legal Assistance Fund were expanded reflecting the government’s seriousness in providing timely, effective and efficient assistance to OFWs in distress.

He said many OFWs were falling on the wrong side of the law due to a lack of awareness about simple regulations.

Badajos said the Philippine consulate was accessible to all OFWs in need. He said many of the grievances of domestic workers, especially women working inside Saudi households, were being received through social media platforms.

He added all OFWs who were stranded in the Kingdom were being repatriated except those who had criminal cases pending against them.

The diplomat said some female OFWs stranded in Jeddah were suffering psychological problems. A medical delegation arrived from Manila to assess their condition and provide them with necessary treatment to enable their repatriation, he said.

Badajos has had an idea of the expatriate life in Saudi Arabia because three of his older brothers were among the first wave of OFWs who came to work in Saudi Arabia in the late 1970s.