To Hell and Back: A Stranded OFW’s Nightmare

BY AUBREY SC MAKILAN
Bulatlat

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW), who has experienced his darkest moments being stranded in Jeddah, cried his heart out saying the hardships they have experienced in that host country were not lies as alleged by Philippine officials and the media.

After availing of the early retirement benefits in a big telecommunications company here where he worked as a telecom technician, Noel Farales used part of it to process his papers for a work in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA) in 2004.

Though he was promised a job related to his profession, he got his visa as a painter and flew to Riyadh in October 2004. Noel was attracted to a supposedly big company’s offer of a big telecom project for a proposed new jail in Riyadh.

When he arrived in Riyadh, he and fellow OFWs were asked to sign a contract by their employer, Al Mutairi Contracting Establishment. Though he hesitated to sign the contract, which was written in Arabic, he was forced to do so fearing that they would not be given their salaries if they did not sign it.

He did telecommunications and computer repairs in a building owned by his employer and not in the supposedly new jail.

But two months passed and they were not given any salary. After the third month, he received only half of his monthly salary. And the US$450 monthly salary indicated on his contract signed in the Philippines was even reduced to US$400.

After six months of receiving only half of his monthly salary, he filed a complaint at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) in Riyadh and e-mailed his agency in the Philippines, the Principalia Management and Personnel Consultants, Inc.

On the seventh month, Noel said the POLO relayed to him that his employer said they do not issue iqama (residence permit) to non-Muslims. “Sabi nila sa akin, ‘Don’t panic.’ Aayusin daw nila” (They told me not to panic, that they will fix it), Noel said as he was reassured by his agency in the Philippines.

After hearings at the POLO, he said the Al Mutairi promised to give their unpaid salaries and plane tickets for their return to the Philippines. But after giving their salaries, they were told that their employer will just be “replaced.” His iqama was given to him only after he left his employer and was sent to Jeddah, along with fellow OFWs, for a new employer.

Iqama issue

From 2005 to 2007, his new employer seemed to be fine. Noel worked as an electrician/telecomm technician in an electric motors company. They were receiving their salaries on time. Before his contract ends, he reminded his second employer about his iqama. But he found out that his second employer was not processing it. He said the problem was with his second employer who did not pay the transfer fee to his former employer. Aside from that, his second employer did not pay as well the interest for his expired iqama. Noel told Bulatlat it was the fault of his second employer anyway who failed to process it when it expired and Noel was already their employee. The transfer fee and the interest of his expired iqama cost about SR10,000.