Press Release
25 October 2004

Reference: Ramon Bultron, Managing Director
Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants (APMM)
No. 2 Jordan Road, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR
Contact Nos. (852) 2723-7536 / 9477-3141 Email: <apmm@hknet.com>

Filipinos in Saudi Arabia Need More Services,
Not High Paid Labor Staff

A news article in Saudi Arabia revealed that 40 labor staff of the Philippine Embassy in Saudi Arabia will be replaced early next year by high paid labor staff and officials from Manila who are expecting to receive US$1,600 per month or US$600 more than what the locally hired administrative staff received.

“This action by the Labor Department reveals their ignorance of the real situation of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and inconsistent with President Arroyo’s call for austerity in her government”, said Ramon Bultron, Managing Director of Asia Pacific Mission for Migrants, a regional migrant serving institution based in Hong Kong.

“The move is unreasonable, untimely and will not benefit migrant workers in the Kingdom,” he added.

According to Mr. Bultron, Filipinos in Saudi Arabia need more experienced and committed interpreters and case officers rather than “highly paid officials who do not even have the experience of working in the Kingdom”.

“It would be better if the Philippine Labor Department conducts a thorough evaluation of the performance of all present labor staff in the Embassy. Only then should they consider replacement of inept officials,” he declared.

However, the group believes that what OFWs in the Kingdom need are improvements in the current services of the labor office and more employees working on the ground with OFWs in distress.

“If anybody has to be replaced, it should be Labor Secretary Patricia Sto Tomas and Ambassador Bahnarim Guinomla who have both proven time and again their negligence of OFW rights and welfare as shown by the sorry state of our kababayans in Saudi Arabia and elsewhere.” Bultron challenged.

Bultron reported that labor staff and officials should dare to conduct regular visits of Filipino workers in the remote dessert areas in Saudi Arabia and those who are languishing in jail.

There are around 900,000 Filipinos in Saudi Arabia and 1,115 are in jail and among them are 50 minors. There are also 13 Pinoys who are in death row according to a report released by the Department of Foreign Affairs last August.#