MORE displaced Filipino workers are getting back wages from Saudi Arabia, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday.
At least 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) lost their jobs in 2015 and 2016 after several Saudi construction firms declared bankruptcy.
“As of today, a total of 1,100 had been credited. That’s an increase from 843 when the President announced this start of payment,” said DMW Undersecretary and officer-in-charge Hans Leo Cacdac said in a briefing, adding more OFWs will be paid.
A total of 10,544 displaced OFWs have pending wage claims.
“The (Saudi) labor minister had affirmed that there will be continued payments forthcoming. And these (checks) have already been adequately processed by the Saudi side so we should expect more checks to cover the claimants,” said Cacdac.
DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said he agency is also looking at introducing alternative methods of payment, including one without the need for the involvement of banks.
He said the method will see a law firm of the Saudi companies directly depositing the payments to the Migrant Workers Office with the DMW the one to directly distribute payments to the displaced workers.
“We are looking at one track that won’t need to go through the banking process,” said Olalia.
He said they are also set to sign a memorandum of agreement with the Land Bank of the Philippines and the Overseas Filipino Bank for the adoption of special banking processes.
He said the special banking process seeks to help around 50 widows of displaced OFWs and those with discrepancies in names.
“We will come up with a special banking process to fast track and streamline the usual process of depositing and cashing the check when the payee has died… Also for checks of workers with wrong spelling or has discrepancies in their names,” said Olalia.
Earlier in the month, Malacañang said OFWs displaced from Saudi firms back in 2015 and 2016 have started getting their long-awaited back wages.
This comes after Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in 2022, committed to shoulder the unpaid salaries.
SOKOR DEPLOYMENT
Cacdac said the DMW is finalizing guidelines for the deployment of OFWs as seasonal workers to South Korea, which was handled solely by local government units (LGUs) through “sisterhood” agreements between LGUs of both countries.
The DMW stopped the deployment on January 11. Cacdac said complaints of physical abuse and other labor rights violations have been received by the DMW from around 150 OFWs since 2022 when the seasonal workers deployment began.
The program allows short-term employment for agricultural workers in a bid to address labor shortages during the peak planting and harvesting season in South Korea. As of December last year, 3,353 OFWs have been deployed as seasonal workers.
“We are slated to meet with the Ministry of Justice soon and we are hoping… to have these guidelines issued by next week,” said Cacdac.
Cacdac said while LGUs may enter deployment agreements with their South Korean counterparts, the DMW has a mandate to provide the framework of protection for OFWs, including seasonal workers.
“We shall issue more permanent guidelines for deployment and here we expect a process whereby Philippine LGUs will send to us the proper agreements that they have with Korean LGUs,” he explained.
“In turn, we will process the same subject to undertakings or directives to the LGUs, such as standards of protection, fair treatment, decent working hours, decent wages, access to justice, monitoring, and the prohibition against exorbitant fees. Of course, we will process and accordingly issue the appropriate exit clearance to the workers,” Cacdac added.
