PH embassy in Riyadh: No truth to ‘final exit’ rumors

MANILA, Philippines – The Philippine Embassy in Riyadh said there is no truth to allegations that returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) are being barred from entering the Middle East country.

In a statement, the embassy advised OFWs not to believe in the “unconfirmed stories” of vacationing workers who are encountering problems with the immigration counter in the Riyadh airport.

“Allegedly, the immigration officer at the airport stamped ‘exit only’ on the exit/re-entry visas of the workers. As a result, OFWs are now having second thoughts of going on vacation,” the Embassy said.

The embassy said that Mohammad Al-Hussein, the spokesman for the Passport Department in the Makkah province, had already denied the reports.

“There is absolutely no truth to it. If it is an exit/re-entry visa, then it cannot be changed at the airports,” Al-Hussein had said.

Al-Hussein added that a series of steps will have to be taken by the employee and the employer before the “final exit” can be stamped.

The embassy also said that vacationing workers should keep in contact with their employers in case they encounter problems in the Riyadh airport.

It also clarified that the ban on the issuance of work visas for domestic workers applies only to new work visas. Household service workers with valid work visas already in Saudi Arabia can continue to work with their present employers.

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) had earlier debunked the “final exit” rumors as well, with Labor Undersecretary Danilo Cruz saying that it takes a long process before an exit stamp is made.

“Mahabang proseso ito, hindi rin ginagawa ang exit stamp sa airport kung hindi sa passport division ng ministry of interior,” Cruz said.

But Migrante-Middle East, the migrants’ rights group that first reported the ‘final exit’ stories, are standing by the reports they received from OFWs.

“We are sticking with the reports… received from vacationing OFWs,” said Migrante-Middle East coordinator John Leonard Monterona in a statement. “We have been receiving the same reports from Pakistani migrant leaders.”

Monterona said his group does not intend to alarm the Filipino community. He added members have already set up a ‘Sagip Migrante’ hotline which aims to assist displaced or terminated OFWs.

Monterona is also calling on DOLE to prepare “safety nets” for the OFWs who will be affected by the Saudization policy. With a report from Jasmin Romero, ABS-CBN News