Overstaying OFW inmates in Saudi seek assistance

Although that they had already served their respective jail terms, they are still staying in jail instead of being free and spend their Christmas back in the Philippines with their loved ones.

This was the sentiment of about 20 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who were incarcerated in a Saudi jail after being convicted of various petty crimes.

They are now seeking assistance from Migrante-Middle East (M-ME), a Filipino migrants’ rights group which is tasked to help distressed, abused and jailed OFWs.

M-ME regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona said yesterday he received a call from OFW Regoberto Gaspar, an inmate in Al-Hafer jail in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, asking for assistance to follow up his and his fellow OFW inmate cases as he claimed that they had already completed their respective jail terms.

“Sir naka-schedule ako ng uwi on Oct. 24 pero kinuha ako ng pulis on Oct. 26 papunta ng airport dahil since lapsed na ang airplane ticket ko di ako naka-uwi, (Sir, I am scheduled to leave on Oct. 24 but the police fetched me only on Oct.26 going to the airport, since the airplane ticket had already lapsed I could not go home),” OFW Gaspar told Monterona while talking over a mobile phone.

Monterona said OFW Gaspar told him that he did try to call many times the Philippine embassy’s Assistance to the National Section (ANS) staff but the latter is not answering Gaspar calls to follow up and attend on his case along with other OFW inmates’ cases.

“Gaspar lamented that he is overstaying in jail for 8 months now though he had only 5 months sentence for possession of liquor. He assailed the lack of assistance from the RP embassy to follow closely his and fellow OFW inmates’ cases as they wish to be home by Christmas and to be reunited with their respective families in the Philippines,” Monterona quoted Gaspar.

Aside from Gaspar, among the 20 plus OFW cell-inmates who decry “eoverstaying” in Al-Hafer Jail in Riyadh and were already completed their clearance formalities, are Senen Reyes, Cristobal Argel, Nordin Sibayan, Francis Esquebel, Danilo Daliposa, Darius Ferrer.

There are about 77 OFW inmates incarcerated in Al-Hafer jail in Riyadh, Saudi’s capital as per information received by M-ME.

Monterona said he still getting the names of other inmates who claimed they’ve already completed their jail term so that he could officially endorsed the list to the RP embassy’s Assistance to the Nationals Section and will push them to attend the deportation of the overstaying inmates without further delay.

Monterona also said that in Malaz Central Jail there were OFW inmates who also decry overstaying and that the RP embassy is not properly and promptly following their cases with the jail authorities. “There are more than 120 OFW inmates in different cells in Malaz jail. About 40 of them claimed they’ve already done their respective clearances and are awaiting their release and deportation.”

“We are also receiving reports that there are undisclosed numbers of women OFWs locked up in Al-Nisa jail, also in Riyadh, for various offenses. I have asked the RP embassy regarding this; though embassy officials confirmed the report, they however refused to divulge additional information,” Monterona added.

Monterona calls on the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to look into the cases of overstaying OFW inmates, especially women OFW inmates in Saudi Arabia and strongly instruct the RP post to attend on their release and immediate deportation. –Daily Tribune