Saudi, PH ink pact on workers

 News
May 212013
 

5:10 am | Wednesday, May 22nd, 2013

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz (left) and Saudi Arabian Labor Minister Adel Bin Mohammed Fakeih INQUIRER FILE PHOTO/PHOTO OF MINISTER FAKEIH FROM GCF.ORG.SA

MANILA, Philippines—Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz and Saudi Arabian Labor Minister Adel Bin Mohammed Fakeih signed in Jeddah on Sunday an agreement on the recruitment of Filipino domestic workers and the duties and responsibilities of their Saudi employers.

The agreement, described by Baldoz and Fakeih in a joint statement as “historic,” came after last year’s pact on the standard employment contract (SEC) to be observed by employers and Filipino household service workers (HSWs) in the Middle East kingdom.

The agreement lays down areas of cooperation between the two countries, including the following: a mutually acceptable recruitment and deployment system; recruitment of workers through offices that practice ethical recruitment and are licensed by their respective governments; prohibition to deduct from the salary of the worker any cost attendant to recruitment and deployment;

Right of recourse to competent authorities in case of contractual disputes; legal measures against recruitment offices, companies and agencies for any violation of applicable laws, rules and regulations; and resolution of any issue arising from the implementation and enforcement of the agreement.—Jerome Aning

Comelec Guidelines Gives Hope to Disenfranchised Overseas Voters

 Entertainment
Apr 302013
 

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Overseas Filipino who could not find their names in the voters’ lists of Philippine embassies and consulates general abroad may still be able to vote after the Commission on Elections (Comelec) issued new guidelines to address their concerns. The Philippine Embassy said the Committee on Overseas Voting of the Comelec issued the new guidelines […]

DFA exec flies to Saudi to assist undocumented Filipinos in ‘tent city’

 News
Apr 242013
 
DFA exec flies to Saudi to assist undocumented Filipinos in ‘tent city’

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 5:18 pm | Wednesday, April 24th, 2013 DFA spokesman Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.net FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs on Wednesday sent its top official on migrant workers affairs to meet with Saudi Arabia officials in a bid to expedite repatriation of more than 1,000 undocumented Filipinos still camped outside the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah. The foreign office is also preparing to move the Filipinos into shelters inside the Jeddah consulate and other facilities within the city to provide them with better accommodations while processing their return home, DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez said in a briefing Wednesday. Hernandez said Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Jesus Yabes flew to Saudi Arabia on Wednesday and is set to meet with Saudi officials to discuss the situation outside the Philippine mission in Jeddah, where undocumented Filipinos have been camping out in tents for the last two weeks for fear of being arrested. The Saudi government recently initiated a campaign against illegal workers, prompting undocumented Filipinos to seek shelter at the Jeddah Consulate. “We have already sent Usec. Yabes to Saudi Arabia to see how we could expedite the repatriation,” said Hernandez. He said the government was “very much committed” to bringing the Filipinos back home but admitted that the situation was “tricky and very challenging,” given the requirements of Saudi law. Before they could be repatriated, the Filipino workers are required to first pay fines for expired residency permits, hence overstaying, settle Read More …

Filipinos in Saudi told: Have papers in order

 News
Apr 022013
 
Filipinos in Saudi told: Have papers in order

By Tarra QuismundoPhilippine Daily Inquirer 7:03 am | Wednesday, April 3rd, 2013 DFA Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez. INQUIRER.NET FILE PHOTO MANILA, Philippines—The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday reminded Filipino migrant workers in Saudi Arabia to make sure their work and residence documents were in order after the kingdom, one of the largest employers of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), launched a crackdown against illegal aliens. DFA spokesperson Assistant Secretary Raul Hernandez likewise issued a general reminder to Filipinos seeking employment overseas to “go through the proper recruitment process and abide by the laws of the respective countries at all times.” He said the Philippine embassy in Riyadh and the consulate in Jeddah were closely following the Saudi government’s drive against illegal workers and employers, a sweep that started on Monday under Saudi labor laws. “The Philippine embassy in Riyadh and the Philippine consulate general in Jeddah are closely monitoring the implementation by the Saudi government of its ongoing drive to go after erring employers and illegal workers, as mandated by Saudi labor laws,” said Hernandez in a statement. “The embassy has told Filipino workers to ensure that their residence and work status were in accordance with the regulations for work and residency permits of Saudi Arabia,” he said. The DFA said Philippine missions in Saudi Arabia were prepared to provide consular assistance to Filipinos who may be taken into custody. “The embassy and consulate are ready to extend the appropriate assistance to Filipinos who are arrested during this drive,” Read More …