After nearly a decade of anticipation, overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) affected by the closure of construction companies in Saudi Arabia are finally seeing progress in receiving their labor claims, as announced by the Philippine government on Tuesday, February 6.
President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. shared the encouraging news via a video posted on his Facebook page, stating, “Nais ko lang balitaan ang ating mga OFW na galing sa Saudi na patuloy na ang pagbayad ng insurance ng Saudi Arabia sa mga empleyado ng mga kumpanyang nabangkarote na nag-file ng claim sa insurance.”
According to Marcos, the Overseas Filipino Bank (OFBank) and Land Bank of the Philippines have processed over 1,100 checks from the Saudi-based Alinma Bank, totaling P868 million in indemnity checks. Of these, approximately 843 checks have already been cashed out.
The President emphasized, “Patuloy ang pangako ng Crown Prince ng Saudi Arabia pangako sa atin, na ibabayad nila iyong insurance claim, kaya’t magandang balita ito para sa ating mga OFW sa Saudi.”
Since the mid-2010s, around 10,000 to 14,000 OFWs employed by construction companies in Saudi Arabia have awaited their labor claims. Despite some claimants having passed away, their next of kin still anticipate the release of funds.
The promise of payment was initially made by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to Marcos in November 2022, during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation Summit in Bangkok. December saw the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) announcing the commencement of checks distribution, with the official payouts confirmed by the end of January.
With approximately 9,000 OFWs still awaiting their claims, the total expected amount from Saudi Arabia is 2 billion Riyals, or around P30 billion. DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac reassured the public of ongoing coordination with Saudi authorities, expressing confidence in the Saudi labor justice system to deliver entitlements and benefits to workers.
