Labor Department Secretary Silvestre Bello said the Saudi government has given the Philippines three days to immediately bring home the remains of 282 Filipinos in the kingdom, including 50 who died from the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).
In a television interview, Bello said Saudi King Salman gave the Philippines 72 hours to repatriate the cadavers.
Bello, however, said Manila would ask the Saudi government to allow the COVID-19 fatalities to be buried there instead.
Bello said the Labor department and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will charter 3 flights for the remaining bodies.
Senator Richard Gordon, who chairs the Philippine Red Cross, said the OWWA had informed him of their concern over the cadavers, and the need to repatriate some 5,000 Filipinos there who lost their jobs.
“Kaya susulat ako kay Prince Abdullah na Chairman ng Red Crescent ng Saudi Arabia. At ipagdasal ninyo na sana makuha natin, matulungan tayo, at mapauwi yung mga taong iyan,” Gordon said.
Bello, meanwhile, said that while he refused to dismiss reports about jobless Filipinos in Saudi resorting to scavenging as “fake news,” he said OFWs there who need food, medicines and other necessities are being taken care of by the Filipino community.
“In the meantime, hindi namin pwedeng pabayaan yung ating mga OFWs. ‘Pag walang pagkain, kailangan binibigyan natin ng pagkain yan. And we are doing this through the Philippine community. Sila ang tumutulong sa pagbigay ng pagkain, toiletries, pati yung medisina… face masks… Binibigay natin through the Philippine community,” Bello said.
“Kaya nga, ang sabi ko, kung may nagrereklamo na nangangalkal ng basura, dapat ang magsabi n’yan yung Philippine community, kasi sila ang namamahala sa lahat ng mga OFWs natin,” he added.
Bello said there were some 400 OFWs from two different employers who, for a time, did not get their salary.
“But, upon representation of our Labor Attache in March this year, they have received their unpaid salaries,” he said.