MANILA, Philippines - (UPDATE 3:29PM) On the eve of the deadline, King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia on Tuesday extended to November 3 the registration of migrant workers, including overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), which form part of the kingdom's so-called Saudization program.
The announcement was made by Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago.
The deadline of registration was tomorrow, July 3.
Binay thanks King, urges OFWs to do paperwork
Vice President Jejomar Binay, presidential adviser on OFW concerns, learned of the extension from labor officials, and thanked the Saudi king for his compassion.
He also appealed to the migrant workers to utilize the additional time given them to submit all requirements to the Philippine Embassy.
"I have just been informed that the Deputy Labor Minister of Saudi Arabia held a press conference earlier today to announce an extension of the July 3 deadline for foreign workers to correct their residency or work status in the Kingdom,” said a statement from the OVP.
The extension, Binay learned, “is in response to requests made by Saudi companies and employers, who reportedly cited the backlog in the processing of documents in certain offices. The Philippine government has yet to be officially informed of the extension. The report also did not state how long the extension would last. Nonetheless, I am grateful to the Saudi Ministry of Labor for extending the three-month amnesty period.”
VP Binay said he wanted “to especially thank King Abdullah for once again showing his kindness and compassion in allowing the extension,” referring to the monarch’s earlier move to intervene when the first deadline was about to lapse, and order an extension till July 3.
The VP’s office weighed in on the appeal by various sectors to the Saudi government “to address the urgent concerns raised by Saudi companies and employers on the need to expedite the processing of documents of affected workers.”
The extension “definitely eases the anxieties of thousands of kababayans and their families,” said Binay. “The Philippine Embassy has been working hard to facilitate the processing of the documents required by the Saudi authorities. The extension will allow us more time to process the documents to legalize the stay of our overseas Filipino workers or process the repatriation of those who wish to come home.”
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