Even though the compensation for the displaced overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Saudi Arabia has slowly trickled, the government should still continuously pursue the claims of the remaining Filipinos, including those who worked in other countries, Senate Majority Leader Joel Villanueva said on Friday, February 9.

“This is a welcome development, but we need to ensure that all of our displaced Saudi OFWs are paid 100 percent of their back wages,” said Villanueva said, one of the authors of the law that established the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW). 

Though it has been 10 years, Villanueva pointed out the matter was settled and given immediate action after President Marcos and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman met in November 2022.

“This does not include the period when some of our OFWs had to languish in makeshift tents for months, unable to come home because they did not have the financial means or did not have exit visas,” he said.

To this, Villanueva urged the DMW and other concerned agencies to continue making representations with the Saudi government to expedite the release of the back wages and benefits of the affected OFWs. 

At the same time, he urged the DMW to also assist these OFWs from Saudi in the completion of documents and other requirements, which has become cumbersome for some.

Likewise, Villanueva urged the agency to also regularly hold dialogues with the government of New Zealand over the layoff of some 700 OFWs in December 2023.

The NZ-based OFWs had lost their jobs when ELE, a company involved in the construction and manufacturing sector, closed down unannounced days before Christmas.

“We hope things are moving right now as we speak.  We don’t want our OFWs from New Zealand to suffer the same fate of our Saudi workers who waited for 10 years,” Villanueva said.