MIGRANT WATCH
In
urgent need of spine operation
Paralyzed
OFW Awaits Government, Employer Support
Should the employer
and the government look after overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who figure
in accidents? Apparently not always. Based on a case of an OFW who had a
car accident that left him paralyzed and in need of a spine operation, the
answer is no since the accident happened on a Friday, a non-working day in
Saudi Arabia.
BY AUBREY MAKILAN
Bulatlat
IGNORED?: Injured
OFW Felix Pascual, Jr., begging government agencies for medical
assistance |
Two months after the accident, a Saudi-based overseas Filipino worker (OFW)
has yet to undergo the urgently needed operation of his spine. Will he end
up like the other two OFWs in Riyadh who met an accident and died?
On Jan. 12, Felix Pascual, Jr.was on board a camper vehicle with five
other Filipinos when one of its tires blew up. Felix and his two other
companions who were seated at the roofless pick-up bed were injured and in
critical condition. One of his companions died on the spot while another
one died just recently, Migrante International reported.
Meanwhile,
50-year-old Felix remains paralyzed and is confined at the privately-owned
Huraymila Hospital in Riyadh after his spinal cord was badly injured. The
spine operation, however, should be done at a public hospital which has
the necessary facilities. At present, he is still in the said hospital’s
intensive care unit.
|
Felix’s family in the
Philippines learned about his condition through a family friend in Saudi
Arabia.
Leninda, Felix’s
daughter, told Bulatlat that a Filipina nurse attending to her
father texted her that they would need about P650,000 ($13,342.91, based
on an exchange rate of P48.715 per US dollar) for the transfer to a public
hospital.
But the employer and
the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Leninda said, are
still debating as to who will shoulder the expenses incurred at the
private Huraymila hospital.
Slow government
response
A week after the
accident (Jan. 19), Leninda and her mother Josefina went to the Department
of Foreign Affairs (DFA) to ask for assistance. They requested financial
assistance so that Josefina could visit and take care of her husband while
in the hospital.
But Dennis Bregalla,
DFA case officer for Riyadh, told them that there are also many cases in
need of financial support, Leninda said. She then asked for the immediate
transfer of his father to a public hospital for his spine operation but to
no avail.
Leninda’s uncle
traveled from Canada to Saudi Arabia and stayed there for two weeks to
check on Felix’s condition. He also followed up Felix’s case to government
agencies in Riyadh. To their dismay, Leninda said, his uncle was not able
to get any assistance for Felix during his two-week stay.
The Pascual family
also approached the mayor of Parañaque City, their place of residence, for
assistance. The mayor’s staff suggested that they approach Migrante
International for help.
During another
meeting with the DFA on Feb. 2, Leninda and Josephina were accompanied by
Migrante International case officer Jonathan Panlilio. Leninda was
surprised when Bregalla responded to them more positively, saying that the
DFA would shoulder the hospital expenses if the employer failed to do so.
The DFA officer also said they would try to get a visa for her mother.
“Para bang kung
kami lang (ng nanay ko) ang pupunta di nila kami pinapansin, wala silang
pakialam,” (If only my mother and I went to the DFA again, we would be
ignored, they wouldn’t care.) she said.
Panlilio, on the
other hand, criticized the DFA’s slow action on the case. He said that the
agency only reported Felix’s case to its office in Riyadh on Jan. 24, five
days after the family informed the agency of his condition on Jan. 19. The
DFA sent another letter to the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh on Jan. 31 to
follow up the case.
“Ang tagal na
walang report from embassy, ang haba ng panahong naaksaya na umasa
lang sila sa sulat,” (There was no report from the embassy for a long
time and a lot of time was wasted just waiting for the letter.) said
Panlilio.
Panlilio followed up
their request for Felix’s transfer on Jan. 30, but the OWWA mistakenly
referred to the request as for “repatriation” instead of hospital transfer
so the migrant leader had to call the office for clarification.
After weeks of
following up the case, Leninda expressed her frustration because they had
to call these agencies every week just to remind them of their request for
assistance for his father.
Evading
responsibility?
In response to
Migrante’s constant follow-up of Felix’s case, the DFA wrote them a letter
dated Feb. 9 which read, “Per report from the embassy, POLO-Riyadh welfare
officer Abdulghani K.Umeg is closely monitoring the condition of OFW
Pascual and is in contact with the latter’s employer Mr. Al-Dahas. Mr. Al-Dahas
requested recommendation from Prince Sultan to effect the transfer of OFW
Pascual from Huraymila Hospital to a military hospital in Riyadh.”
Felix’s family and
Migrante, however, noted that in the letter, the DFA said that Felix is
not covered by medical insurance. It read, “The car accident happened on
a Friday, not an official working day and subject OFW is allegedly not
covered by any medical insurance.”
Felix has been
working as a mechanic with the Saudi Tech Workshop for 17 years before the
accident happened.
When confronted,
Bregalla, Panlilio said, relayed to them the employer’s claim that the six
Filipinos were going to a cockfight on that day. “Mukhang tumatakas sa
responsibility ang employer dahil sa ipinipilit nito na
Friday ay non-working day nang naganap ang aksidente at hindi
covered ng insurance.” (It appears that the employer is evading
its responsibility since it insists that the accident happened on a Friday
which is a non-working day and is therefore not covered by the insurance.)
Bulatlat
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