“Nandito po ako s deportation. Ako c a.e. S gusali n # 1 ay 66 kming pinoy. Mrmi s amin my ubo, s gabi, 2 o tatlo my fever. Vgay help consulate.. Qlang. “Meron, vgay cla gamot pero qlang. 2box n expectont capsule. N involve n kmi sa away, laban ibang lahi. Cge bye bye n me pulis.” (I am here in the deportation area. I am A.E. In building # 1 we are 66 Filiipinos all in all. Two or three have fevers. The Consulate gave help. Not enough. They gave medicine but it’s not enough. Two boxes of expectorant capsule. We got involved in a fight with people of other races. Bye-bye, there are cops now.)
The stranded men camped out within the Consulate premises were also reportedly experiencing the same problems of cough and fever and have complained of lack of medical assistance.
More stranded
Aside from 103, Ociones said 88 other Filipinos are still camping out within the premises of the Consulate.
“And as we frequently say, this is just the tip of the iceberg,” said Ociones, adding that the number does not include the 16 drivers from a transport company in Dammam who complained the employer slashed their salary by 50 percent through contract substitution and 8 other OFWs who went to the Consulate last week but opted to find work after a few days of waiting.
“Still, there are a lot more others (probably hundreds, even thousands) doing odd jobs, getting paid lower and scrimping their hard-earned money to feed their families while waiting for the right opportunity to get back home,” he said.
While the safety and welfare of the stranded OFWS are at stake with the overdue “legal deportation process,” Migrante-Saudi pressed for a diplomatic solution for their immediate repatriation. (Bulatlat.com)
