Calling all Saudi Claimants for unpaid salaries for 2015 to 2019 from Construction Companies on default or declared bankruptcy. Takamol Musaned Company went he on Monda, June 19 to talk about 1 million job opportunities they will offer for the Filipinos but have not give an update for the unpaid claims of the Filipinos. Our government should press hard on this issue, they should not allow the Saudi Government to bring 1 to 2 million Filipinos in Saudi Arabia as new hired and yet leave the 10,000 Saudi Claimants of unpaid salary empty handed. The Saudi Government looks aggressive on recruiting Filipino workes and yet doesn't give a clear status on when to released the payment to affected OFWs. When Secretay Ople visited Saudi Arabia on May 24, although they said that the money were already forwarded to Ministry of Finance, they refused to give a specific timeline on when and how they are going to give the payment and if it's through Government to Government payment which makes it more unfair to all the claimants who waited for ages already to get their hard eraned money.
Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople welcomes the delegation from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Takamol Musaned Company headed by its Executive Vice President Fawzan AlMuhaidib.
The Takamol Musaned Company met with Secretary Ople and other senior officials of the DMW on Monday, 19 June 2023, to discuss strengthening their partnership and to explore opportunities for collaboration on the use of technology for ease of doing business to improve service delivery to OFWs and their families.
Takamol is a Saudi state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Development, that introduced the Musaned, an electronic platform that aims to provide a comprehensive system to integrate and organize the labor recruitment and employment process of migrant workers in Saudi Arabia.
Tulfo, Chairperson of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, filed Senate Resolution (SR) No. 505, seeking to look into the reported failure of former Saudi OFWs to register their claims for back pay despite earlier commitment made by the Saudi government to settle claims.
"There have been several reports of former Saudi-based OFWs claiming back wages and separation pay with utterly unsuccessful attempts to register their claims," his Resolution read.
Last Nov. 18, 2022, the Philippine government through the Department of Migrant Workers, announced that the Saudi Government has committed to settling the back wages and separation pay of around 10,000 OFWs whose salaries were unpaid when Saudi construction companies folded and declared bankruptcy a few years back.
These companies include Saudi OGer, MMG, the Bin Laden group, and other construction firms that have yet to pay back the Filipino workers.
Said announcement came after President Bongbong Marcos Jr. met with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during the APEC Summit in Bangkok where the latter agreed to shoulder the P1-billion wage claims of the OFWs.
According to OFW-Family Club President, Roy SeƱeres Jr., only a measly number of around 200 OFWs were able to register as required by the embassy of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia while the period of registration set by the Saudi Embassy was earlier set to end by January 31, 2023.
Reportedly, the process of registering claims was "tedious and chaotic," especially to some claimants who are digitally challenged and to those who have lost some pertinent documents required.
In filing the resolution, the Senator from Isabela and Davao said it is necessary to conduct an inquiry in aid of legislation to determine the extent of the problem and propose measures to address the situation.