JUST recently, Overseas Filipino Workers in Saudi Arabia were featured on television news not for their excellent application of their skills and talents in the popular destination of OFWs in the Middle East but for their sorry sad state of being jobless and starving.
I was touched by their plight, living on makeshift tents at the back of a building begging for food from other people to sustain their literal being alive. In the midst of the crisis they are experiencing, they remain together and united to live.
There was once a time when Saudi Arabia was among the top destinations of OFWs. Thousands and thousands of Filipinos have worked there, earning lots for their families.
A great number of homes in the country were constructed through our OFWs hard-earned salaries. A number of OFWs children finished their schooling again through remittances from Saudi.
There was likewise a time when the construction industry in Saudi was a big boom through the said country’s king development programs where a lot of infrastructure projects were constructed by many OFWs. In fact, a Saudi OFW was often made the model of Filipino workers in other countries.
It was the golden age that our OFWs experienced then at that time when working at the said Middle East country was profitable not only for Filipinos but for other nationalities as well.
Not long ago, the Saudi Arabian government has implemented the “Saudinization” policy wherein employers were ordered to have their preference for Saudi Arabian nationals as their workers.
The said policy has affected thousands of Filipino workers in their employment with some companies ending their work contracts with foreign nationals other than Saudi Arabians.
On the other hand, perhaps it is because Saudi Arabia has already a lot of infrastructure development that the construction industry in the said country has waned if not totally put to a halt. This probably resulted into the lack of work opportunities for our fellow Filipinos who are seeking greener pasture abroad.
In addition, the great number of OFWs in Saudi along with other nationals contributed to the decrease in the demand for workers.
Because of the “oversupply” of workers in Saudi and the lack of employment opportunities, a great number of OFWs are left stranded in the said country. Some would not want to come home to the Philippines because they opt to hope to find employers. It is a gamble for them.
Others want to stay in Saudi because they see on the other hand, that their chances of getting employment in our country is slimmer, thus they see that they have more chances of finding work in the said Middle East territory.
Recently, Saudi Arabian King Salman Bin Abudulaziz Al Saud has ordered the release of P1.27 B for all stranded migrant workers to cover for their housing, food, sanitary and health services needs and free airline tickets to those who desire to return to their home country.
The plight of stranded OFWs in Saudi Arabia is indeed a sad story for Filipino workers who are branded as new heroes. Despite their noble intention of earning and feeding their families, we have to admit the fact that there is no forever in making money in Saudi.
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