Recently, Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Saudi Arabia was involved in a mauling incident that took place near the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO). This incident was strongly condemned by the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.
“We will not allow the mob mentality of some to hamper the delivery of services to our OFWs (overseas Filipinos workers),” says Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Adnan Alonto.
Meanwhile, in another statement, the Philippine Embassy states that they regret that the recent mauling incident “cast Filipinos in a bad light and exposed those involved to criminal prosecution by Saudi authorities.”
The identities of those who are involved in the incident were not mentioned by the embassy. “In light of this, we call on all those concerned to exercise restraint and sobriety. We also ask the members of the Filipino community to respect the rule of law at all times.”
Furthermore, the Philippine Embassy sees to it that the safety and security of the entire personnel and clients at the Embassy will be their utmost priority. As of the moment, the Embassy is getting in touch with the Saudi Police to avoid such incidents from happening again.
The embassy also says that it “stands ready to extend appropriate assistance to those involved in the mauling incidents.”
In a recent incident, it was reported that a vehicle owned by an OFW was vandalized on its wheels by unidentified thugs who are mostly operating around the POLO area. Some say that the recent violent incidents might be attributed to the dismissal of a labor officer as well as the libel charges filed against an OFW couple.
Source MB.COM