Keeping spirit of stranded OFWs high

To help over 80 stranded compatriots as an act of “bayanihan” (communal unity), the Ultra Media International Foundation (UMIF) collected donated groceries for their fellow overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) at the Philippine Overseas Labor Office Services and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (POLO-OWWA) in Riyadh.
Louie Paat, spokesman for the stranded OFWs, explained why they are now in the POLO office. The men had left their jobs due to delay in the payment of their salary which has been pending for the last two years. They had filed a case at a Riyadh court with the assistance of the Philippine Embassy.
“It is quite touching seeing them crowded in a single room, thinking about the uncertainty of when they can be repatriated. We heard them loud and clear and hope their voices will be answered the soonest,” said UMIF Treasurer Roel Genson.
UMIF is a nonprofit organization of Filipino photographers in Riyadh that helps Filipinos upgrade their skills and enables them to discover and develop their talent and personality through communication skills. It comprises a range of communication arts such as videography, scriptwriting, directing, lecturing and filming.
Arab News learned that their repatriation is still uncertain awaiting a final decision from the court.