Stranded Filipinos being shifted to Shumaisy

Following months of relentless efforts, the Philippine Consulate in Jeddah has succeeded in shifting its stranded Filipino workers to Shumaisy deportation center in Makkah. Hundreds of Overseas Filipino Workers who had been desperately waiting to be arrested by Passport authorities are finally making their way to Shumaisy — the first step in their repatriation.
According to the consulate, several hundreds of Filipinos including women and children were stranded in Jeddah after having failed to rectify their status during the grace period.
Saudi authorities have agreed to process 100 Filipinos a day at the General Services Center facility at the center. Accordingly, nearly 400 Filipinos are being shifted to the deportation center, said sources at the consulate.
Many of the Filipinos arrived from the central and eastern regions of the Kingdom to seek an easy departure but were stranded in Jeddah for being unable to fulfill the criteria for the exit process. Others demanded to be deported from the airport itself resulting in their being detained in Jeddah.
A Filipino worker lodged inside the deportation center and waiting for repatriation told Arab News over the phone: “It’s not easy to leave the Kingdom even after having arrived at the deportation center as the process takes a lot of time.”
He said though the facilities at the center were good, he was missing Filipino food. “Mobile phones are the only way to communicate and stay updated with the outside world,” he added. So far the consulate in Jeddah has repatriated 7,177 OFWs.