A widow of an OFW who was not paid by a company that went bankrupt in Saudi Arabia cannot help but feel great dismay because—even though she completed and submitted the requirements on an online platform in Saudi—she was still not included in the list of claimants to be paid by the Saudi Government.
“I had a harder time there because the Lord took him away from me.”
“On July 18, 2020, his cancer returned because he needed to work, he wanted our family to survive, but where would we get it? because the salary he was expecting from Saudi Oger, was not given,” stated Elaine Malloy-on, Saudi Claimant.
Elaine Malloy-on’s late husband is one of the thousands of Overseas Filipino Workers who were not paid their salaries by companies that went bankrupt in Saudi Arabia years ago.
She recounted how difficult it has been for her since her husband was diagnosed with rectal cancer.
As early as 2015, her husband stopped receiving his salary because their company, Saudi Oger, started experiencing financial losses.
In 2017, he decided to return to the Philippines.
To support their daily needs, Elaine’s husband worked as a driver while she worked hard sewing and selling goods.
After a year, Elaine became a widow when her husband succumbed to cancer.
She found herself among thousands of overseas Filipino workers awaiting unpaid salaries promised by Saudi Arabia.
In November 2022, the Department of Migrant Workers announced Saudi Arabia’s commitment to settle dues for about 10,000 OFWs, following discussions between President PBBM and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman at the APEC Summit in Bangkok, Thailand.
The promise sparked hope for many, including Elaine, expecting billions of pesos in claims.
As of February 6, 2024, PBBM confirmed Saudi Arabia began issuing payments through Alinma Bank, with processing facilitated by the Overseas Filipino Bank and Land Bank of the Philippines.
Elaine complied with the DMW’s guidelines and requirements that could be followed by widows, heirs, or relatives of a deceased OFW claimant.
Despite complying with DMW guidelines on the Ehqaq platform, Elaine remains perplexed as to why she isn’t on Saudi Arabia’s list of claimants.
“Yes, they say that something is coming, that we will receive something, but how about us who are not listed, I am not listed, even though I am approved on Ehqaq, which means the requirements are there, but now they just tell me to pray, so what does that mean?” she added.
Elaine also expressed frustration, noting they were promised a government-to-government approach for claims, but in reality, the Saudi government dealt directly with the claimants.
According to Atty. David Castillon, founder and chairman of the Special Alliance of Welfare Officer, Advocate, Recruiters, and Migrant Workers (SWARM), employees are not prioritized when bankrupt companies begin settlements.
“There is a law on liquidating the assets of the corporation, it’s not stated that when a company closes or goes bankrupt, they will prioritize Filipinos, there is no law in Saudi that when, for example, they liquidate a Corporation, their assets will prioritize overseas Filipino Workers,” stressed Atty. David Castillon, Founder & Chairman, SWARM.
Castillon also emphasized that once the funds are available for claimants, the process should not be burdensome, especially since the necessary documents for claiming have long been prepared and completed.
“The most important elements of settlements of claims are the readiness of the money, because it’s not the government’s fault,” stated Atty. Castillon.
Despite these hardships, Elaine is hopeful that the government’s promise to help them will be honored.
“I am personally appealing to you, PBBM, I hope that before this year ends, my husband’s hard-earned money for our children’s future will be given,” Elaine added.
