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Pushed to the Limits
Contrary to what Embassy officials believe and
sow among the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia,
the 'KAMI-SR 16' are not impatient nor violent.
They are just simple, hardworking Filipinos who
dreamed of a better life.
Only one of them had ever been a member of any
labor union in the country and in fact, joining
KAMI-SR was an entirely new experience to all.
They were in fact very passive about their plight
but were pushed to take that drastic action from
December 14 until they were evicted of Philippine
Embassy premises by Saudi police on December 21.
Urgently needed home
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| Josebastian 'Joe'
Tejada |
"The Philippine government officials do
not feel the urgency of our situation," explains
Josebastian Tejada, 43. "They do not see
that their apathy pushed us to here in the first
place."
Tejada has been working on and off in Saudi Arabia
since 1987 to support his nine children.
He has never been lucky in relationships and
employment but he comes back to Saudi Arabia,
again and again, for a very simple reason - he
cannot find decent work in the Philippines as
an auto-painter.
His last employer in a workshop in Um'al Hammam,
Riyadh, never paid him on time, going on for months
on end until finally deciding to file a case against
the establishment in October 2003.
His case dragged on and he felt his case officer,
the POLO employee deputized to interpret the Saudi
Labor Court proceedings, was not doing his job.
Last month, he learned that his youngest son,
was stricken with leukemia and is confined in
Pasig General Hospital for treatment.
"I really, really wanted to be with my son,
but not one government official here seems to
understand me," a teary-eyed Tejada told
MIGRANTE.
"My son needs me now, I just want to get
back home..."
Note: His son has already left the
Hospital on January 15 after his wife signed a
promissory note. You may channel assistance,
financial and otherwise, through the MIGRANTE
International office, simply email migrante@tri-isys.com.
MIGRANTE Saudi Arabia
21 January 2004
Urgently Needed Home  Racing to Settle Down Hard times No shelter Resigned Like dirt Worn Thin Against a Giant
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