No shelter

Jaime 'Jimmy' dela Paz

Jaime dela Paz, a bulldozer operator, came from Sakaka, Al Jouf, 17 hours away from Riyadh.

He did not receive his salary for four months and his contract was terminated prematurely apparently because his employer believes he "cannot operate a bulldozer" properly.

"Its ridiculous!" dela Paz remarked on his employers claims.

"I have been operating all kinds of bulldozers for 20 years before I tried my luck in Saudi."

He arrived at the POLO-OWWA premises on November 7 to file a case against his employer and reportedly asked his case officer where he can stay.

The case officer explained that they do not have any shelter for male OFWs in distress, gave him SR5 and asked him to go to Batha, a commercial area in Riyadh where most Filipinos converge.

"I pleaded with them so I can stay at the POLO instead," dela Paz narrated in Filipino, but the case officer turned him over to Yalung, who was also present to follow-on his case.

"I thought they have a shelter for OFWs in Batha," dela Paz narrated.

"But as I found out, the 'stranded' OFW's only have themselves for shelter."

Yalung and dela Paz has been close friends since then, until both ventured on with the 'hunger strike.'

MIGRANTE Saudi Arabia
06 January 2004

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