Saudi OFWs’ unpaid wages up at meet?

The Philippines and Saudi Arabia might discuss the settlement of the unpaid salaries of more than 10,000 overseas Filipino workers in a bilateral meeting.

This was bared by Foreign Affairs Assistant Secretary Daniel Espiritu in a Palace briefing as President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. flies to Saudi Arabia this week.

"That is on the agenda," Espiritu said.

He, however, declined to give further details. "I can't give the details yet because these matters are still under discussion," he said.

The issue of the unpaid salaries of OFWs in Saudi Arabia has been a long-standing one.

In November 2022, Saudi Arabia pledged to set aside around 2 billion riyals to cover the outstanding salaries of approximately 10,000 OFWs who worked for construction companies that went bankrupt in 2015 and 2016.

During his visit to the oil-rich country, President Marcos will likely pitch the Maharlika Investment Fund at the first summit between leaders of Southeast Asian and Gulf states later this week.

Espiritu said part of the "discussions could be the presentation of the Maharlika Fund" and the "protection of our nationals abroad."

Marcos' trip to the Middle East comes amid the Israel-Hamas conflict, which has resulted in thousands of people being killed.