Caviteños-ER redefines migrant solidarity

For Estelito Villanueva Grepo, the workday does not end when he clocks out of his job at a Nissan spare parts business in Saudi Arabia.

While his livelihood is built on selling auto components, his life’s work is built on a different kind of machinery — the welfare and solidarity of the Filipino migrant community.

As the president of CAVITEÑOS-ER, a migrant-based organization in Saudi Arabia’s Eastern Region, Grepo leads a group that serves as a vital safety net for overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) hailing from Cavite province. In the bustling corridors of Al Khobar and Dammam, the organization has evolved from a simple social club into a frontline advocacy group.

Though thousands of miles from the Philippines, Grepo operates with the immediacy of a local village leader, managing the group’s advocacy with a philosophy of rapid response.

“As president of the organization, I carry out my duties and act immediately on whatever they need,” Grepo said in an interview with DAILY TRIBUNE’s Usapang OFW Thursday.

Through active digital networks, members raise urgent concerns ranging from workplace grievances to personal emergencies. Grepo describes his leadership style as one defined by accessibility, citing that his primary role is to provide immediate intervention for the membership’s diverse needs.

While the group is not a government entity, it functions as a critical bridge between distressed workers and official channels, frequently coordinating with Philippine embassies and Middle Eastern authorities to intervene in cases of migrant abuse or urgent legal distress.

“The core mission of CAVITEÑOS-ER is to combat the isolation and vulnerability that often come with overseas labor,” Grepo said.

“This advocacy manifests through a system of mutual aid sustained by modest monthly contributions, ensuring that no member faces a financial or personal crisis alone,” he added.

Grepo often takes the lead personally, cooking meals at home to distribute to low-income workers and domestic helpers who may be struggling with food insecurity.

This spirit of service extends to the local environment as well, with the group organizing community cleanup drives in Dammam and Al Khobar to demonstrate that being a guest in a foreign land comes with a responsibility to care for the local community.

The spirit of bayanihan — the Filipino tradition of communal unity — does not stop at the Saudi border. Grepo and his members extend their advocacy back to the Philippines during their visits home.

In Naic, Cavite, the group has spearheaded feeding programs for children, pairing meals with small incentives to encourage participation. Their outreach has also reached as far as Tarlac, where they have organized clothing donation drives for underserved communities.

Grepo’s involvement in migrant organizing dates back to 2008. Over nearly two decades, he has seen the landscape of Middle Eastern labor shift, yet the need for a “second family” remains constant.

Under his stewardship, CAVITEÑOS-ER continues to prove that for the Filipino worker, protection and identity are inseparable, no matter how far they are from home.