The Migrant Workers Office in Jeddah is prepared to process the exit visa of Maricar Mendez, an overseas Filipino worker (OFW) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, who requested government assistance after having a heated discussion with her employer.
In an interview on DAILY TRIBUNE’s Usapang OFW, Roel B. Martin, labor ataché for Jeddah and the Western Region of Saudi Arabia, affirmed that the Migrant Workers Office is ready to process her papers should Mendez request to return home.
“In the DMW Jeddah office, we haven’t received any requests for assistance under e-care from OWWA. When you gave the name, they said she was here in Jeddah. Maricar apparently locked herself in for three days and refused to come out,” Martin said.
“Based on the advice and information we received today, Maricar is requested to come out and speak with the Saudi recruitment office and her employer. If she does not wish to continue working, the agency will take her and process her exit visa to expedite her repatriation,” he said.
Earlier this week, Mendez took her concerns for her safety to Usapang OFW where she narrated that she had a heated argument with her employer after accidentally damaging an ironing board with a defective flat iron.
“We had an argument because last Saturday he saw the burned ironing board. But it had been two weeks since something went wrong with the iron and I had informed him. So I was surprised when last Saturday he suddenly got angry about the condition of the ironing board,” she said in Filipino.
Mendez said her employer told her the cost of the ironing board would be deducted from her salary.
She said she hadn’t eaten anything since the altercation and her employer had not said anything to her since.
“My employer isn’t giving me food because I’m not working now. I haven’t worked for three days. I already told my employer that I’m going home,” she said.
Other options
Martin said Mendez has the option to return to the Philippines or continue working in Jeddah for a new employer.
“Actually, it depends on what our compatriot wants. If she says that she just doesn’t get along with her employer, we will find her a new employer,” he said.
“As long as her iqama (residence permit) allows her to transfer to another employer, there won’t be any problem,” he added.
Meanwhile, Mendez’s recruitment agency in the Philippines, Sir Prince Global Manpower Service Inc., has expressed willingness to assist the OFW in her repatriation.
Martin said Mendez is set to receive a debriefing or counseling from the resident social welfare attaché in Jeddah to help her process her trauma.