A 65-year-old mother seeks the help of Filipinos in Saudi Arabia to locate her daughter who hasn't returned to the Philippines after she went to work in Tabuk almost 17 years ago. Aysa Noraguia said her daughter, Saida, now 32, left for Tabuk on Oct. 22, 1992 to work for an Arab family and had not returned to the Philippines since then. In a telephone interview from the family home in Cotabato City in Midanao, she said the last time the family heard about her daughter was when she sent a letter to her cousin in 2000. She was still in Tabuk at that time. After losing contact with her for a long time, the family started to seek the assistance of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and DZRH, an AM radio station with a program. Antonina Noraguia, wife of Saida's brother, said a DZRH announcer had told them that he had talked to Saida live via phone patch, but it was so brief he wasn't able to get her location. But he said Saida told him she was fine. Antonina said they had sought the help of some relatives working in the Middle East, particularly in Jordan, because she had once informed her cousin that she often goes to Jordan with the family for whom she works. She said Saida's father had died waiting for her daughter. “My father-in-law died wating for her return,” she told Kabayan. “Even in his death bed, he begged us to find Saida.” Her nieces in the Philippines, Hakima and Michelle Lu, are currently helping them find Saida. They are hoping that she is still in Tabuk. They said Michelle Lu has sent emails to concerned government agencies as well as the media to help locate her. OWWA Welfare Officer Romeo Pablo, who got Michelle Lu's email, said the OWWA staff in Jeddah has started their search for Saida. “We have already informed our coordinator in Tabuk to look for Saida through the help of the Filipino community there,” Pablo said. “We were not able to contact the telephone numbers of Saida's employer but we are not losing hope that one day we will find her,” he added. Elsa Masa of the Assistance to National Section at the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah is trying to get any information about Saida's employer in Tabuk. “We will update them of any development on Saidas case” Masa told Kabayan. Antonina appeals to Saida: “Saida if you hear or read this story, please inform us of your whereabouts. Your father died already. We believe you are still alive. Mama wants to see you before she dies.” For any information about Saida, Lu can be contacted by e-mail [email protected] or through the Assistance to National Section of the Philippine Consulate General and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Jeddah.
