A group of 66 Filipinos arrived in Manila Monday after being repatriated by Saudi Arabia deportation authorities, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The group, consisting of 24 adults and 42 children, previously stayed under the Khandara bridge in Jeddah. They arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport at 6 a.m. The Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah said another group, consisting of 62 Filipinas and three children, is expected to be repatriated to Manila in the coming weeks, the DFA press statement sent to the media said. There are 180 more Filipinos currently staying at the Saudi deportation center awaiting the processing of their exit papers for deportation, DFA added. It further said that the Consulate General continues to monitor the immediate processing of their papers. Some 200 more homeless OFWs remain in Saudi safe houses, according to Migrante Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona. The 66 distressed OFWs and the remaining 200 homeless Filipinos have been living in the tents under the Khandara Bridge in Jeddah, he said. Earlier, they trouped to the Philippine Consulate to force officials to repatriate them home, he noted. Charles Tabbu of ABS-CBN Middle East reported to Global Patrol in DZMM that most of the stranded OFWs are males. Some women gave birth inside deportation centers that were brought to hospital for proper care and medication. OFWs who cannot find work and have no money to go back to the Philippines opted to be arrested by Saudi police to be able to be repatriated home, according to Tabbu. Number of stranded OFWs usually increase after Haj, he added.
