Ronaldo Z. Concha Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs, the Embassy and the Consulate called on the leaders of the various Filipino organizations to help them persuade the undocumented women camping beside the consulate to move to the temporary shelter offered to them. Visiting under secretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Jesus I. Yabes said the weather in the Kingdom is getting warmer and "it's not good anymore for the women and especially the children to continue staying beside the consulate under the heat of the sun where they are exposed to the elements." Consul General Uriel Norman Garibay said they had made available a clean air-conditioned receiving area and five rooms that can accommodate at least 200 women and children. They have also put up a tent in the roof deck to accommodate another hundred women. Yabes explained that they were doing their best to accommodate the campers and are considering a school as one of their options and had requested the Saudi authorities for permission. Undocumented OFWs have been coming to the consulate's vicinity for the past three weeks and now number more than 3,000 camped beside the consulate. Several women and children reportedly got sick and empty cartons and thin matting are their only protection from the elements or while sleeping. But only few responded to officials call because of fear that they might be left behind if the immigration authorities picked up those staying beside the consulate. They said it was better for them to stay outside rather than in the temporary shelter offered to make sure that they were present in case the immigration officers came with deportation orders. Yabes told the Filipino community to inform the campers not to be reluctant to their offers because of their fear of being left behind. “We understand their feelings but they have nothing to fear as we will help them all. We are doing our best to bring home all our illegal kababayan who want to go home,” he said.
