Saudi Gazette report RIYADH — The Philippine Embassy has denied claims its personnel provoked Filipinos who have been camping for almost two weeks at the embassy grounds. There have been repeated reports of scuffles between the campers and embassy staff throughout this week, but the mission said videos circulating on social media, particularly a Facebook account of one of the campers, do not tell the full story. The campers have been at the embassy grounds since May 4, but the embassy said it made numerous offers for them to be relocated at the Bahay Kalinga shelter for the women and a rented rest house for men. The campers were originally 73 and increased to 77, but now stand at 70 after two men were repatriated while several women opted voluntarily to leave and correct their status, said the embassy. On Wednesday at around 5 p.m., the embassy said its staff and consular clients were disturbed by a group of campers inside the embassy grounds who forcibly dismantled the makeshift billboards used as a barrier. When an embassy employee attempted to reinstall the barrier, he was verbally abused by the group, said the embassy. The campers reportedly stormed the area near the embassy's main gates shouting slogans. An officer from the Diplomatic Quarter police entered the embassy compound and tried to question one of them. The campers alleged that the embassy allowed the officer to enter in an attempt to harass them, said the diplomats. According to eyewitness accounts, an unnamed officer entered the embassy after he witnessed two Filipinos outside the perimeter throwing two bags filled with unknown content over the embassy's fence. The embassy said the officer was attempting to apprehend one of the campers who collected the bags. It was also reported that the camper in question hid under an embassy vehicle parked adjacent to the camps to avoid questioning, sustaining scratches to his arm in the process. The embassy said it had advised the campers several times that any donations or anyone delivering items for them should do so through the Bahay Kalinga outside the Diplomatic Quarter in order to avoid any issues with security. DQ police confirmed that the officer witnessed two bags thrown over the fence by two Filipinos who were subsequently apprehended by police. The embassy said under the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, the Kingdom is obliged to ensure the security and safety of diplomatic premises and personnel. The campers have been “aggressive and uncooperative” following attempts to convince them to follow mandatory procedures for the issuance of exit visas, said the embassy. On May 11, the embassy said welfare officers from its Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO, Romeo Pablo and Richard Senerez, approached campers to tell 13 women without children that Saudi social welfare authorities had endorsed the issuance of final exit visas for them. They refused and demanded all of them be repatriated at the same time. Persistent attempts to convince them otherwise were not successful, said the embassy. The following day, the mission claimed campers submitted a document demanding the ambassador sign a guarantee that they will be returned to the embassy after their request for final exit visas was endorsed by the Saudi authorities, even though Saudi authorities normally require such people to stay in deportation centers until they are repatriated. On Wednesday, POLO offered to endorse 15 single women for final exit visas but only one, Marigen Bestes Tabasa, accepted the offer. On Monday, embassy case officer Hassan Cali approached two of the campers, Deo O. Oira and Donald Campo, and informed them that Saudi deportation authorities required them to submit themselves for mandatory fingerprinting. However, they refused allegedly saying the process was not required in Jeddah. Despite assurances that they will be allowed to return to the Kingdom according to the guidelines issued by the Saudi government, the men refused to cooperate, said the embassy. The embassy has obtained exit visas for 15 men and has issued them tickets for a flight on Friday. The embassy said it would contact immigration authorities on Saturday to endorse repatriation of women with children. They will have to physically go to the General Directorate for Passports for fingerprinting, said the embassy, adding it hoped they would not refuse to go. Two men from the campers were repatriated on Tuesday after the embassy processed their exit visas and issued them tickets. Two women left to rectify their status after finding a new employer. Meanwhile, the embassy said it has opened a temporary field office in the capital offering free consular services for illegal Filipino workers wishing to correct their status or leave the Kingdom. Services include issuing travel documents and releasing surrendered passports. The office will open on Saturday at Elite International School in Riyadh's Olaya district and operate until June 5. The office will be open Saturday to Wednesday, from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m.
