OFW hurt in Riyadh airport attack says ‘nothing but thanks’ as DMW chief meets Filipinos in Riyadh

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac visited an overseas Filipino worker recovering in the burn unit of King Saud Medical City after the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport, and met the Filipino community at the Migrant Workers Office in Riyadh to set out the help available to workers in Saudi Arabia.

An overseas Filipino worker (OFW) injured in the October 10 attack on King Khalid International Airport is recovering in the burn unit of King Saud Medical City in Riyadh, according to a Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) statement reported by DZRH News and The Global Filipino Magazine. He is one of seven Filipinos hurt in the attack.

When Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac visited him in hospital, the worker said his message to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. and the government was “nothing but thanks” for how fast the government moved to help him after the attack. He has already received financial aid from the DMW’s AKSYON Fund.

His Filipino wife, a nurse at the same hospital, has stayed by his side throughout his treatment.

Help for the family back home

Cacdac said personnel from the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) would visit the worker’s son, a college student in General Santos City, to look into his situation and identify any further help he may need.

Community meeting at the Migrant Workers Office

Cacdac also met the Filipino community at the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) in Riyadh. He said Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia hit by the security situation in the region can turn to the Philippine government for cash aid, medical care, legal help and, for those who need it, a flight home.

OFWs dealing with employment disputes, unpaid salaries, medical emergencies or other issues that call for welfare or legal action can seek assistance from the DMW. Cacdac also discussed programs on skills training, financial literacy, education and livelihood meant to improve the earning prospects of OFWs and their families and to prepare them for an eventual return to the Philippines.

Community members used the session to bring their concerns straight to Cacdac and other Philippine officials. The Riyadh stop was the second leg of the DMW’s Solidarity and Services Mission; earlier in the week, Cacdac visited three other OFWs undergoing treatment at a hospital in Al Khobar.

The DMW, working with the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh and other government agencies, said it continues to monitor the condition of Filipinos affected by the attack and to arrange the assistance they need.

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