One-hundred forty overseas Filipino workers who were granted amnesty by Saudi Arabia received P10,000 each from the government as they arrived in the country before dawn yesterday.
The plane carrying the 140 undocumented OFWs – 65 women, 55 men, and 20 children – from Saudi Arabia landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 a few minutes before President Duterte’s flight landed.
Duterte, in his arrival statement, said the cash assistance is just a small token of appreciation to the OFWs who sacrificed many years of their lives working in the Middle East.
The cash assistance was supposed to be P5,000 only from the Department of Labor and Employment for the OFWs’ fare money to their hometowns. However, Duterte added another P5,000 for their pocket money.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that the additional P5,000 would not be coming out of Duterte’s own pocket but from the government.
“I am thankful that you got home safely. You may now be with your family and loved ones. We know your hard work and sacrifice,” Duterte said after abandoning more than half of his five-page prepared speech. (Argyll Cyrus B. Geducos)
