DMW to reopen discussions on unpaid wages of displaced OFWs in Saudi Arabia

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 27) — Efforts are ongoing to finally settle the unpaid wages of 10,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who were left jobless after their companies went bankrupt in 2015 and 2016, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said on Wednesday.

“We are still working with the Saudi authorities. I’m slated to visit Saudi Arabia hopefully in January to reopen discussions again with the Saudi side,” DMW Undersecretary Hans Cacdac told CNN Philippines’ The Source.

He also said authorities are working on contacting the beneficiaries.

“Definitely the Saudi side had already spoken and said that the funds are indeed already there and it takes the mechanics of distribution to set the funds in motion,” Cacdac added.

In 2022, the Saudi government allocated 2 billion riyals (about ₱29.7 billion) for the unpaid OFWs from construction firms that went bankrupt.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in October that Saudi Arabia has already finalized the list of claimants and is processing the wages it committed.