MANILA — The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has finally earmarked funds to pay thousands of overseas Filipino workers with still unpaid wages, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.

At least 10,000 OFWs who had worked for 9 Saudi companies that declared bankruptcy following the economic crisis in 2015 would receive "full payment," DMW Undersecretary Bernard Olalia said in a media briefing on Friday.

Saudi Minister of Human Resources and Social Development Ahmed Bin Sulaiman Al-Rajhi "gave us the good news that the funds to pay for the unpaid claims are now with the Ministry of Finance" of the Saudi government, DMW Secretary Susan Ople said in the same briefing.

Ople said that while she did not inquire about the amount allocated for the unpaid salaries, "what is clear is it's there and it is sufficient to pay not just the claims of the unpaid [Filipino] workers but all the other claims, including those of their own people."

When will the funds be released? According to Ople, the Saudi government requested "a bit more time" for the processing of claims.

"They said that next month, they may be able to give us more details," she added.

Olalia has been designated as the focal person for the issue of unpaid wages.

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