Labor chief denies Riyadh officer yelled at distressed OFWs

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III denied Friday that an assistant labor attache in the Saudi capital yelled at several Filipino workers there who lost their jobs due to the coronavirus pandemic.

The official could not have been involved in the incident because he and 7 other employees of the Philippine overseas labor office tested positive for the coronavirus and were quarantined, said Bello.

• Philippine embassy in Saudi closes labor office due to coronavirus: OWWA

Bello said Philippine officials had coordinated with 2 companies to repatriate some 400 Filipinos in Riyadh left jobless by the pandemic. They also regularly receive food and face masks from authorities, he said.

• Saudi coronavirus cases exceed 100,000
• Saudi faces perilous hajj call as virus spikes

TeleRadyo, June 19, 2020