Marcos to raise rights of overseas Filipino workers in Saudi Arabia

MANILA (Philippine Daily Inquirer/Asia News Network): President Ferdinand Marcos Jr (pic) on Thursday (Oct 19) said he plans to highlight the labour rights of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) during meetings with officials in Saudi Arabia.

Marcos is in Saudi Arabia for the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-Gulf Cooperation Council Summit (Asean-GCC).

“This summit will serve as an important platform for the Philippines to raise the need for cooperation in energy and food security, logistics, supply chains, digital information, the free flow of goods, people, and services, as well as the enhancement and protection of the rights, of course, of our overseas workers,” said Marcos in his pre-departure speech in Villamor Airbase.

The Department of Foreign Affairs previously said that Marcos plans to discuss the unpaid wages of around 10,000 OFWs in Saudi Arabia.

“GCC countries are home to an estimated 2.2 million Filipinos working in critical fields. I will be meeting with the Filipino community in Riyadh to share with them important developments here at home and to thank them for their invaluable contributions,” Marcos said.

The GCC comprises Bahrain, Kuwait, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates.

The President also said he would meet the Filipino community in Saudi Arabia and make a pitch for the Maharlika Investment Fund while in the Middle Eastern country.