THERE is no deployment ban yet for Saudi Arabia, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday said, as it monitors on-the-ground situation after fatal missile and drone strikes on the Riyadh international airport.
“Economic life continues within the kingdom, and what we’re seeing is the attacks are targeted,” DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac told the press on Monday.
Saudi Arabia has kept overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) safe for decades and the community there has grown to 1 million, he said.
Mr. Cacdac assured the public that the DMW is coordinating closely with the Department of Foreign Affairs and Department of National Defense to assess the political security situation.
He also gave updates on the four Filipinos injured during the Oct. 10 attack on the King Khalid International Airport.
One Filipino, who sustained trauma burns and a lumbar injury, has been discharged from the hospital. Three are still in the intensive care units of various Riyadh hospitals, with at least one in critical condition.
The temporary closure of the King Khalid International Airport left 30 OFWs and their dependents stranded, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Director Patricia Yvonne M. Caunan said.
Ms. Caunan said 20 are now in DMW-OWWA sponsored hotels, with the others picked up by their families or employers. — Francessca S. Abalos