In Saudi, we, overseas Filipino workers, enjoy a lesser freedom. That's a fact.

I am thankful of my job and I’m one of those many who were more than lucky to have found a very good company to work for.

But let’s face it, there are a number of Filipinos who were not as fortunate as others. Whose lives were screwed as soon as they sign their contract in the Philippines or as soon as their feet land in Saudi. For these Filipinos, such an unfortunate fate means a long suffering and whose options are but a few, all entailing physical, emotional and psychological sufferings.

Some of the known woes our compatriots suffer in Saudi include delay in salary, inhumane living conditions, unwarranted deductions on salary (because some wicked agencies in the Philippines didn't advise the candidate that he will shoulder his airfare, mobilization charges, visa, etc), unfair labor practices (long hours of work or different tasks than what a worker signed for or contract substitution), etc. The hardest struggle for our fellow kababayans is when they fall prey to immoral superiors who know no shame.

If a Filipino is faced with the above difficulties, what are the options available to him?

Option one: ride it out.
This is a defeating alternative. It’s surrendering without putting up a fight, and sadly, most of the time, this is the only option available to most of us Filipinos because the other alternatives spell longer suffering.

It’s only for two years; I’ll just survive this, is a famous line among Filipinos who have surrendered their fate to Saudi.

Option two: fight legally.
In Saudi, mainly due to language barrier, you cannot just go to any police station and file a claim against your company or against someone in your company. More often than not, a Filipino claimant ends up in jail. Hence, Filipinos normally seek help first from known Filipino organizations in their locality or directly from a POLO representative (Philippine Overseas Labor Office). POLO then communicate with the worker's sponsor to sort out the problem, or bring the case to the Saudi Labor Office, if the first option is not feasible.

Solving a labor case in Saudi takes months and, in all likelihood, the poor Filipino claimant ends up unsalaried, unfed, untaken cared of.

Option three: run away.
Some Filipinos who are able to flee their wicked superiors sometimes end up being screwed by others (sadly sometimes, by our very own compatriots). Most of those Filipinos who choose to flee (normally travel to Jeddah) end up living under a bridge in the Kandara district of Jeddah. If chanced upon by the Saudi police authorities, the individual cases are reported to Philippine Embassy in Jeddah who then do the administrative work of contacting the Filipino’s sponsor to mediate the problem, placing the runaway Filipinos to deportation center in Jeddah. Again, this process takes time which leaves the needy Filipino more displaced.

Option four: back door exit.
This is an (illegal) option I’ve been hearing a lot about. I don’t know how it really works but some Filipinos claim that, with enough money, a fixer at the Philippine Consulate can process the travel documents without the regular immigration channels. How this is exactly done is beyond me although I’ve already met two Filipinos who went through this channel, were back in Saudi after a few months and have now ran away again reportedly using the ‘back door’ option (again!). The Philippine Embassy, however, is totally rejecting the 'back door' as an option.

It is sad that some Filipinos who go to Saudi to earn a living sometimes end up unfortunately losing their dreams (and, a few, their lives).

What are we to do?

Help. We do not need to be valiant or rich to help. Some simple options include:

• Providing clothes or food or a small amount of donation to those organizations that are known to be assisting fellow Filipinos in need. The website of Philippine Embassy in Riyadh lists a number of Filipino organizations in Saudi Arabia (I just don’t know if these organizations are social, sports or charitable).
• Let’s constantly post in our blog an updated contact details of POLO offices in our locality. A major problem of a Filipino in need is not knowing whom to approach or to call during difficult times.
• Let’s report to Philippine authorities those crooked employment agencies in the Philippines who continually send Filipinos to Saudi without first checking the employer’s character or its capacity to take care its employees.