Saudi bars entry of House minority leader Abante

MANILA, Philippines — A House leader was stopped from boarding his flight to Saudi Arabia on Thursday under tightened travel restrictions imposed by the Middle Eastern country on Filipino nationals because of the 2019 coronavirus disease, or COVID-19.

Minority Leader Bienvenido Abante Jr. said he was barred from taking his flight to Jeddah from Dubai in the United Arab Emirates “due to guidelines issued by the Saudi government prohibiting the entry of Filipino nationals possessing tourist visas.”

Abante, however, said he should not have been covered by the ban as he was traveling on an official mission with a diplomatic passport and travel authority from the House of Representatives. —DJ YAP

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