Maguindanao sees return of 7,000 OFWs

COTABATO CITY—Maguindanao is bracing for the return of at least 7,000 of its people who are working in Saudi Arabia but would be sent home as the oil-rich kingdom enforces a policy to replace foreign with local workers.

Myra Alih, labor secretary of the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said most of those that ARMM officials expect to arrive starting in September from Saudi Arabia were domestic helpers.

Domestic helpers became one of the first casualties of Riyadh’s nationalization policy, known as Nitaqat, which aims to create more jobs for Saudis.

She said because of the new Saudi labor policy, the ARMM government doesn’t expect the returning OFWs to have jobs upon their return.

The government, she said, is preparing P10,000 for each of the OFWs to tide them over until they find new jobs.

Alih said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration has allocated P2 billion for cash assistance to returning OFWs.

OFWs could also obtain loans from the P2-billion funding to start livelihoods. Charlie C. Señase, Inquirer Mindanao