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Hundreds of OFWs 'excluded' from Manila to Riyadh flight due to Saudi travel suspension

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ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img src="http://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2021/business/05/28/ofw-airport.jpg"/><figcaption>Stranded passengers line up at the NAIA T1 lobby to claim their checked-in luggage and have their contact details recorded by POEA representatives. <em>Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>MANILA – Philippine Airlines said Friday it did not receive any official advice from the government about the temporary OFW deployment suspension to Saudi Arabia which resulted in non-acceptance of passengers on the flight to Riyadh.</p><p>About 282 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) of flight PR5654 from Manila bound for Riyadh were “excluded” from the flight, PAL said in a statement. </p><p>“In the absence of any official directive, the check-in process was carried out by our Airport team at NAIA T1. However, the Bureau of Immigration’s non-acceptance of our OFW passengers led to their exclusion from the flight,” the flag carrier said.</p><p>“We have been left out with no other choice but to accept the unfortunate circumstances,” it added.</p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-conversation="none"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">READ: Philippine Airlines issues statement on the 282 stranded OFWs supposedly bound for Saudi Arabia. <a href="https://t.co/uvCsXAPkCH">pic.twitter.com/uvCsXAPkCH</a></p>— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacquemanabat/status/1398144018257649665?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2021</a></blockquote><div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script></div><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/05/28/21/philippines-temporarily-suspends-deployment-ofws-saudi-arabia">Philippines temporarily suspends deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia</a></li></ul><p>PAL said it is still waiting for the official directive from the Philippine government. </p><p>The said Riyadh flight departed at 11 a.m. without passengers to service scheduled passengers of PR5755 from Riyadh to Manila, it added.</p><p>A memorandum signed by Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III dated May 27, ordered the temporary suspension of the deployment of OFWs to Saudi Arabia effective immediately.</p><p>The memo noted that according to reports some employers and agencies were requiring OFWs to shoulder costs of health and safety protocol upon entry to the country. </p><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">JUST IN: POEA instructed to temporarily suspend deployment of OFWs to Kingdom of Saudi Arabia effective immediately: <a href="https://t.co/hEh9StvCDd">pic.twitter.com/hEh9StvCDd</a></p>— Jacque Manabat (@jacquemanabat) <a href="https://twitter.com/jacquemanabat/status/1398089996452519936?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">May 28, 2021</a></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charSet="utf-8" type="text/javascript"></script>Workers who have spoken to ABS-CBN News, meanwhile, feared that their failure to return to Saudi Arabia could lead to termination.</p><div><br/><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=1694648" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more in <a href="//www.iwantv.com.ph/">iWantv</a> or <a href="//tfc.tv/">TFC.tv</a></div><div><strong>- with reports from Jacque Manabat, ABS-CBN News</strong></div>

<p>Philippine Airlines said Friday it did not receive any official advice from the government about the temporary OFW deployment suspension to Saudi Arabia which resulted in non-acceptance of passengers.</p>

Philippine Airlines said Friday it did not receive any official advice from the government about the temporary OFW deployment suspension to Saudi Arabia which resulted in non-acceptance of passengers.