Philippines government to help widow of overseas worker

Manila: The Philippine government assured the wife of a Filipino who was killed in the fuel truck explosion in Saudi Arabia immediate return of his remains, a senior official said, adding that one of her two children will also have scholarship in college, and she will also get livelihood assistance.

The welfare officer of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) in Riyadh will work with the Philippine embassy there to speed up the repatriation of the remains of Florentino Santiago, one of 23 people who were killed by the incident in Riyadh on Thursday, OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said in a radio interview.

“We told Jocelyn Santiago that she does not have to do pare work for the return of the remains of her husband. We in Manila and the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh will do everything to speed up the process,” said Dimzon who personally went to Pandi, Bulacan to meet with the wife of the slain overseas Filipino worker (OFW).

“Her family will receive a death benefit. There is one scholarship grant for one of her children. There is livelihood assistance for the wife,” said Dimzon.

Meanwhile, Mrs. Santiago also said she could not believe that her husband died in the incident, adding that she learned about it from his co-workers who confirmed his death.

“I spoke to him hours before the incident,” recalled Mrs. Santiago who was inconsolable knowing that her husband was 200 metres away from the scene of the fatal explosion.

Her husband, she said, was planning to return to the Philippines in March next year, to attend the graduation rites of their eldest child, a high school student.

Their second child is five years old.

Mr. Santiago’s death was confirmed after his body was identified by his brother-in-law who is working for a tractor company in Riyadh, said Manila foreign affairs spokesman Raul Hernandez.

Santiago’s body was brought to a morgue where he was identified by his brother-in-law, Philippine Ambassador to Saudi Arabia Ezzedin Tago said in a TV interview.

The embassy is coordinating with Saudi authorities and employers to fast track the return of his remains, said Ambassador Tago.

Earlier, Tago said it would take four to five weeks for the repatriation of the ill-fated OFW,

At the same time, the ten Filipinos who were injured by the incident were brought to four hospitals in the Kingdom for treatment, said Philippine Vice Consul in Riyadh, Redentor Genotiva, adding that three of them were given clearance to leave the hospital.

The Philippine Embassy will coordinate with their employer to make sure they receive medical attention, Genotiva said, adding, “Legal OFWs are insured by their employers, under Saudi Arabia’s law.”

No details were given such as the extent of the injuries suffered by the OFWs.