MANILA -- The labor department has launched mobile service to address the growing needs of migrant Filipino workers in Al Khobar and other areas in the Eastern Region of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).

Labor Attaché Hector Cruz, Jr. of the Philippine Overseas Labor Office – Al Khobar on Friday said authorities had allowed the operation of POLO-on-wheels to provide consular, welfare and documentary needs of OFWs in the region.

Aside from mobile services, Cruz said the Saudi Ministry of Foreign Affairs also authorized the POLO to maintain a hotel-like shelter in the outskirt of the city to house distressed OFWs and those awaiting repatriation.

DOLE has regular POLO offices only in Riyadh and Jeddah.

“We are proud to report that we have been allowed by the ministry to have our POLO on wheels and accept public services three times a week. This is great news because for our workers, instead of travelling for about 430 kilometers to our POLO in Riyadh, we can already attend to their needs anywhere in the eastern region,” Cruz said.

He said the POLO on wheels is pursuant to the directive of Labor  

Secretary Silvestre Bello III to ensure that services are available to OFWs for their protection and welfare.

“While we have been allowed to operate our POLO on wheels, the government have also set some guidelines which we will strictly follow, such as we cannot operate on commercial districts,” he said.

Cruz said the mobile POLO will be rolled out this week, with various services to be provided on ground for OFWs such as consular services, transfer of employment, repatriation, and assistance for those who have problems/issues with their jobs or with their employers.

Aside from the POLO on wheels, Cruz said they have also been allowed by the Arab government to operate and manage a hotel type shelter for those distressed Pinoy workers or for those who were waiting for their flight back to the Philippines.

POLO records show there are about 220,000 to 230,000 Filipinos in the Eastern region of KSA, with around 215,000 documented OFWs, their dependents and some permanent migrants.

OFWs in the KSA eastern region are mostly in the industry of oil exploration and drilling, while some are in the service-oriented sectors such as on cafés, restaurants, and in the maintenance services sector.

“We will now be doing our outreach program on a regular basis through our POLO on wheels project. Our staff will now be the one to come to serve you and provide the services that our kababayans need,” Cruz said. (DOLE)