Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, June 26) — Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said overseas Filipino workers in a viral video were not scavenging for food from garbage, but were sorting out rejected food by groceries.
“That truth of the matter, I was a witness of things like this, sa mga groceries in Riyadh, ay mga nagde-deliver… na kapag ni-reject ng groceries, ‘yun ang pinag-aagawan ng mga kasama natin,” Bello said during a Friday hearing with the House committee on public accounts.
[Translation: The truth of the matter, I was a witness of things like this, in groceries in Riyadh, there are those who deliver… deliveries that were rejected were those being sorted out by Filipinos.]
He also said he does not believe that any Filipino will eat garbage, and that he has never seen one yet.
Philippine Ambassador Adnan Alonto also warned OFWs there to strictly follow cyber laws of Saudi Arabia. He said if ever there will be criminal charges pressed against them, it will be harder to bring them back to the Philippines.
A video of OFWs that seem like scavenging for food from garbage in Saudi Arabia went viral last week. DOLE recently said that an investigation is ongoing regarding the matter and appropriate actions will be imposed.
It also said that it is already arranging flights to bring home the 12 OFWs seen in the video. Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa said the company of these workers has agreed to discuss their evacuation.
READ: Labor Dept. working on evacuation of OFWs seen picking food from trash
Meanwhile, Bello also said that Filipinos selling blood to earn has been a long time practice for some even before the pandemic came. He said that this is for them to send additional money back to their families in the Philippines.
