InterAksyon.com
The online news portal of TV5
MANILA -- Following an appeal online for his immediate repatriation to the Philippines, burn victim and overseas Filipino worker Alfredo Salmos may soon get his wish as the Philippine Consulate General in Jeddah reacted to the Internet petition and said it is doing all it can to facilitate his return to the country.
Salmos, who was electrocuted in a work-related accident back in October 2010, is now well enough to travel back to the Philippines but he still has to comply with some documentary requirements before he could be allowed to leave Saudi Arabia, the Department of Foreign Affairs said, quoting the report from Jeddah.
Philippine Consul General to Jeddah Uriel Norman Garibay has made an appeal to the Saudi government, through the Governor of Makkah, to allow Salmos’s immediate repatriation on humanitarian grounds.
Saudi immigration authorities informed the consulate that Salmos allegedly absconded from his employer, six months before the accident, which is a violation of Saudi law. Records also show that a 1981 Honda Accord, which was impounded 12 years ago, is still registered under his name.
The DFA said the consulate is currently in touch with relevant Saudi agencies and his former employer to expeditiously settle all obligations or fines that he may have incurred during his stay in Saudi Arabia and to have the car deregistered. It is also in the process of renewing Salmos’s expired residence card or iqama.
Salmos was brought to the King Abdulaziz Hospital for treatment in October 2010, where he stayed until his recovery. The consulate, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration in Jeddah, Siemens Ltd., and his co-workers and friends provided him with much-needed assistance.
