By Akanimo Sampson
A worker in Dubai has burned down his employer’s textile shop in Naif over the issue of unpaid salary. The incident, according to a report of Khaleej Times citing Reuters, has cost AED1 million in damages.
The news broke as more than 500,000 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) were repatriated due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
A total of 502,581 OFW repatriates were transported back to their hometowns after undergoing quarantine and getting cleared of COVID-19, according to Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Hans Leo Cacdac.
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Meanwhile, a separate report from the Department of Labor and Employment’s International Labor Affairs Bureau (DOLE-ILAB) revealed that there are 645,071 OFWs affected by the pandemic, including 627,576 displaced OFWs.
ILAB Director Alice Visperas added that 49,698 of those displaced OFWs had requested for repatriation while 75,297 opted to stay.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III assured that the government continues to provide assistance to displaced and affected OFWs.
“Our government will not renege on its commitment to provide the needed assistance to our OFWs. We will continue to assist them for as long as it takes”, Bello stressed.
ILAB Director Alice Visperas added that 49,698 of those displaced OFWs had requested for repatriation while 75,297 opted to stay.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III assured that the government continues to provide assistance to displaced and affected OFWs.
“Our government will not renege on its commitment to provide the needed assistance to our OFWs. We will continue to assist them for as long as it takes,” Bello stressed.
Bello also mentioned that the DOLE-AKAP (Abot Kamay ang Pagtulong) program has extended PHP5.043 billion to 497,122 OFWs affected by the pandemic.
Under the DOLE-AKAP program, affected or displaced OFWs are entitled to one-time assistance worth Php10,000 or $200.
Aside from AKAP, DOLE also provides financial, food, and medical aid to Covid-infected OFWs. To date, it has released $1.93 million in cash to 9,667 OFW patients. (RA)
However, the 27-year-old suspect carried out the attack in an act of revenge against the company, a Dubai court heard.
The salesman’s former employer reportedly refused to pay his salary for a year. The employer also allegedly told the man’s new company that he was a runaway employee. This pushed the man’s new employer to cancel his work visa.
After this series of incidents, the man broke into the shop to steal cash. But after finding out that there was no money, he set the shop on fire and fled.
His employer will present CCTV footage as evidence.
