[RESOLVED] Ofw Tsikoteer (and Others) In Riyadh Desperately Need Our Help

[badong10]

kawawa naman c enriko. sana makauwi na sya, God bles!!!

[NightWinger]

hmmmmm. wawa naman............ Dapat kilos na goverment dito sa Pinas! Patulog tulog lang kasi sila. Kawawa na mga pinoy sa ibang bansa!!!!!

[VtEC]

post was deleted by admin

he he he he relax lang po.ang kailangan po natin ngayon e lahat ng tulong na pwede nating maibigay don sa grupo mapa dasal, financial, connections wag na munapo yong bugso ng damdamin.backread nalang po tayo

[v6dreamer]

he he he he relax lang po.ang kailangan po natin ngayon e lahat ng tulong na pwede nating maibigay don sa grupo mapa dasal, financial, connections wag na munapo yong bugso ng damdamin.backread nalang po tayo

Siguro MINISTRO ka noon ano? ( peace be w/ u) He he he... pero I like that, kalmado ka parin kahit kulog at kidlat na ang nangingibabaw.

[architect]

As part of the replies I have been receiving from email groups to which I have forwarded Elaine's message is this one below:

Thank you for forwarding this email to me. However, there are many I really don’t understand in your email (as they do not all add up) … unless this is another scam trying to get our sentiments. Please consider:

• A brother-in-law of mine was imprisoned once in Saudi (2 weeks in – Rabigh – a fishing village between Jeddah & Yanbu) and told me that Saudi prisons do not appear as how others think they are. It’s pretty comfortable, with several works inside (laundry, woodworks, etc.) that commands a good salary per month (at net) apart from free food & accommodation. And that is only the main prison in a small fishing Village of Rabigh (now being transformed into one of the 16 Mega-Cities) way back in 1987;
• Most prisons (real prisons) in the Kingdom have their own hospitals, canteens (mess halls), libraries and other amenities that are even far better than our best jail or prison here;
• Half-way prisons (i.e., traffic police jails, early reported and non-convicted prisoners’ jail, etc.), however (way back 1987), are not as good and pretty much the same as how your email below described them;
• In your forwarded email, you said that they are in the “Cell # 6 Simisi Main Office of Jawasat because their employer had failed to process their eqama (work permit).” I do not know if my knowledge in Arabic still holds right (or even the rules in Saudi Arabia), but the office you just mentioned has nothing to do at all with Saudi prison. The office you are mentioning is pretty much like our BID (Bureau of Immigration & Deportation) and yes, if their employer really did failed to secure their Iqama, then their staying illegally;
• Your forwarded email, however, is inconsistent – one part it says failed to secure, another says failed to renew. If the employer failed to secure, then the offense is more realistic, however stupid and gross. Renewing is far too early at this time as it is usually renewed at a period no less than 1-year. Hence, the email doesn’t make sense;
• The case is far too long not to be noticed by our Phil. Embassy, where your email said they are (Capital city of Riyadh – the seat of government & embassies), and our ever nosy media (NOTE: they have field reporters stationed there – some of the OFWs posing as “cub-reporters”);
• If this is suppose to be a huge or previously good company, until he ran into financial trouble, why is his identity being withheld? If he is sent to Saudi Arabia by a licensed recruitment company in the Philippines , we could trace it and ask their assistance as well, by virtue of “JOINT AND SOLIDARY LIABILITY” – POEA’s Damocles’ sword over us and our license;
• The first (and I thought the only – until now) bus assembly & manufacturer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is my oldest (since 1970’s) and still existing client AAA (Arabian Auto Agencies) based in Jeddah;
• I am an auto-buff (enthusiast) myself and I have never heard of the auto-industry in the Philippines having “automobile designers” even in the 2nd-hand/re-selling or rebuilding (for totally-wrecked or old model car restorers) industry; and
• The website you just asked me to visit (http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45882) is not even an advocacy eGroup or website dedicated for these poor incarcerated OFWs, but a auto-buff’s website discussing auto-detailing & selling car accessories.
• Thought you should know. We take things like these very seriously not because we never had other serious things to do. We just want to protect the image of this “bad media”-laden industry (no thanks to the government), which is close to already dying.

Lest others of a similar mindset might assume this is a letter written by a fictitious entity, the letter included a business card indicating the name Raul J. de Vera Jr. of Cherub Manpower Incorporated. Email address is cherubmanpower*yahoo.com.

He forwarded his response to the following: D3810 Rotarians <D3810Rotarians*yahoogroups.com>; NDM Batch 1979 <NDM_Batch_79*yahoogroups.com>; RCMalate eGroup <RCMALATE3810*yahoogroups.com>; REALM Cooperative <realm2004*yahoogroups.com>; Veraluz eGroup <VERALUZ*yahoogroups.com>; Cherub Manpower eGroup <cherubinc*yahoogroups.com>; Cyprus Ass'n. eGroup <aaacinc*yahoogroups.com>; FAME <FAMExporters*yahoogroups.com>; Guam Phils eGroup <GuamPhilippines*yahoogroups.com>; PILMAT eGroup <PILMAT*yahoogroups.com>

[juntzo]

oh no, maybe this is a scam?
hopefully sir jedi can dig deeper into the bottom of this!

[VtEC]

oh no, maybe this is a scam?
hopefully sir jedi can dig deeper into the bottom this!

i hope not.

[mazdamazda]

As part of the replies I have been receiving from email groups to which I have forwarded Elaine's message is this one below:

Lest others of a similar mindset might assume this is a letter written by a fictitious entity, the letter included a business card indicating the name Raul J. de Vera Jr. of Cherub Manpower Incorporated. Email address is cherubmanpower*yahoo.com.

He forwarded his response to the following: D3810 Rotarians <D3810Rotarians*yahoogroups.com>; NDM Batch 1979 <NDM_Batch_79*yahoogroups.com>; RCMalate eGroup <RCMALATE3810*yahoogroups.com>; REALM Cooperative <realm2004*yahoogroups.com>; Veraluz eGroup <VERALUZ*yahoogroups.com>; Cherub Manpower eGroup <cherubinc*yahoogroups.com>; Cyprus Ass'n. eGroup <aaacinc*yahoogroups.com>; FAME <FAMExporters*yahoogroups.com>; Guam Phils eGroup <GuamPhilippines*yahoogroups.com>; PILMAT eGroup <PILMAT*yahoogroups.com>

Thanks for the heads up.

Hopefully this can all be clarified.

[architect]

*juntzo, VtEC, mazdamazda,

This is exactly my concern. The letter writer never bothered to verify the facts and pre-maturedly dismissed it as a potential scam. Yet his letter manages to put doubts in fellow tsikoteers, even those who have been following the situation from the start. Now consider what others will think when they read the letter and again never bother to verify the facts.

A simple read of this thread will tell you that other organizations and individuals, on their own, have contacted ehnriko and verified their situation separately.

[architect]

I sent Mr. de Vera a reply -

Dear Mr. de Vera,

Let me address the issues you raised regarding the letter of Ms. Elaine Luga in dismissing it as a potential scam-

A brother-in-law of mine was imprisoned once in Saudi (2 weeks in – Rabigh – a fishing village between Jeddah & Yanbu) and told me that Saudi prisons do not appear as how others think they are. It’s pretty comfortable, with several works inside (laundry, woodworks, etc.) that commands a good salary per month (at net) apart from free food & accommodation. And that is only the main prison in a small fishing Village of Rabigh (now being transformed into one of the 16 Mega-Cities) way back in 1987;

Most prisons (real prisons) in the Kingdom have their own hospitals, canteens (mess halls), libraries and other amenities that are even far better than our best jail or prison here;

Half-way prisons (i.e., traffic police jails, early reported and non-convicted prisoners’ jail, etc.), however (way back 1987), are not as good and pretty much the same as how your email below described them;

The Jawasat means immigration and the Shumeisy Main Office of Jawasat is the deportation area where all undocumented / illegal aliens in Riyadh are detained. It is not like the prisons you described at all.

In your forwarded email, you said that they are in the “Cell # 6 Simisi Main Office of Jawasat because their employer had failed to process their eqama (work permit).” I do not know if my knowledge in Arabic still holds right (or even the rules in Saudi Arabia), but the office you just mentioned has nothing to do at all with Saudi prison. The office you are mentioning is pretty much like our BID (Bureau of Immigration & Deportation) and yes, if their employer really did failed to secure their Iqama, then their staying illegally; Yes it has nothing to do at all with regular Saudi prisons because it is a detention center for illegal aliens.

Your forwarded email, however, is inconsistent – one part it says failed to secure, another says failed to renew. If the employer failed to secure, then the offense is more realistic, however stupid and gross. Renewing is far too early at this time as it is usually renewed at a period no less than 1-year. Hence, the email doesn’t make sense;

Kindly re-read the letter. Nowhere does it say the employer “failed to secure.” Instead it said “employer had failed to process their eqama,” simply because the writer, Elaine Luga, wife of Enrico Luga, wasn’t so sure whether the employer managed to secure their work permits the first time around and have simply failed to renew them or simply never secured them in the first place.

The case is far too long not to be noticed by our Phil. Embassy, where your email said they are (Capital city of Riyadh – the seat of government & embassies), and our ever nosy media (NOTE: they have field reporters stationed there – some of the OFWs posing as “cub-reporters”);

Perhaps you may want to check your facts and find out for yourself who informed the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh.

If this is suppose to be a huge or previously good company, until he ran into financial trouble, why is his identity being withheld? If he is sent to Saudi Arabia by a licensed recruitment company in the Philippines , we could trace it and ask their assistance as well, by virtue of “JOINT AND SOLIDARY LIABILITY” – POEA’s Damocles’ sword over us and our license;

Nowhere in the letter does it say the employer is a huge or previously good company. And the rationale for withholding his identity is stated also. Please re-read the letter.

The first (and I thought the only – until now) bus assembly & manufacturer in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is my oldest (since 1970’s) and still existing client AAA (Arabian Auto Agencies) based in Jeddah;

You thought wrong.

I am an auto-buff (enthusiast) myself and I have never heard of the auto-industry in the Philippines having “automobile designers” even in the 2nd-hand/re-selling or rebuilding (for totally-wrecked or old model car restorers) industry;

Perhaps you simply socialize in different circles and not with local automobile designers, which admittedly is an informal group and which the Tsikot forum is trying to formalize.

The website you just asked me to visit (http://tsikot.yehey.com/forums/showthread.php?t=45882) is not even an advocacy eGroup or website dedicated for these poor incarcerated OFWs, but a auto-buff’s website discussing auto-detailing & selling car accessories.

Does the Tsikot forum have to be an OCW advocacy group in order to try to help save Filipinos, especially if one of them is its own member?

Thought you should know. We take things like these very seriously not because we never had other serious things to do. We just want to protect the image of this “bad media”-laden industry (no thanks to the government), which is close to already dying.

You claim to take these things very seriously but you are very quick to dismiss this case as a potential scam (and immediately forwarded it to several email groups as such) without verifying the facts. A very quick read of the Tsikot thread would have informed you that, in fact, several other forums, organizations, and individuals have contacted the group and verified their story.

And if you were to do a little bit of extra reading, you will realize that Tsikot has a very substantial number of OCW members and in fact the Saudi Arabian OCW thread is very much active.

It saddens me to see a fellow D3810 Rotarian miss the opportunity to be of service to others and instead pre-maturely dismiss the case as potential scam. It could have been a lot more constructive for you, given your stature as a highly successful businessman, to mobilize your network, especially your own RC, to help bring the OCWs home safely to their families and help them get re-started with their lives. It is not too late.

Sincerely,


PS I have posted your reply in the original thread in Tsikot as it bothers me that you have disseminated your reaction to a substantial number of groups. This way, interested parties can refer to the thread and judge for themselves. I would like to invite you to read the thread, especially the reactions to your letter, and perhaps address the reactions.

This way, we can determine the truth and maintain the fairness for all concerned. Hopefully we can come to a common understanding of what are the underlying problems and work hand in hand in resolving them for the benefit of all concerned.

PPS. And yes, Enrico Luga is a personal friend.

[juntzo]

whew! thanks for removing the doubt in my mind!

[architect]

*juntzo,

Thanks, too, for choosing to review the facts and judge for yourself. I hope others will do the same.

For the record, it was only when ehnriko stopped corresponding with members of the Tsikot R&D core group that we sensed something was wrong. We had been communicating regularly with him via email, PM, and YM and he usually replies promptly. The times he will not have Internet access, he usually advises us ahead of time.

So when we had failed to hear from him after a week without prior notice, we contacted his wife Elaine to find out what could have possibly happened to him. It was only then we learned that his group has been detained. Of note is that she did not asked our help. We offered our help. That's why we know, for a fact, that this is not a scam.

[claRkEnt]

nice one, architect!

actually, you need not go any further. there are people here at tsikot na "negative" agad ang nasa utak. pa-righteous kuno! if only they would read the thread from the start and digest what everybody else have written.

jedi, pass ako ng one night sa Gold. divert ko yung expense dun dyan sa fundraising. bigay ko when we meet personally na lang.

[Hanren]

*juntzo, VtEC, mazdamazda,

This is exactly my concern. The letter writer never bothered to verify the facts and pre-maturedly dismissed it as a potential scam. Yet his letter manages to put doubts in fellow tsikoteers, even those who have been following the situation from the start. Now consider what others will think when they read the letter and again never bother to verify the facts.

A simple read of this thread will tell you that other organizations and individuals, on their own, have contacted ehnriko and verified their situation separately.

I also sent email copies of elaine's letter to a lot of email groups and I got mixed reactions. Some even suggested that they encountered the same lines already and some have even suggested that I am contributing to the spread of this scam. Well, it was said in a very straightforward but polite and humorous manner and I didn't take it personally..

My Honest Opinion: People are skeptical nowadays especially when it comes to the use of the Internet to disseminate such appeals. Some people judged it prematurely to be a potential scam but there are others who don't! In this world, there will always be the hardened skeptics who'd rather be shown hardened proofs before you can convince them. To me, this is understandable. However, that does not make the case of enrico similar to that of those other scams which were successfully perpetuated because in this case, there is some personal knowledge about this case by some tsikoteers.

Siguro konting paliwananag na lang sa kanila.. It's hard to convince people especially if it involves money but again, the hard part of this endeavor is convincing people about their situation while at the same time, getting to the bottom of this case with much care and caution so that it would inevitable clear the air of doubt.

[architect]

Update from ehnriko, forwarded by Elaine (via text) -

Tumawag yung Mr. Tom Lawson ng embassy almost 4:30pm na nung tumawag. Nireset ulit ang meeting sa Sunday naman daw ulit. We're just sleeping and waiting the whole day. And every mdnyt and early dawn we are all coughing hard. However I am sticking it up wid d thought that good things hapen 2 those who wait. Patience is all that I have, the same goes with the rest of the team...it's really cold here without electricity...very unspiring.

[juntzo]

*juntzo,

Thanks, too, for choosing to review the facts and judge for yourself. I hope others will do the same.

For the record, it was only when ehnriko stopped corresponding with members of the Tsikot R&D core group that we sensed something was wrong. We had been communicating regularly with him via email, PM, and YM and he usually replies promptly. The times he will not have Internet access, he usually advises us ahead of time.

So when we had failed to hear from him after a week without prior notice, we contacted his wife Elaine to find out what could have possibly happened to him. It was only then we learned that his group has been detained. Of note is that she did not asked our help. We offered our help. That's why we know, for a fact, that this is not a scam.

thanks bro for the clarification! i believe in helping others without expecting anything in return but i have been a victim of many scams that's why sometimes i can be very doubtful. anyway, i hope everything turns out for the better for our fellow tsikoteers!

so for other fellow tsikoteers, this is your chance to share your blessings that you got last month! Karma is real! Do good for your brother in need and you will receive your reward a hundred fold!

[architect]

What is so disappointing is that the contact numbers of the group members were precisely included so that those who are sincere about contributing but have some doubts can call them personally to verify. What is a phone call if you are sincere in helping?

And even more so disappointing are those who are quick to dismiss the situation as a scam when a simple read of the thread can provide enough proof that this is not a scam but a potentially life-and-death situation.

The irony of it all is that people like Mon Tulfo are so quick to act when I contacted them for help. Considering that their reputations are on the line if they fall prey to such a scam (and become laughingstocks) their genuine interest in helping others take precedence over self-interest.

I am sure Mon has his ways of verifying the situation as I am sure he encounters a lot of scams of like this on a regular basis. But that does not make him cynical and dismiss it pre-maturely as a scam. At the very least, he gives the case the benefit of the doubt - unlike so many others who not only are unwilling to help but even try to rationalize their unwillingness by promoting the whole thing as a scam.

[maykel]

i dont think this is a scam.

may representative na nga from Phil embassy ang kumausap sa kanila (enriko and his team), i even talked to enriko bago mag new year asking their condition there. he told they are surviving naman with help from friends.

Half-way prisons (i.e., traffic police jails, early reported and non-convicted prisoners’ jail, etc.), however (way back 1987), are not as good and pretty much the same as how your email below described them

twenty years ago pa yun sinasabi sa mail na ito if ever totoo man, and to compare it sa current condition ng jail facility dito is like comparing an apple to egg!

[jedi]

fellow tsikoteers and friends,

alam po namin na madaming scams sa internet na naglalabasan sa ngayon at di natin masisisi na magkakaroon ng ibat ibang pananaw ang mga taong makakabasa ng letter, but rest assured na we will not use tsikot para mabiktima ng mga scam na ito, several days before i posted the letter of mrs. elaine luga, ilang beses na namin naverify lahat ng facts, we even postponed yung pagpost at paghingi ng tulong coz the enriko and the group was hoping na maayos agad problem nila duon at babalikan sila ng employer nila, but di nangyari ang inaasahan nila.

at ayon nga kay sir architect, kami po mismo ang nagvolunteer na gumawa ng paraan para makakalap ng tulong.

Nagpapasalamat po kaming lahat dahil nanaig pa din po ang tiwala nyo sa tsikot at di po kayo nagdalawang isip tumulong at sumuporta at magbigay ng prayers for this cause.

Salamat din po sa PEACE foundation and Dubai Tsikoteers na walang sawang tumutulong at sa pagtulong personally kina jing duon at kay ********http://www.pinoy.ae/pinoy/modules.ph...er=asc&start=5

Salamt din kay sir Pox and to Ms Leslie , to sir juntzo, sir vtec, doc oobah, sir bhong and Peace foundation, and to all na nagbigay ng suporta at prayers.

pagpapatunay lang po ito na, as members of this online community, namamayagpag pa din ang bayanihan sa puso ng bawat isa.

[architect]

Am posting Mr. de Vera's reply to me (need to chop it up though)

[SIZE=2]Thank you for your reaction – and indeed you were right of my immediate dismissal that it was, as I wrote, a “potential” scam, and I cannot deny it. If it bothers you, and your brothers at TSIKOT, then do accept my apologies. But I as I said, I find the inconsistency in said letter, and still do. I am not at all against anyone, tsikot or any advocacy group, hope that is clear. My replies inside your email below will prove that.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]I have somehow, enough materials to bore each and every reader (since we start our advocacy way back 1990s), with a help of a fellow-advocate and a church-leader, how we attended to matters such as these, and sadly, we ended up in a “wild-goose-chase”. Bad judgment on our part, I admit, but we really need to start somewhere, right?[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]It was not only once, but far too many, and I guess it is the frustration of only ending up in a scam that showed so much in my reply and that I truly apologize. What should have been a less emotional and more constructive reaction didn’t take place. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]The perpetrators of these poor wrongly accused OFWs now lavishing in prison are scot-free. But of course, as you say your TSIKOT group being a band of people with integrity and wisdom, I have to respect that, though I really didn’t see the OCW discussion forum (maybe you could lead me to it?).[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][/SIZE]
[SIZE=2]As to the other issues, may I reply to them inside where you managed to put your replies? Thanks.

[/SIZE]

[SIZE=2][/SIZE][SIZE=2][/SIZE]