Eleven pardoned overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Saudi Arabia missed their midnight flight back to Manila last Monday.

A statement issued by Migrante-Middle East regional coordinator John Leonard Monterona last Friday said that Arnulfo Alcantara, one of the OFWs, had called him and informed him that they are still at the Malaz Central Jail in Riyadh after missing their Monday flight. He said that when they arrived late at the airport, there were no Filipino officials to assist them.

Monterona said that Alcantara had told him that they were accompanied by the local police to the airport’s immigration. Upon reaching there, they were told that the airplane had left.

“Wala man lang nag-assist sa amin na taga-Embassy para tiyak na nakapunta kami on time sa flight namin, naiwanan tuloy kami, (There were no RP Embassy officials to assist us and made sure that we don’t miss our flight)” said Alcantara.

Monterona said that the Kapatiran sa Gitnang Silangan, an affiliate of Migrante in Riyadh, is now trying to coordinate with the Embassy’s Assistance to the National Section (ANS) to ensure that the OFWs will be given another flight schedule as soon as possible and accompany them during their scheduled departure.

“Maybe our Embassy officials were not informed of their Monday’s midnight flight? Or they just ignored to accompany the OFWs going to the airport for their departure, as the latter are bound to be home anyway?” Monterona ended.

Alcantara and the 10 other OFWs were granted pardon by Saudi Arabia King Abdullah on his December 11 pardon grant announcement for all petty crime offenders.

They were sent to jail last October 2009. They claimed however that they were victims of frame-up. They said that the police planted bottles of liquor during search on their rented accommodations in Riyadh.