Press Release No. 50-2018
PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL AND FILIPINO COMMUNITY IN JEDDAH HONOR A SAUDI COUPLE FOR GOING THE EXTRA MILE TO FURTHER IMPROVE THE WELL-BEING OF THEIR TWO (2) FILIPINO HOUSEHOLD SERVICE WORKERS
In the evening of 7 August 2018, the Philippine Consulate Generaland theFilipino community in Jeddah honored two outstanding Saudi nationals, Dr. Majdi Al Toukhi and his beloved wife Madame Samir Zaidan, for their kindheartedness and generosity which helped transformed the lives of their two Filipino Household Service Workers (HSW) - from one filled with fear about their future to one steeped in confidence for a good life, both for themselves and their loved ones back home.
Dr. Majdi and Madame Samira went the extra mile by allowing their two Filipino HSWs, Wilmie Carrasca Agudera (Wilmie), 31 years old, from Davao Del Sur, and her cousin, Marn Ellie Castor (Lily), 30 years old, from Saranggani Province, to enroll in the Nursing Assistant and Caregiver Course offered by a Filipino-run health training school in Jeddah even while the two were in their employ. Wilmie completed the course at the top of the graduating class, while Wilmie also received top honors. Armed with a new skill, which Dr. Majdi and Madam Samira enabled them to acquire, Wilmie and Lily can look to the future confident in their ability to continue providing for themselves and their loved ones once they decide to return permanently to the Philippines.
This beautiful narrative between Dr. Majdi and Madame Samira and their two Filipino employees is proof that while there are reports of some OFWs being mistreated by their Saudi employers, there are also happy stories but these often go unnoticed.
Consul General Edgar Badajos, who presented a plaque of appreciation to Dr. Majdi and Madame Samira for their noble deed, expressed the hope that the Saudi couple will serve as an inspiration to other Saudi employers to also treat their Filipino employees well. “After all, a happy foreign migrant worker is a productive worker, and a productive worker means a happy Saudi family,” Consul General Badajos added. END
Philippine Consular Officials led by Consul General Edgar Badajos (seated, third from right) and various leaders of the Filipino community in Jeddah with Dr. Majdi Al Toukhi (seated, center), Madame Samira Zaidan (seated, fourth from left), Wilmie (standing, first from right), and Lily (standing, second from right).
Lily and Wilmie
