ABOUT 8,000 dispatched overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) in Saudi Arabia are still waiting to be provided with back claims as promised by its government, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said.

DMW Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said the OFWs are hopeful Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will keep his commitment to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to pay their unpaid salaries.

“Now we are waiting for the designation of the right person or group of people that the Philippine side will talk to from the office of the Crown Prince. Because it is government to government and has operational details,” Ople said in a radio interview over DZBB on Tuesday.

She said the OFWs have been waiting for their payment since 2016 following an oil price crash in Saudi Arabia.

“Some claimants were going back and forth to Saudi Arabia for their salaries, and we don’t want to tell them lies,” she said.