OFW OUT OF DANGER, METAL REMOVED FROM HIS HEAD

A Filipino migrant worker who came home reeling from a work accident in Saudi Arabia which ensconced a piece of metal in his head expressed relief over the object's removal through a medical operation which finally put him out of danger.

Quirino Sison, 50, paid a visit to his benefactor Nacionalista Party president Manny Villar, who sponsored his operation performed by surgeon Dr. Francisco La'O last May 18. His sutures were removed last Monday.

"Labis po akong nagpapasalamat kay Senador Villar na siyang nag-pa-opera sa akin at nag-intindi sa aking kalagayan hanggang ako'y mapabuti," the overseas Filipino worker (OFW) who worked as a heavy equipment mechanic in Al Qassim said.

The OFW's surgeon said the continued presence of the metal which had already been encapsulated near the temple area could spread infection and pose a risk to Sison's life.

It can be recalled that upon his arrival last May 8 via Saudi Airlines flight SV 876, Sison was immediately brought to the Manila Adventist Medical Center in Manila which confirmed the presence of a foreign object in his head through an x-ray. He was also x-rayed in Saudi Arabia which was the only medical attention he received.

Earlier, Sison called up the Sagip-OFW helpline set up by Villar for distressed OFWs to report his predicament, "Sa pagtatrabaho ng aking kasamahan ay natalsikan ako ng nagbabagang basag na bearing at duguan akong dinala sa ospital kung saan ako ay na-x-ray lamang at natagpuan ang piraso ng metal sa ulo ko. Sumasakit po ang ulo ko lalo na pag nakatingala ako na parang may tumutusok, at namamaga, dahilan upang hindi ako makatulog sa gabi,"

Villar's office promptly called up the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) to facilitate the repatriation of the injured OFW following the latter's failure to get medical treatment abroad. The senator earlier questioned the lack of protection for workers in the workplace and health coverage.

Harsh conditions faced by OFWs earlier pushed the senator to actively press for the application of the "no-fault insurance system" for OFWs, a form of indemnity plan in which anyone injured in an accident or misfortune receives direct payment from the company that has insured them, eliminating the need for victims to establish another's liability or fault through a civil case.

Villar has filed Senate Bill 3040 or the "Overseas Contract Workers Insurance Act" which seeks compulsory insurance for all OFWs in addition to benefits being provided by OWWA.