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Overseas Filipino workers and other travelers, beware.

To avoid being suspected as terrorist, the Department of Labor and Employment yesterday cautioned OFWs and other travelers from Saudi Arabia against bringing too much money and jewelry.

Labor Secretary Marianito Roque said OFWs and other Filipino travelers are now required to declare precious metals such as jewelry and money worth $16,000 upon arrival in and departure from Saudi Arabia.

Roque issued the advisory immediately after receiving a formal communication from the Embassy of Saudi Arabia concerning the new policy of the Kingdom.

Saudi government had enjoined all travelers to their country, including foreign workers, to strictly follow the Custom departments new rule on the declaration of cash and precious metals, Roque said.

Based on the official communication, Roque said the Saudi government is implementing the new policy to prevent money laundering and some forms of terrorist funding.

According to Roque, the Saudi government has intensified its efforts to control money laundering at the national, regional and international levels.

The Kingdom is among the first few countries which gave special attention to counter money laundering by complying with many rules and international convention, Roque added.

According to Roque, under the new regulation, those who fail to declare precious metals and money in their possession while leaving the Kingdom shall pay customs duty on their return.

Travelers to Saudi must state in the declaration form the value of precious metals and money in their possession, country of origin and destination and other necessary information to avoid confiscation or other legal penalties, Roque pointed out.

The labor chief said DOLE issued the advisory because OFWs in Saudi are fond of buying precious metals for investment purposes and as pasalubong when returning home.

Meantime, the local recruitment industry yesterday threatened to cease deploying skilled workers to Saudi Arabia to dramatize their protest against the Kingdoms new visa issuance policy.

Victor Fernandez of the Philippine Association of Service Exporters said all their 750 member agencies nationwide would rather stop deploying workers to Saudi than comply with the new regulation.

The proposed policy to be implemented by the Saudi Embassy soon is anomalous and totally unfair to the Filipino workers, Fernandez said.

According to Fernandez, with the new policy, overseas Filipino workers in Saudi can no longer seek the help of the Philippine labor representative in settling disputes or disagreements with their employers.

The same policy requires OFWs to seek the services of the Saudi National Recruitment Committee prior to the issuance of visa.

Recruitment industry leader Lito Soriano said the new regulation is clearly meant to allow Arab-owned local recruitment agencies to grab the Saudi labor market from local agencies.