CUEVAS COUPLE WELCOMES REPATRIATED ECIJANO NURSE — Palayan City Mayor Rianne Cuevas and husband Bong Cuevas welcome OFW-nurse Sherlyn Macatlang (left), of San Isidro, Cabanatuan City upon her arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport on August 24. Sherlyn along with two other female nurses were left stranded in Saudi Arabia after their contract expired last year and their repatriation got stalled several times after their scheduled flights were cancelled. Mayor Cuevas learned about the three nurses’ predicament and immediately facilitated and financed their repatriation by booking their flights and buying their plane tickets using her own money. Sherlyn’s two other nurses-friends are set to arrive in the country on Sept. 12. PHOTO SOURCED BY STEVE A. GOSUICO FROM FB PAGE OF MAYOR CUEVAS.
Ecija mayor helps repatriate 3 stranded Nojo Ecijanos in Saudi
PALAYAN CITY — City Mayor Adrianne Mae “Rianne” Cuevas took up the cudgels for three distressed Novo Ecijanos who were Overseas Filipino Workers employed as female nurses in a hospital in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, it was learned.
The three nurses, who worked at the King Faisal Medical Hospital in Taif, KSA were stranded when their contract expired in June 2020 and their repatriation got stalled several times after their scheduled flights were repeatedly cancelled.
Mayor Cuevas, who learned of her kababayans’ predicament through one of her constituents here, immediately thought of helping them by facilitating and financing their repatriation.
After talking to the three stranded nurses on the phone, the city mayor wasted no time and bought three tickets from Philippine Airlines using her personal money for their flights back home.
One of the three distressed nurses – Sherlyn Macatlang, of San Isidro, Cabanatuan City — was personally welcomed by Mayor Cuevas at the airport on August 24.
“Kapag may kakilala ka doon (na OFW sa Saudi Arabia) na mag-tetext sa inyo na kailangang-kailangan, kung may sakit o ano, you let us know kahit hindi tiga-Nueva Ecija,” Cuevas told Sherlyn at the airport.
“Ah, yes po yes po mayor, thank you po, nice meeting you po,” replied Sherlyn.
Cuevas said the two other nurses – Jenny Dela Cruz, of General Natividad, and Maria Angelica De Guzman, of Aliaga — are already booked for their flights back to the country on Sept. 12.
“Isang taon nang naghihintay sina Sherlyn para ma-repatriate ngunit laging nakakansela ang kanilang flights. Dahil dito napaalis na sila sa tinitirhan nilang bahay at natatakot na hindi sapat ang kanilang ipon kung walang kasiguruhan sa kanilang pag-uwi,” said the city mayor on her Facebook page.
Cuevas said she is happy and thankful that Sherlyn is now back home safe as she also prays for the safe arrival in the country of her two other OFW-kababayans next week.
