Source: PDI
MANILA, Philippines—Almost 1,900 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been evacuated by their respective private employers from Libya and are on their way to the Philippines from various locations, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Sunday.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz reported that a total of 1,860 Filipinos working in Libya were already awaiting in Egypt, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey for flights back to Manila.
As of Saturday night, 120 Filipinos had arrived home safely from Libya, Baldoz said.
“We are expecting the arrival of a bigger batch of OFWs in the coming days,” she added.
Baldoz in a statement noted that ongoing repatriation efforts from Libya were easier compared to the exodus of Filipinos, mostly domestic helpers, who were caught in the war in Lebanon in 2006, as most Filipinos in the African nation were either professional and skilled workers.
The companies and employers of these working Filipinos were helping in their relocation and repatriation, said the labor secretary.
The DOLE Middle East Crisis Monitoring Group also reported late Saturday to Baldoz that 236 Filipinos were being evacuated outside Libya en route to Madrid, while 1,503 were currently listed for repatriation at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli.
“They will be immediately moved out of Libya as soon as their travel documents are processed,” Baldoz said.
Carmelita Dimzon, head of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), said she expected some 3,000 Filipino workers to arrive from Libya within the next several days.
She said OWWA personnel were assisting the arrivals at the Manila airport. Reports from Jocelyn R. Uy and Jerry E. Esplanada
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MANILA, Philippines—Almost 1,900 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) have been evacuated by their respective private employers from Libya and are on their way to the Philippines from various locations, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said Sunday.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz reported that a total of 1,860 Filipinos working in Libya were already awaiting in Egypt, Spain, Tunisia and Turkey for flights back to Manila.
As of Saturday night, 120 Filipinos had arrived home safely from Libya, Baldoz said.
“We are expecting the arrival of a bigger batch of OFWs in the coming days,” she added.
Baldoz in a statement noted that ongoing repatriation efforts from Libya were easier compared to the exodus of Filipinos, mostly domestic helpers, who were caught in the war in Lebanon in 2006, as most Filipinos in the African nation were either professional and skilled workers.
The companies and employers of these working Filipinos were helping in their relocation and repatriation, said the labor secretary.
The DOLE Middle East Crisis Monitoring Group also reported late Saturday to Baldoz that 236 Filipinos were being evacuated outside Libya en route to Madrid, while 1,503 were currently listed for repatriation at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli.
“They will be immediately moved out of Libya as soon as their travel documents are processed,” Baldoz said.
Carmelita Dimzon, head of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), said she expected some 3,000 Filipino workers to arrive from Libya within the next several days.
She said OWWA personnel were assisting the arrivals at the Manila airport. Reports from Jocelyn R. Uy and Jerry E. Esplanada
