Leave Libya, OFWs told again

FOR THE nth time, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has strongly urged the 1,800 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) still in Libya—mainly nurses and other hospital personnel, and their dependents—to leave the rebellion-torn country.

Citing what United Nations chief Ban Ki-Moon called the “worsening humanitarian crisis” in the north African state, the DFA continues to urge Filipinos still there to depart, Foreign Affairs spokesperson J. Eduardo Malaya told the Inquirer.

Malaya said the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli “will remain open up while its presence and services are required without unnecessarily compromising the safety and security of its personnel.”

Supporters of embattled Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi have reportedly burned and ransacked the US, British and Italian embassies, as well as some UN offfices.

Malaya reiterated that the foreign office would “continue to help overseas Filipino workers wanting to get out of Libya and ensure their safety and welfare.”

According to Malaya, “the bulk of our nationals have left Libya (mainly via the Tunisian and Egyptian borders).

More than 9,850 Libya-based OFWs have been repatriated by the government, the migrant workers’ employers and the Geneva-based International Organization for Migration, according to a report by the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Last week, the DFA described as “workable” the country’s diplomatic relations with Libya.