DOLE: No need for mandatory evacuation of Pinoys in Libya

Despite persistent reports of escalating violence in Libya, the Department of Labor and Employment still sees no need for mandatory evacuation of Filipinos there at this time. In a radio interview Wednesday, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz also said employers of Filipino workers have assured her they have their own contingency plans should the situation there continue to deteriorate. “There is no need for mandatory evacuation yet. At this time, the Department of Foreign Affairs’ assessment only warrants voluntary evacuation of Filipino workers from Libya," Baldoz said in Filipino in an interview on dzRH radio. She said the DOLE will follow DFA's lead in assessing the situation of Filipinos in Libya. Baldoz also said most of the Filipinos there are professionals, including construction workers in oil fields and nurses in hospitals. On the other hand, she reassured families of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) that employers of their loved ones have contingency plans. “At least 10 agencies I talked to have assured us they have contingency plans, including evacuation of the Filipino workers. They will also shoulder the expenses incurred," she added. First batch may leave Thursday A first batch of Filipino workers may leave Libya as early as Thursday, according to a Filipino information technology (It) administrator. In a predawn interview on dzBB, IT administrator Rodel Hipolito said his group is waiting for a ship that will take it to Malta. “Mula dito sa oil company, tabing dagat lang ito, ay merong barko na susundo sa amin kasama ng ibang Pilipinong nagtatrabaho [na] papuntang Malta. Mula Malta may schedule kami pauwi na papunta sa Pilipinas, siguro baka dadaan sa Qatar or Frankfurt, depende sa arrangement namin with our employer," he said. (From the oil company’s compound we will take a ship to Malta along with Filipino workers from the oil company. From Malta we will fly home to the Philippines, likely through Qatar or Frankfurt, depending on the arrangements made by our employers.) Hipolito said they were taken from their camp to an oil refinery compound in Marsa Brega in Libya, which he said is safer than their original position in Benghazi, the place of several violent protests. He said people had been looting their camp in Benghazi. In contrast, he said the military has taken control of Marsa Brega. So far, he said no Philippine Embassy representative had visited them. He noted the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli is an eight-hour trip from Marsa Brega. Hipolito said they have been in contact with their families through phone because Internet access has been cut off since Feb. 18. Worried families Meanwhile, in Iloilo province in Western Visayas, families of OFWs voiced worry over the fate of their loved ones, dzBB’s Iloilo affiliate reported. One of them, Wilfredo Angeles, said he had no contact with his daughter Joy, a nurse working in a hospital in Libya. The Philippine Overseas Employment Administration’s Western Visayas regional office assured the families it will do everything it can to get updates. The dzBB report cited POEA data showing there are 610 registered OFWs in Libya who are from Western Visayas. — LBG, GMA News