DFA sends team to Libya to help in repatriation

(Update 10:21 p.m.) The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday sent a six-member team to Libya to help in the repatriation of Filipinos amid the violent protest actions there aimed at ending the decades-old rule of Muammar Gaddafi. At a press briefing in Malacañang, DFA Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos said Gaddafi’s declaration made the evacuation “very urgent." DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Executive Director Ricardo Endaya will lead the team in helping Filipinos availing of voluntary repatriation. “Together with the Filipino community coordinators, they will reach out to the Filipinos and move them to safe relocation sites in Tripoli, Benghazi and Al Baida," the DFA said in a news release on its website. The DFA also instructed the Philippine Embassy in Cairo to dispatch staff members to the Libyan border to meet up and provide assistance to Filipinos who will be crossing the border to Egypt. It likewise encouraged Filipinos employed by companies with repatriation plans to take part in their employers’ efforts. On the other hand, the DFA and the Philippine Embassy encouraged the private companies to commence repatriation efforts, in tandem with the embassy.
IOM, PAF to help The DFA also has arrangements with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the latter’s aid in the repatriation of Filipinos. It said the embassy is also in touch with the IOM office in Libya. The Philippine Air Forces (PAF) has also put on standby its lone C-130 plane for the possible repatriation of OFWs in Libya. “The Philippine Air Force has committed to provide our beloved C-130 as one of the contingency plan to fly, if required by competent authorities," Armed Forces spokesman Brig. Gen. Jose Mabanta told a press briefing in Camp Aguinaldo. Mabanta said the aircraft can immediately leave Manila for Libya once authorities give the green light to transport the OFWs from Libya. He said the aircraft can carry as much as 100 passengers with their loads. “The Philippine Air Force is ready to provide C-130. Remember that the C-130 has been used extensively in the past. We will just have to wait for competent authorities to provide us authorization to fly our C-130," he said. No evacuation for now Conejos said the chaos in Libya made evacuation “unsafe" for now. “We are just waiting for the right opportunity. Mahirap kasi pag nagsabi ka ng evacuation ngayon and then everybody going out into the streets and going into the embassy. As I said at this time it is not safe to move out," he told reporters. “The evacuation stage will come in when it is safe to move out from where you are now or from the relocation sites to the exit points. That is the evacuation stage," Conejos said. On Tuesday, the DFA raised its alert level in Libya to Level 3, which involves voluntary repatriation. Filipinos in Tripoli who wish to avail of voluntary repatriation were advised to call the embassy or community coordinators in their area. They were also asked to remain indoors and not go out alone in the streets. Those in Benghazi, Al-Baida and other areas are similarly asked to communicate with their sectoral coordinators. They are also advised to stay put and not venture outdoors alone. Embassy officials and community coordinators are contacting the Filipinos in Libya to inquire about their condition and inform them of the embassy's voluntary repatriation program. More funds The DFA also made available an additional $50,000 to the embassy, and will further augment it with $100,000 for the voluntary repatriation program. For its part, the Department of Labor and Employment committed P25 million to assist in the program. Also, the DFA activated a 24-hour hotline number for families of Filipinos based in Libya. The hotline number is 834-4580. In Malacañang, President Benigno Aquino III said the DFA should be quicker in responding to the needs of the Filipinos in countries with unrest following criticisms that the agency acted belatedly. “Parang tayo ay servants of the people tapos ina-assess naman nila kung nagde-deteriorate lalo iyong sitwasyon. Perhaps, they should be acting faster, DFA in particular and we will be correcting that," he told reporters Wednesday. Asked on the instructions he issued amid the escalating conflicts in Bahrain, Libya and Yemen, Aquino said he ordered the concerned embassies to ensure that they will be able to contact all the Filipinos in their respective areas. He assured the public that systems and procedures are already in place to help the Filipino workers in the said countries. “I understand that arrangements have already been made for our citizens to be brought to safer locations. Pero (but) as of last night, voluntary evacuation pa lang ang binabanggit," the President said. Oil price hike With the conflict affecting the oil producing countries, Aquino expects the prices of fuel products to increase. “In the short run, there might really be a spike until things stabilize. So, hopefully, the situation there improves na hindi ma-curtail iyong (so that it will not curtail the) global economic recovery," he said. — with Amita O. Legaspi/KBK/RSJ, GMA News