PHL govt: Filipinos in Libya to use Tunisia, Egypt as exit points

(Updated 11:25 p.m.) To get Filipinos out of tumultuous Libya, the Philippine government aims to make as their primary exit points Tunisia in the north-west and Egypt in the east, President Benigno Aquino III said on Thursday. At a press briefing in Malacañang, Aquino said most of the Filipino workers were concentrated in Tripoli and Benghazi, which are at the opposite ends of Libya. Those in Tripoli can leave the country through Tunisia while those in Benghazi can exit through Egypt. The airports in Tripoli and Benghazi have been closed. “I will not ask our people in Benghazi to travel the breadth of Libya to go to Tunisia, for instance. Siyempre, kung ano ‘yung closest sa area nila," he said. “It really depends on where they are grouped in together. Ano ba ‘yung closest to exit Libya and get away from the violence that’s happening there," the President added. He said the government has to be very cautious in moving the Filipinos in Libya and not add to the dangers they face. Exit by boat and by airplanes Aquino said they were also talking to a shipping company, which could bring the Filipino workers to Malta, an island country in the Mediterranean Sea north of Libya. But the cost is quite exorbitant – about a million euros per trip, the President said. Aside from this, the government has been talking with Philippine Airlines (PAL) and Qatar Airways to lease their planes to fly Filipinos back to the Manila. Each flight costs P13 million and can bring around 200 to 300 passengers. Philippine Airlines (PAL) said Thursday it is ready to mount emergency flights to evacuate Filipinos fleeing the civil unrest in Libya. PAL president and COO Jaime Bautista said the flag carrier is closely coordinating with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) regarding the exact pick-up point where PAL will fetch Filipino evacuees. “Our planes can fly to Tunisia, Alexandria or Cairo, Egypt from Riyadh. We can also mount direct charter flights to other safe pick up points near Libya if warranted," he said. Bautista said PAL is readying its aircraft, pilots and crew as well as the necessary flight plans so it could safely ferry Filipinos back from Africa. Many times in its 70-year history, the national flag carrier — with its wide international route network — has been called upon to operate emergency missions to evacuate Filipinos in conflict-stricken territories. Aquino said there is already a P100 million standby fund accessible to the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, the Department of Foreign Affairs, and the Department of Labor and Employment for evacuating Filipinos in Libya and bringing them back home. At least 26,000 Filipinos are in Libya, most of whom are professionals employed by multinational companies that have had their own evacuation plans. PHL govt, civic groups, employers working to get OFWs out “Those that will not be taken by their employers, those are the ones that we are preparing for," Aquino said. He belied criticisms that the Philippine government is not doing anything to attend to the Filipinos in Libya. “There are severe limitations on what we can do. I would like to emphasize, perhaps if we were as rich a country as America then we could have consulates anywhere and everywhere," he explained. He said the government has sent 11 more personnel to assist the Filipino expatriates there. “The way it works is that it's not the embassy that goes out to each and every citizen we have in that country. We work with civic associations, various other groups, the firms that have employed them to be able to collect our people and put them in areas of lesser risk," said the President. He said the Philippine government is gathering Filipinos together in groups that are more manageable “so that when the opportunity arises we can bring them to another country be it by boat or be it by planes or be it over land routes." He said the situation in Libya is very fluid and can change anytime as the statements of Libyan leader Gaddafi “doesn’t calm the situation." Despite this, Aquino has no intention of denouncing the Libyan government. “We still have to deal with the [Libyan] government in place to safeguard our OFWs. This will not be the time to break relations with them or increase the tensions that they are already undergoing. Baka naman pag-initan pa ‘yung ating mga kababayan doon. The first duty of the [Philippine] government is to protect our citizens," he said. – MRT/VS, GMA News