Priest: Stranded OFWs in Libya on verge of panic

Several Filipinos remain stranded in strife-torn Libya and may be on the verge of panic as the situation there threatens to grow worse, a parish priest based there said Saturday. Fr. Allan Jose Arcebuche said many Filipinos could not get out of their homes due to sporadic gunfire and the lack of vehicles to take them to assembly points where they can leave Libya. “We fear things may get worse for foreigners here. Next week if the situation does not improve, panic may set in. Even local residents have to line up for bread rations because the stores are closed," Arcebuche, assistant parish priest of San Francesco Catholic Church in Tripoli, said in Filipino in an interview on dzRH radio. “It is hard to mobilize Filipinos for evacuation because of the lack of vehicles available in the desert, as some employers have left their workers behind," he said, adding that more than 1,000 Filipinos are stranded in the desert. Moreover, he said stranded Filipinos dare not go out beyond 4 p.m. because of fear they may be shot, and that they could not even contact the Philippine Embassy there. Meanwhile, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) admitted having problems getting in touch with Philippine embassy officials due to communication line problems. “Sometimes we have problems connecting to the Philippine post. We are doing our best to contact our post," OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon said in a separate interview on dzRH. Living in fear Arcebuche said that in Misurata district in northwestern Libya, Filipino nurses could not report for duty due to the intense exchange of fire outside hospitals. “Pag may nakarinig ng machine gun nagpa-panic sila (They tend to panic if they hear machine gun fire)," he said. Several Filipino professors also could not leave because of the lack of vehicles that can take them to a rendezvous point. “Ganito ang sitwasyon sa Tripoli, mahirap kumilos ang contingent dahil ang away narito na sa Tripoli (This is the situation in Tripoli. It is hard for contingents to move because the fighting has come to Tripoli)," he said. He also cited news reports that the closure of the US Embassy in Tripoli, which is facing sanctions, has prompted the Libyan government to urge people to arm themselves in case of “external aggression." “This is a scary scenario for Filipinos that other countries must consider. What is needed now is not violence but humanitarian aid, especially since the stores are closed and no food is available," the priest said. On the other hand, he said some Filipinos are becoming envious of other nationalities whose governments had launched repatriation efforts. Arcebuche said the best way to evacuate Filipinos now may be by ferry because there is no more safe route except by sea, adding that many major cities have international ports. “If they try to move by land it is almost impossible now. The government no longer has control of critical roads," he said. Locked up In Gharian in northwestern Libya, a Filipina resident complained they had been forced to stay home for more than a week, and she could not get through to the Philippine Embassy. “We are in virtual house arrest for almost a week. We are ready to leave and we have stocked up on groceries. But the problem is we do not know how to get out of the house," the woman who declined to give her name said in Filipino an interview on dzRH. She also said Filipinos at the exit area are going hungry, and are complaining that there is no one from the Philippine government coordinating with them. “Walang gusto umalis sa place namin dahil walang kasiguraduhan. ‘Di kami pwede lumipad. Ang problema ay ang sasakyan (Many Filipinos do not want to leave because of the uncertainty. We cannot fly out. We cannot even find vehicles that can take us to exit points)," she said. “Even if we get to the exit point, where will we go and who will coordinate with us? We cannot even contact the embassy, the OWWA or the Department of Foreign Affairs," she added. DFA on repatriation mode On Friday, the DFA claimed it is now on full relocation and repatriation mode, in the wake of continued violence in Libya. A news release on the DFA website said the Philippine Embassy has activated relocation centers in Tripoli and Benghazi for OFWs to stay in, “unless they feel safe where they are, in which case they should remain there until further notice." It said the OFWs in relocation centers will be moved to exit points where they will be transported out of Libya. * Current initiatives

- Shipping arrangements are being made to take out Filipinos in Benghazi to the safe haven of Crete, and those in Tripoli to the safe haven of Malta, where they will be flown to locations where commercial flights to Manila are available. - Alternative land routes are being established out of Libya. For those in Tripoli and environs, an outpost is being set up on the border of Tunisia. For those in the Benghazi area their land route would be through the outpost in As Sallum, a border town of Egypt. - Embassy personnel are posted in these outposts to provide necessary assistance.

* Initiatives in place

- OFWs are enjoined to avail of employer-organized repatriation. - For others, relocation sites have been activated: the Philippine School and the Filipino Workers Resource Center in Tripoli and the two Philippine Schools in Benghazi. - An increasing number of personnel are deployed and are assisting in Libya, particularly at the border crossings of Tunisia and Egypt. - The President has allotted an initial amount of over P100 million for the repatriation program and emergency services for Filipino nationals. - The assistance of the International Organization for Migration, as well as other countries, have been enlisted.

* Assistance to families

- In cooperation with SMART, a 24-hour “Libreng tawag" is available at the DFA for families of OFWs to talk directly to relatives in Libya. - A crisis management center has been set up, with a 24-hour hotline number (834-4580) at the DFA, for families of OFWs to get information about their relatives in Libya.

— LBG, GMA News