Angara, Escudero dissatisfied with govt repatriation efforts in Libya

Two senators on Monday said they find the government’s repatriation efforts in strife-torn Libya lacking. “Mukhang kulang ang efforts (There is not enough effort in) helping our people in the Middle East," said Sen. Edgardo Angara in an interview with reporters. He noted what he perceives as the absence of “sense of urgency" on the part of the government, comparing its repatriation efforts to that of China or Italy, which reportedly sent chartered flights to Libya to bring their citizens to safety. “The government must show some immediate action," Angara said. Sen. Francis Escudero, for his part, urged the government to adopt a “one-size-fits-all" evacuation program to ensure that every Filipino in Libya will be reached and safely evacuated. “These are our modern heroes who keep our economy afloat. We should protect them from threats and dangers anywhere," he said.

Escudero said key government agencies must expedite the release of standby funds for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) in dangerous situations in their host countries. “All mechanisms, legal, financial, physical to afford protection for our people should be interfaced with all efforts from all fronts," he said. Both senators, however, said there is no need for a supplementary budget. Escudero said that there is enough “budgetary space" to source funds for the repatriation efforts, while Angara said that the government can use the billion-peso Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) fund for the endeavor. As of Sunday, nearly 1,500 OFWs have been evacuated from Libya, based on figures from the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE). Citing Department of Foreign Affairs records, Esudero said that there are 26,000 Filipinos currently working and living in Libya. Of this number, only 13,000 are likely to be evacuated by the government, he said without elaborating. - Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News