DFA: Turkey helped 168 OFWs flee Libya

The Turkish government helped in the evacuation by sea of at least 168 overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Libya this week, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Friday. The DFA said the OFWs, who work for Turkish construction firms, were included in Turkey's efforts to evacuate its own 25,000 nationals in Libya. It said these OFWs will be transported in groups by bus from Marmaris Port to Ankara's Esenboga Airport, where they will be flown to Manila over the weekend on various flights. "On February 28, the Turkish naval vessel Iskenderun arrived in Turkey carrying three OFWs. The Orhan Gazi arrived in Marmaris Post on March 1, at 11:00 p.m. with 29 Filipinos, most of whom were employees of American construction firm Red Sea Housing," it said in a news release. Last Wednesday, the Osman Gazi arrived in Marmaris Port after picking up foreign nationals, including 136 OFWs, and Turkish citizens from Benghazi and Ras Lanuf Port in Libya. On the Osman Gazi were 74 OFWs employed by the Ustay Construction Company from Ras Lanuf, 61 OFWs employed by the Tekfen Construction Company from Benghazi, and one OFW working for TML Construction in Misurata. But the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs informed the Philippine Embassy in Ankara last March 2 that this would be Turkey's last deployment of ships to Libya. The DFA said Consul Leilani Feliciano and Assistance to Nationals and Consular Assistant Boyet Caldez from the Embassy welcomed the arrival of all the Filipinos from Libya. It said they provided consular assistance to them in Marmaris Port, issuing travel documents to those without passports and arranging for their accommodation and repatriation back to the Philippines. "Ustay Construction, Tekfen and TML Construction are all Turkish construction and consultancy firms in Libya. All three companies honored their contractual obligations and commitment to pay for the repatriation expenses of all their Filipino employees," the DFA added. — LBG, GMA News