Filipinos in Libya board ship; profs choose to stay

Filipinos began boarding early Saturday a ship chartered by the Philippine government to take them out of strife-torn Libya, even as a group of Filipino professors chose to stay behind. One of the Filipinos, Frank Soriano, said most of them were brought to the port early Saturday (Manila time) after spending the night at the Philippine Embassy. “Marami kami kaya nahihirapan (pero) smooth naman ang pag-transfer. Maayos naman (There are so many of us waiting to board the boat but the procedure is going smoothly. All is going well)," Soriano said in an interview on dzRH radio. “Several Filipinos stayed at the Philippine Embassy while others stayed with the local Filipino communities. The sleeping areas were cramped but otherwise everything is okay," he added. He estimated there were at least 1,000 Filipinos boarding the ship, including several children. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Carmelita Dimzon said in an interview on dzBB radio the “Ionian Queen," which the Philippine government chartered, docked at Libya Friday night. "The ship is expected to pick up some 1,000 Filipinos and take them to Crete," Dimzon said. She reiterated the government has allocated P100 million to help the repatriated workers affected by the conflict. But Soriano said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and OWWA could not procure enough vehicles to get them to the port. “Ilan lang ang bus na nagamit. Nahirapan ang DFA at OWWA sa paghanap ng sasakyan (There were only a few buses available. Apparently the DFA and OWWA had problems looking for vehicles)," he said. On the other hand, he said at least eight Filipino professors at a university in Misurata in Libya opted to stay behind, but seven of their colleagues voluntarily left. “The professors stayed despite the dangers because they just arrived last December. They paid a big amount in placement fees, and wanted to at least get their paycheck," he said. Last Friday night, the DFA ordered diplomats’ dependents and non-essential embassy staff to board the government-chartered ship. “Officials and staff of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli who are assisting in the repatriation efforts, as well as the six DFA-Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) augmentation teams deployed in the region, will remain," the DFA said. It also reiterated its advice to Filipinos in Libya to avail of the government’s repatriation efforts. Last Friday afternoon, the DFA and the DOLE held a joint coordination meeting to strengthen repatriation and relocation operations. Six combined DFA-DOLE teams are assisting Filipinos in Tripoli and at the various crossing and entry points of Djerba, the Libyan-Tunisian border, Al Sallum in Egypt, Crete and Malta. The two agencies have chartered airplanes and booked considerable number of seats in commercial flights for the Filipino repatriates. For its part, the DOLE reassured Filipino repatriates they can avail of the P10,000 relief assistance from the OWWA. Also, the DOLE’s National Reintegration Center for OFWs (NRCO) has made available a package of assistance for Filipino repatriates that includes psycho-social counseling, entrepreneurial, and management training as part of their reintegration program. Pledge of support Ranking officials of the United Nations and the International Organization of Migration (IOM) reassured the Philippines of continued support to help Filipinos in Libya. Philippine Representative to the UN Libran Cabactulan said he received the assurance from IOM Ambassador Michele Klein Solomon and UN Office for Coordination for Humanitarian Affairs' (OCHA) Philippe Lazzarini. Cabactulan thanked the UN and the IOM for their current and future support and briefed them on the Philippine government's own efforts for Filipinos in Libya. Solomon and Lazzarini, together with other key UN officials, briefed Cabactulan and other UN members on the current humanitarian situation in Libya. Last March 1, Cabactulan spoke before the UN General Assembly and called for an end to the violence in Libya. He also urged the international community to come together and support efforts to bring foreign nationals safely out of Libya. — LBG, GMA News