Palace: PHL officials to remain in Libya despite last call to leave

Malacañang assured the public on Tuesday that embassy officials in Libya will remain in the war-torn country even after the "last call" for Filipino workers there to return to the Philippines. "Hindi naman po sa aalis ‘yung mga tao po natin sa embahada doon. Nandoon pa naman po ‘yung ating embahada to extend any assistance kung sakali pong merong magpalit ng isip sa kanila," deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told Palace reporters. (Our embassy staff will not leave Libya. They will stay there to extend any assistance if ever any of the Filipinos who chose to remain change their mind.) Earlier in the day, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration head Carmelita Dimzon said that mandatory evacuation from Libya may turn out to be useless to Filipinos who have made up their mind to stay there. "No amount of persuasion would get them out of their respective work sites. At nagdesisyon sila mag-stay doon (And they already decided to stay there). We're talking of mandatory repatriation. Everybody should leave Libya. But if they refuse we cannot drag them out of Libya bodily," Dimzon said in an interview on dwIZ radio. Thousands of Filipinos in Libya opted to stay amid the attacks by United Nations-sanctioned coalition forces against Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi’s forces. Valte said the embassy staff received information that the Filipino workers in Libya, many of them nurses in government hospitals, were offered double pay and hazard pay by their employers. "I understand na may bago po kasi silang circumstances na finactor in… ‘Yung mga employer daw po ay nag-offer ng double pay and ng hazard pay doon po sa mga nurses in the government hospitals and they are seeking the government’s assistance para po mai-remit ‘yung kikitain nila," she said. She said the Philippine government respects the decision of the United Nations allowing attacks against Libya but is not yet ready to support it. "As a member of the (UN Security) Council, we are bound to respect the decision… So far, ‘yun lang po kasi ‘yung naibigay po sa atin—that we, as a member of the body, we respect the decision of the majority," Valte said. She added the government would rather focus on safety of the Filipinos in Libya. "That doesn't detract us from our pressing need to really take care of the welfare of our citizens," she said. — Amita Legaspi/RSJ, GMA News