FORTY Filipino workers in Libya who want to return home amid the worsening civil war in their host country have a new chance to get out by going overland into the neighboring country of Morocco where flights are still allowed.
Ambassador Elmer Cato, interviewed by the hosts of the “Laging Handa” public briefing on Monday , said while Libya’s airports and borders to neighboring countries remain closed due to the raging conflict between government troops and rebel forces, the opening of the new Philippine embassy in Rabat, Morocco offers a solution to the problem of repatriating Filipinos trapped by the war.
Cato said the security crisis in Libya appears to be worsening as fighting neared the edges of the country’s capital of Tripoli.
“We are not worried about COVID-19 here as Libya only has recorded 65 cases so far. Our main concern is the conflict since we have 2,300 Filipinos here, half of whom are working in the health sector as nurses, medical technologists and technicians. Some hospitals have already been hit by rockets; we are in constant fear that some of them might become collateral damage,” he said.
He said another big bulk of OFWs is working in the oil sector but operations have been affected by shutdowns and suspension again due to the internal strife.
Cato said 40 Filipinos, many of whom have already lost their jobs due to the ongoing war, sought assistance from the embassy to be able to return to the Philippines.
“Because of the lockdown the borders are closed, same thing with the airports. We cannot evacuate as of the moment but we are finding ways,” he said.
Cato said the now operational embassy in Morocco could serve as the contact point to help Filipinos exit Libya together with some 200 other OFWs coming out of Algeria and Tunisia who also want to return to the Philippines due to the rising number of COVID-19 cases in both countries.
He reported that Algeria has listed 7,019 cases of infection, stoking fear among Filipinos working for Hyundai, Samsung and other industries engaged in construction projects in the North Africa region.
“We have to work with our colleagues in other countries like Morocco for instance, where our newest embassy has just been opened. Maybe we can now request for a sweeper flight to fetch those who are leaving Algeria/Morocco and we will help the 40 OFWs we have here in Libya over the border as well as those from Tunisia. All in all, we are hoping to help about 300 Filipinos to return home,” he said.
Cato said many of the Filipinos in Libya, particularly those in the medical field, have signified that they would prefer to stay despite the ongoing conflict.
“That’s fine but our appeal, sometimes to the point of sounding like a broken record, is for them to please make sure to take precautions for immediate evacuation once the explosions and gunfire approaches their job locations,” he said.
He pointed out that the Philippines is just one of the few remaining countries that still maintain an active diplomatic presence in Tripoli despite the fact that many other countries have packed up or transferred to less-risky places like Tunisia.
“We will not leave because we have to look after the members of the Filipino community here, there are still about 2,300 of them,” he noted.
