The Department of Labor and Employment said a total of 98 overseas Filipino workers (OFW) from Libya arrived in the country on Saturday, as the government scrambles to evacuate up to nearly 30,000 Filipinos in light of the growing political turmoil there.
In a release, DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said the 98 arrived in batches from France, where they were evacuated by their local recruitment agencies and their employer, Vinci Grand Projects.
The repatriates, according to Baldoz, were on board flights CX 901 which arrived 10:25 a.m.; GF154, at 11:15 a.m.; SQ 910, at 1:10 p.m.; VN 2690, at 1:30 p.m.; and SQ 912, which arrived at 4:00 p.m.
Baldoz said Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) administrator Carmelita Dimzon welcomed the OFWs at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport to assist them, particularly those who would like to immediately return to their home provinces.
Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said earlier said a batch of 21 OFWs arrived at 9:40 a.m., while another batch of 34 is due at noon, and a group of four at 4 p.m.
“Ine-explore kasi natin lahat na ways to get them out of Libya [We are exploring all ways to get them out of Libya]," she said on government-run dzRB radio.
She said some 90 Filipinos had been brought from Libya to Paris, even as exit routes by sea and land are being mapped out.
Some 100 OFWs are stranded in their work site in the Amal oil fields in Tripoli, Libya, as they call on the government to arrange their immediate repatriation in light of the worsening unrest there. Migrante
Political unrest has rocked Libya for several weeks, marked by armed confrontations as opposition groups wanting to end Muammar Gaddafi’s over four-decade rule continue to close in on him even as he vowed to "crush any enemy" last Friday.
Earlier, OFW Romelito Bagazona returned to the country Friday but remained worried about the family he left in Libya, dzBB radio reported. Bagazona arrived in the country to visit his ailing father.
New DFA chief heads for Tunisia
Meanwhile, Department of Foreign Affairs spokesman Eduardo Malaya said newly-appointed DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario left midnight for Tunisia, one of the areas where OFWs leaving Libya can assemble before being brought home.
He said DFA Undersecretary Esteban Conejos Jr. accompanied Del Rosario on his trip.
“Gusto niya mismo makita nang personal ang kalagayan ng ating kababayan [He wanted to personally see the situation of our fellow Filipinos there]," he said.
Malaya said Del Rosario and Conejos were expected to arrive in Tunisia at 4 p.m. Manila time.
On the other hand, Malaya said the DFA is still verifying reports that at least one OFW had been killed in the violence in Libya.
“Wala pa po tayong confirmed reports diyan. Sana ang [nagsabi nito] may factual basis sa report. Tayo ay nananalangin wala talagang insidente tulad ng ganyan," he said. (We still do not have confirmed reports about that. We wish those who gave this report will have factual basis. We pray there are really no incidents such as these.)
Meanwhile, the DFA said it started operating Saturday a 24-hour “Libreng Tawag (free-call)" program for relatives of Filipinos still in Libya.
According to the DFA, the arrangement with Smart Communications allows families of the OFWs to talk directly to their relatives in the strife-torn country.
“Starting 9 a.m. Saturday, families of OFWs can go to the south wing lobby of the DFA Main Building in Pasay City to avail of the Libreng Tawag joint public service program," the DFA said.
It added a crisis management center has also been set-up with 24-hour hotline numbers: 834-4580, 834-3245, 834-3240, and 834-4646.
The crisis management center is for families of OFWs who may want to get information about the conditions of their relatives in Libya.
More OFWs set to arrive on Sunday
Meanwhile, the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) said 16 more Filipinos from Libya are due to arrive home in two flights on Sunday.
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said one batch of 15 OFWs employed by Akakus Craddok USA in Tripoli will arrive aboard a Qatar Airlines flight 3 p.m.
Two of the over 100 stranded OFWs in Amal oil fields, one of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producers’ four largest, congregate with the others in their work site as they await word about their evacuation from conflict-ridden Libya. Migrante
Baldoz identified the 15 OFWs as Jimmy Fastino, Walter Paco, Roberto Abadecio, Leando De Castro, Jose Cacal, F. Punzalan, Castor Abaritos, Carlito Macatangay, Bernard Calnea, Aurelio Patacsil, August Bailey Caringal, Arturo del Rosario, Arnold Salvador, Alan Agriam, and Taguin Abbe.
"There will be other flights and we will disseminate the information about these as soon as we get confirmation," she said in a news release posted on the Labor Department website.
The 16th OFW, Eduardo Granadozin, will arrive separately at 9 p.m. also on Sunday, she added.
The Spanish engineers who are workers of Repsol Petroleum of Spain took with them the 16 Filipinos even if they were not Repsol Petroleum employees. For this, we thank the company and the Government of Spain for allowing the OFWs to transit their country
– Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz
She said the 16 OFWs arrived in Spain together with Spanish engineers who evacuated from Libya onboard a chartered flight.
"The Spanish engineers who are workers of Repsol Petroleum of Spain took with them the 16 Filipinos even if they were not Repsol Petroleum employees. For this, we thank the company and the Government of Spain for allowing the OFWs to transit their country," Baldoz said.
On the other hand, Baldoz said the OFWs who returned home from Libya Saturday arrived from France, where they were evacuated through their local recruitment agencies and their employer, Vinci Grand Projects.
Over 100 OFWs stranded in Libyan oil field
In an email by one of some 100 OFWs stranded in their worksite in the Amal oil field in Libya, area facilities engineer Virgilio Bagano said they are now ready for evacuation but lamented they have yet to receive any notice either from their employer or from DFA and Embassy officials there.
“Ready na sana kami sa evacuation kung kelan ready ang company namin o ano plano ng Embassy natin dito sa Libya. Kaso hangang ngayon wala pang action o tulong kaming natanggap," Bagano said in his email.
(We are ready for evacuation whenever our company is ready or depending on the plans of our Embassy here in Libya. But the thing is, until now we have not seen any action or help from them.)
Bagano’s message was sent to his wife, who then forwarded it to Migrante.
According to Bagano, while they are in the desert area of Amal, armed looters have been harassing them every night and confiscating their vehicles and heavy equipment.
“Gabi-gabi walang kaming tulog. Laging nagbabantay [dahil] baka isunod ang mga gamit namin sa kwarto na gustong kunin," Bagano explained. (Every night we are unable to sleep. We have to always be on guard as the looters might choose to get next our stuff inside the rooms.)
Ready na sana kami sa evacuation kung kelan ready ang company namin o ano plano ng Embassy natin dito sa Libya. Kaso hangang ngayon wala pang action o tulong kaming natanggap.
– Virgilio Bagano, area facilities engineer, Amal oil field, Libya
Bagano said they are worried that their stock of food and water will soon run out, as they’re finding it hard to go out for supplies given the road blocks and the danger they may encounter in the streets.
Their only means of communication is the Internet, as phone signals have reportedly been blocked although electricity has not yet been cut off in the area, he added.
Bagano, however, lamented he could not find the email address of the DFA on its website.
The Amal site in eastern Libya is one of the four largest oil fields of the Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) producers.
$6.4M fund from Int’l Red Cross
As this developed, the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has launched a $6.4-million emergency appeal for urgent needs of people affected by the violent unrest in Libya.
According to the ICRC, the initial appeal aims to ensure adequate surgical and medical care for the wounded and emergency aid for people who fled Libya to Tunisia and Egypt.
"The reports we're getting indicate that the humanitarian situation inside Libya is worsening by the hour. We're very concerned about the growing number of people who are leaving their homes in search of safety and trying to cross the border," said the ICRC's deputy director of operations, Dominik Stillhart, in an article on the ICRC website.
ICRC said it will work with the Tunisian and Egyptian Red Crescent Societies, and offer services to people from the region and stranded foreigners who are urgently trying to contact their families.
Stillhart said he was also worried about news that Libyan hospitals and clinics were struggling to cope with large numbers of wounded.
In response to the deteriorating health situation, two planeloads of ICRC medical supplies were due to leave Geneva, Switzerland, on Friday night.
One was bound for Cairo and the other for Tunis, with the ICRC planning to move these supplies into Libya by road as quickly as possible.
Also, two emergency teams made up of ICRC Norwegian and Finnish Red Cross medical staff are waiting in Egypt and Tunisia to enter Libya as soon as they get clearance from the authorities.
"Each team includes two surgeons, two nurses, an anesthetist and other humanitarian specialists. They will be helping Libyan health staff to treat the wounded. The Libyan Red Crescent is providing blood supplies to hospitals inside the country, assessing the situation and paving the way for the ICRC to gain access to those in need," the ICRC said.
For the latest Philippine news stories and videos, visit GMANews.TV
source: gma
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment