Last Pinoy helper of Ghadafy returns home

MANILA, Philippines - Almost a year after the ouster and death of Libyan leader Moammar Ghadafy, the last Filipina helper in his household staff finally returned home.

Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said yesterday Raquel Collantes is now back home. “Collantes is the last of the four Ghadafy household service workers who we searched for to be rescued at the height of the 2011 Libyan uprising,” she said.               

Labor attaché to Tripoli Nasser Mustaffa reported that he had personally accompanied Collantes to the Tripoli International Airport on Aug. 19 to facilitate her repatriation.              

Two of Collantes’ Filipina companions in the Ghadafy household, Diane Jill Rivera and Mary Ann Ducos Almario, were successful rescued and repatriated in September last year.

The third Ghadafy household domestic worker, Zenaida Labuguen, returned home after staying at the Filipino Workers’ Resource Center for over a month.           

The Philippine Overseas Labor Office (POLO) requested the embassy to extend the validity of Collantes’ passport.           

“At first, we encountered difficulty in convincing Libyan immigration authorities to give her an exit visa due to her employer’s status,” the POLO reported. “In the end, they gave her an exit visa after we complied with some requirements.”