Palace urges OFWs in Libya to come home

MANILA, Philippines - Malacañang is again calling on overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) still in strife-torn Libya to avail of the mandatory repatriation program of the government and return home as soon as possible.

Deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has been appealing to the OFWs to return since raising Crisis Alert Level 4 in Libya in July last year.

“When the situation in Libya started to become volatile, 13,000 Filipinos are still there. So far, our latest count is that 4,000 remain,” Valte said over dzRB.

“That’s why we’ve been repeatedly making the call to please come home because the situation there is already different,” she said.

Valte said the government is having a hard time with logistics because there are no more commercial flights to and from the troubled North African nation.

She said the DFA continues to support and provide OFWs assistance to ensure their safety.

“What’s important is for them to be safe, to be with their loved ones,” she said.

Valte also urged families of the OFWs in Libya to convince the workers to heed the government’s call and return to the Philippines.

“Hopefully, a lot more will avail of the repatriation operations because again, the challenges become greater as the days pass,” Valte said.