Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) secretary Teodoro “Teddy” Locsin Jr. clarified that overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) from Libya who will be going home during the Christmas holiday will still be allowed to return to the war-torn country.
“I promised them that even if you are regarded as fool-hearted… [for] insisting on going back [to Libya] because you need to work and you need to take care of your family, if you are in trouble, we will get you back,” Locsin said.
During Locsin’s confirmation hearing as foreign affairs secretary, he also assured that OFWs in Libya will be strictly monitored to ensure that they are safe.
The Philippine offices in Libya, meanwhile, will be open for distressed OFWs who need help.
In September, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) imposed a total deployment ban on newly-hired workers after the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised the Alert Level 3 in Libya due to the escalation of violence there.
It noted that the overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) who are allowed to return to the host country are: those who took their vacation before the announcement of Alert Level III on Sept. 4, 2018, including their dependents; and those who are employed by diplomats, foreign embassies, missions, international organizations, and academic institutions in Libya (whose evacuation is guaranteed by the organization/employer).
Also exempted from the ban are Filipinos who work offshore in oil rig platforms, provided they will not pass through nor spend their vacation inside Libya and those who are married to Libyan nationals who permanently reside in Libya and their accompanying dependents.
