Only 11 Filipino workers in Libya have so far expressed willingness to be repatriated since the Department of Foreign Affairs called out the Filipinos in Tripoli and nearby areas for voluntary repatriation.
Elmer Cato, Chargé d’Affaires at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, said most of the Filipinos in Tripoli and nearby areas do not feel the urgency on coming home despite reports of escalation of violence outside Tripoli.
The DFA had earlier asked Filipinos in Tripoli and those outside the capital within the 100 km radius to go to “safer areas” or request for repatriation.
There are 1,000 Filipinos in Tripoli and outside the capital who are affected by the Alert 3 contingency measure.
“Sabi ng iba pumasok sila sa situation at sinabing normal ang situation, although actually di normal ang situation… The reason they are not requesting for repatriation is that sanay na sila sa kaguluhan ditto at sa kanilang palagay hindi lalala,” Cato said in an interview over state-owned PTV4.
Cato also assured Filipinos that the Embassy will not pull out even if other countries have already evacuated their diplomatic staff from Tripoli.
“We received calls from frantic [Filipinos] who wanted to be sure we have not quietly left the country. Apparently, they hear rumors that we at the Philippine Embassy have been ordered to move to Tunis,” Cato said in his Facebook post.
“Even at the most violent period in Libya’s recent history, the Philippines did not close its Embassy nor pulled out its diplomatic staff from Tripoli. Our kababayans working here are the reason why the Embassy has been kept open all these years… “We would like to take this opportunity to assure the members of the Filipino Community that we have no plans of leaving. We will be staying here with them the same way colleagues who came before us did.,” he added.
To dramatize this, Cato raised the Philippine flag at the Embassy in Tripoli yesterday in time for the National Heroes’ Day.
He said this the first time this year that the Embassy hoisted the Philippine flag.
