The Philippine Embassy in Tripoli safely evacuated 181 Filipinos out of Libya into Tunisia. In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said embassy representatives evacuated 47 Filipino nationals based in eastern Libya on April 15 and 134 Filipino nationals based in western and central Libya on April 16. The team brought the repatriates to the Tunis International Airport and arranged for their return flights to the Philippines.
The repatriates are scheduled to arrive in Manila this week in several batches. Forty seven arrived safely on April 17 at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) while 76 Filipinos are set to arrive on April 18 on board EK332 and QR932. Another group composed of 58 Filipinos will arrive on April 19, at 4 p.m. via flights QR932 and EK332. Representatives from the DFA and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration will be present at the airport to receive them and provide information on the reintegration, employment and other forms of assistance.
These arrivals will bring the total number of repatriated Filipinos from Libya to 4,812.
The Embassy team in Tripoli led by Charge d’Affaires Adelio Cruz continues to reach out to all remaining Filipinos throughout Libya to convince them to avail of the Philippine Government’s mandatory repatriation offer. Those who wish to register for repatriation are advised to contact the following numbers: +218 927 471 949, +218 916 155 264, and +218 916 656 134.
Meanwhile, 20 Filipino evacuees from Yemen will also arrive on April 18 on board 5J741. This brings the total number of OFWs repatriated from Yemen to 468.
Manila Bulletin
