DFA orders mandatory evacuation of 1,000 Filipinos in Libya
FOREIGN Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. ordered the mandatory evacuation of about 1,000 Filipinos and their dependents in Tripoli as fighting gets closer to the Libyan capital.
Locsin said that he informed President Rodrigo Duterte on Tuesday of his decision to raise the alert level from 3 (voluntary evacuation) to level 4 (mandatory evacuation) to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Tripoli.
Locsin on Twitter said, “Yesterday I informed President (Duterte) that I raised the Alert Level to 4 in Tripoli + 100 kms (kilometers) around. More mortar fire, [means] more Filipinos [might get] hurt. Al (Alert) 4 is mandatory evacuation but we cannot compel — and rightly so. What is mandatory is that DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) stays in Tripoli until last OFW (overseas Filipino worker) goes — and then it stays.”
Charges d’Affaires and Philippine head of mission Elmer Cato said the embassy evacuated on Tuesday six more Filipinos from Tripoli.
“The six are now on their way to Tunis where they will board their flight for Manila. Since the conflict in Tripoli erupted early this month, the Embassy has assisted 40 Filipinos in returning to the Philippines,” he said on Facebook.
“The evacuees include Enrique Guiao, the employee of an oil and gas subcontracting firm, who survived a mortar strike at their housing compound in the outskirts of Tripoli last week,” Cato said.
He reiterated his appeal to members of the Filipino community in Tripoli “who are near where the fighting has been taking place during the past weeks to relocate to safer areas if they do not want to consider our offer to bring them home.”
“As the fighting gets nearer, it would be difficult if not impossible for the Embassy to come to the rescue of our kababayan (fellowmen) who may find themselves in the crossfire. Please move out now while you still can,” Cato added. BERNADETTE E. TAMAYO
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