The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) announced to the Filipino public its concern for the growing unrest in the Arab world. The DFA urged Filipinos to postpone non-essential travels to Libya, Bahrain and Yemen. The department is also studying whether to defer the deployment of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in the countries where there is political unrest.
“The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) advises Filipinos who have plans to travel to Libya, Bahrain or Yemen to defer non-essential and non-urgent travels until the security situation in those countries has stabilized,”
“This is in light of protest actions taking place in those countries,” it said.
Although DFA spokesperson Assistant Foreign Secretary Eduardo Malaya said the Philippine embassies in Tripoli, Manama and Riyadh—which has jurisdiction over Yemen—were on “heightened alert”, he also pointed out that “Filipinos in those countries are safe.”
The DFA spokesperson also said that they have already established a 24-hour crisis monitoring teams in Philippine embassies that were in close contact with Filipino nationals. They have advised Filipinos to be alert in public places and major roads, to stay away from large crowds and demonstrations and to remain calm and avoid joining protest actions.
According to the DFA “About 31,000 Filipino migrant workers are based in Bahrain, some 26,000 are in Libya while 1,400 are in Yemen”.
A news update said that Filipinos in Libya can ask for voluntary repatriation after the Philippine Embassy in Tipolo raised alert level 3.
In a press conference aired on radio and television, Foreign Affairs Secretary Esteban Conejos said he had asked the chief of mission of the International Organization of Migration for assistance in facilitating the return of the Filipinos to Manila.
The Philippine government also ordered the movement of OFWs from Benghazi and other unsafe areas of Libya to "safer areas" within the country or to neighboring countries. Chief of Philippine Overseas Employment Administration Carlos Cao, Jr. said that they are doing this for safety as well as preparation for the eventual repatriation of the OFWs to the Philippines.
Cao also said there was no need to evacuate OFWs in Bahrain as the situation there was "normalizing" while the situation in Yemen was "not very critical."
Trabaho.com. thanks its following sources:
Jerry E. Esplanada and Philip Tubeza. Philippine Daily Inquirer. DFA: Postpone travel to Libya, Bahrain (Posted on Feb 22 2011) Retrieved on Feb 22 2011 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110222-321537/DFA-Postpone-travel-to-Libya-Bahrain
Philip Tubeza. INQUIRER.net. Filipinos in Libya can seek voluntary repatriation. (Posted on Feb 22 2011) Retrieved on Feb 22 2011 from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110222-321623/Filipinos-in-Libya-can-seek-voluntary-repatriationDFA-exec
Jerry E. Esplanada and Philip Tubeza. Philippine Daily Inquirer. DFA: Postpone travel to Libya, Bahrain (Posted on Feb 22 2011) Retrieved on Feb 22 2011 from http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/inquirerheadlines/nation/view/20110222-321537/DFA-Postpone-travel-to-Libya-Bahrain
Philip Tubeza. INQUIRER.net. Filipinos in Libya can seek voluntary repatriation. (Posted on Feb 22 2011) Retrieved on Feb 22 2011 from http://globalnation.inquirer.net/news/breakingnews/view/20110222-321623/Filipinos-in-Libya-can-seek-voluntary-repatriationDFA-exec
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