The Philippine government may soon order all Filipinos in Libya to be repatriated as violence continues to escalate in the country.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) may raise the crisis alert level in Libya from Level 3 to 4 in the next few days, which would require all Filipinos to be repatriated, Manila Bulletin reported.
Bello said the Philippine government is preparing to help those affected and that the workers are likely to be assisted to find new jobs in Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.
“These countries are also in need of health workers so we might consider deploying them there,” Bello said.
Last week, a Filipino man was hurt during a rocket attack in Tripoli, the capital of Libya. As a result of the incident, the Philippine government urged Filipinos to leave Libya. Bello said a six-member team of labor personnel and welfare officers would be sent to Libya to help Filipinos be repatriated.
According to the DFA, 11 Filipino workers have been evacuated from Libya while 29 others are awaiting repatriation. It was reported that more than 1,000 Filipinos will be helped to return home.