OWWA releases P1.1M for OFWs back from Libya

CEBU, Philippines - The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration-7 has released at least P1.1 million under the Financial Relief Assistance Program for the 127 overseas Filipino workers who were repatriated from Libya as of last week.

Based on OWWA’s records, there are 3,505 OFWs repatriated from Libya and 131 of them are from Central Visayas.

Of the 131, 90 are from Cebu, 25 from Bohol, 14 from Negros Oriental and two from Siquijor. There are 113 males and 18 females.

Eda Marie Enclonar, OWWA-7 Information Officer, said they are still waiting for the four others to come to their office and claim their financial assistance.

“Hinuon duna pa may mangabot tag-usa, di gyud pareha sa una nga daghan gyud ang mo-claim,” she said.

Aside from the cash, OWWA also extended a livelihood orientation, Skills-for Employment Scholarship Program, and Entrepreneur Development Training to the OFWs.

Enclonar, however, said that as to the deployment, they do not have the authority to track it down.

But according to lawyer Anika Fernandez, regional director of the Department of Foreign Affairs-7, some OFWs from Libya wanted to go back to the Middle East but were hindered by the Bureau of Immigration because there was no approval yet from the central office.

“Some of them are from Libya but they preferred to go to other country since there is no cancelation of their Visa,” Fernandez said, adding that they could no longer identify how many and who are those who went to another country.

The repatriation of the more than 700 OFWs from Libya costs the Philippine government around P80 million.

Since the fighting between rival factions broke out in Libya in May, around 3,000 Filipinos returned to the country.

There are around 10,000 OFWs who decided to stay and continue working in Libya. They were, however, reminded by the DFA that border repatriation through Tunisia continues.

The fighting in Libya caused the DFA to raise the Alert Level Four or the mandatory evacuation warning because of the unstable political and security situation there.

Two months ago, a Filipino construction worker was beheaded and a Filipina nurse was gang-raped in Libya. (FREEMAN)