Ban on deployment in Libya stays

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine government would still review the current security situation in Libya before coming out with a decision whether or not to lift the deployment ban on overseas Filipino workers (OFW) following the death of Moammar Ghadafi.

“We will have to wait for the results of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) security assessment,” Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said.

Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) chief Carlos Cao Jr. said the DFA and other concerned government agencies are set to meet tomorrow to discuss the situation in Libya.

“We will discuss the security, political and deployment implications of the killing of Ghadafi, so until then our OFWs will have to wait,” he said.

Cao also cautioned aspiring OFWs against accepting jobs offers from recruiters who are claiming that there are job openings in Libya at this time.

“For their safety, OFWs should wait for the announcement of the Philippine government if the ban has already been lifted,” he said.

However, there were already reports that some repatriated workers from Libya have started sneaking back to the war-torn country and returning to their previous jobs.

Sources from the Department of Labor and Employment said Filipino workers who previously sought repatriation due to hostilities in Libya have also defied government ban and have returned there.

“Upon reaching Hong Kong or Thailand, the Filipino workers proceed to Tunisia and from there they cross the border to Tripoli, Libya,” a government official revealed.