OWWA: 54 OFWs FROM LIBYA RETURN HOME




Fifty-four (54) OFWs from Libya are expected to come home this afternoon, Wednesday, 11 June 2014, via Emirates Airways flight  EK332 at 4:35.
 
The repatriates availed of the government’s Voluntary Repatriation Program as the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) raised alert level 3 due to heightened tension in the said country.    
 
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz immediately instructed OWWA  Acting Administrator  Josefino I. Torres to extend assistance to the repatriates.  The  OWWA Airport Assistance Team  was  immediately dispatched to the airport to facilitate  the OFWs’ documents in the Immigration and  Customs areas for a hassle-free arrival. . They will also be offered temporary shelter at the OWWA Halfway Home to those who are from the provinces and will brief the migrant workers on the government’s Reintegration Program for OFWs, specifically the “Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay” Program. 
 
Under the “Balik-Pinay, Balik-Hanapbuhay” Program, the DOLE conducts skills assessment, business counseling and entrepreneurship development training to interested returning OFWs, after which, they are granted the ‘starter kits’ as a source of self-employment.
 
To date, 247  OFWs have  registered at the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli for voluntary repatriation versus the  original 51 who expressed interest to come home to the Philippines  when alert number 3 was issued by the DFA  on 29 May. The Composite Team of the DFA, DOLE, OWWA, and  POEA expect the list of  OFWs to surge as  OFWs continue to inquire  at the  Philippine Embassy  in Libya  to flee the war-torn state. About 13,000 OFWs are working in Libya mostly in the oil industry, medical field, construction as well as service industry.
 
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz authorized the travel of a 2-man advance team to Libya comprised of Labor Attache Nasser Mustafa and Welfare Officer Eduardo Mendoza  Jr. They will augment the DFA Team to monitor the situation and assist the OFWs there. Monitoring of the condition/situation of OFWs in countries where there are conflicts is being done by the government on a regular basis to safeguard the workers’ welfare and well-being.
 
OWWA extended assistance  to more than 10,000 OFWs during mass repatriation in Libya in 2011; 300 in Madagascar in the same year; 5,000 in Syria in 2012-2013.

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