DFA belies reported abduction of four Pinoy nurses in Libya

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Tuesday belied reports that four Filipino nurses were abducted by armed men in Sirte, Libya.
 
At a press briefing, DFA spokesman Charles Jose branded as “false” the supposed kidnapping incident involving the Filipino health workers.
 
“The four were not actually not kidnapped. They were taken from their accommodation to a safer place,” Jose told a press briefing.
 
“Our embassy was able to talk to one of them and they said they are safe so the report is false,” he added. “We got this confirmation from the embassy before noon today.”

Eight Filipino workers who were seized by militants in separate attacks in February and March are still being held in undisclosed locations in Libya.

Jose said the Philippine government is still determining their whereabouts.

Libya does not have a functioning government and has been plagued by civil unrest and armed hostilities.

Last year, a Filipino worker was beheaded by militants and a Filipina nurse was gang-raped, while another was injured in an attack on an upscale hotel in capital Tripoli last month, highlighting the risks being faced by some 4,000 remaining Philippine workers there.

Manila is enforcing mandatory evacuation of all its workers after putting Libya under crisis alert level 4 — the highest security warning given by the Philippines on countries that pose security risks to Filipino travelers and migrant workers due to armed conflict or disaster.

Since imposing mandatory evacuation in July 2014, the DFA was able to bring home 4,233 Filipino workers, Jose said.

Despite repeated appeals from the Philippine government to leave, many of them chose to stay despite the widespread violence, citing lack of jobs back home. — RSJ/KBK, GMA News

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