DFA exec: No Pinoy seeking repatriation from Libya --- By GMA Integrated News

No Filipinos in Libya have sought repatriation following the deadly floods there, an official from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Friday. Still, DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega ensured that Filipinos who need help would be assisted by the embassy. "Walang humihingi ng repatriation, wala ring nasa shelter, lahat may natutulugan. Naninirahan sila sa bahay talaga or apartment," De Vega said at the televised public briefing. (No one is asking to be repatriated, no one is staying in shelters. All Filipinos are in their homes or apartments.) "Kung may Filipino na kailangan ng assistance, financial assistance dahil nawalan ng trabaho, gusto ng umuwi ng Pilipinas, nandoon ang ating pamahalaan, nandiyan ang ating embahada para tulungan sila," he added. (If they need assistance, financial assistance if they lose their jobs or they want to return to the Philippines, the embassy is there to help them.) De Vega said there is no power supply yet in the affected areas in Libya. He also advised Filipinos with missing relatives in Libya to immediately contact authorities, saying that maybe their loved ones could be difficult to reach as communication lines are still affected. Earlier, the Department of Migrant Workers said it has not yet received any reports of Filipinos affected by the flooding in Libya. In a television interview, DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said the catastrophic floods happened in the city of Derna, which is in the eastern part of Libya and near the border to Egypt. "Most of the Filipinos in Libya are on the western side, the Tripoli side," he said. Storm Daniel caused flooding, burst dams, swept away buildings and wiped out one-fourth of the eastern city of Derna in Libya where thousands of individuals were dead. Derna Mayor Abdulmenam al-Ghaithi said deaths in the city could already reach 18,000–20,000, based on the extent of the damage. — Anna Felicia Bajo/RSJ, GMA Integrated News

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