3 Filipinos held captive in Libya come back home — DFA

In a series of Tweets, Locsin also shared some photos of him meeting the three and their families. (File photo: Teddy Locsin Jr./Facebook)

The three Filipino civil engineers who were taken hostage in Libya finally returned to the country on Saturday, May 18.

Along with Ambassador to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Hjayceelyn M. Quintana, the three arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 2, where they were welcomed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin, Jr.

“We are glad that we are able to bring them home alive and safe to their families,” Locsin said.

“These Filipinos coming home to their families are living proof that the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) will never leave a Filipino in danger behind,” he added.

In a series of tweets, Locsin also shared some photos of him meeting the three and their families.

“The 3 hostages are home,” he said.

“I told them the President would have strung me up if they did not come back safe. They said they knew he was watching over them,” he added on another post.

On Friday, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation announced the release of the Filipinos and South Korean national who were taken by armed men from the site of the Great Man-Made River project in the southern part of Libya last July 2018.

The ministry, in its statement posted on its website, said the UAE government communicated with the Libyan National Army “to work on releasing them and ensure their safety,” after they received requests from the Philippines and South Korea.

“The release of these innocent civilians has been made after intensive efforts to convey a message about the significance and importance of strengthening security and peace in Libya, and to contain criminal practices by armed groups who hold civilians captive without any consideration to international charters and norms,” it said.

“In this case, they did not consider that these civilians work for companies that are serving national interests of Libya and its people,” it added.

The Philippine government has expressed its gratitude to the governments of UAE, Libya, and South Korea for their efforts that led to the release of the three Filipinos and their Korean colleague.