DOLE awaiting report on OFWs repatriation from Libya

FILE: Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III at the recently concluded Employers Forum at the Clark Freeport Zone. (Photo: DOLE Central Luzon/Facebook)

MANILA — The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) on Thursday said it has yet to receive the report of its augmentation team on the timeline of the repatriation of overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) in Libya.

Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III, said that aside from the schedule of sending Filipino workers back home, the team will also determine how many OFWs would want to be repatriated.

“The timeline and the estimated number of OFWs to be repatriated is being handled by our augmentation team. They are doing right now. We are awaiting immediate information from them as soon as possible,” said the DOLE chief in an interview.

The augmentation team, which was deployed in April, is composed of three administrative staff and three welfare officers.

“I am planning to hire as consultant a former Department of Foreign Affairs official (DFA) who have a long experience in handling the Libyan problem to lead the augmentation team,” he said.

However, the DOLE chief declined to name the former DFA official.

“He is a veteran on the Libyan situation. He knows almost all officials in the country from both sides. If I mention his name, you might even know him. Still, it has yet to be formalized,” he explained.

On Wednesday, the DFA has raised Alert Level 4 in the North African nation due to fighting between forces of the United Nations-backed government, led by Prime Minister Fayez al-Sarraj, and the Libyan National Army (LNA) led by Khalifa Haftar.

At present, LNA forces continue to push toward the capital Tripoli since it started its offensive.

Alert Level 4 means forced repatriation of Filipinos in the host country.

Libya is host to some 2,600 documented OFWs, majority of them are health workers.