The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said on Tuesday President Benigno Simeon Aquino III approved its recommendation to lower the alert level in Libya from "4" (evacuation/mandatory repatriation) to "2" (restriction phase).
“This lowering of the alert level means the redeployment of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) to Libya, as well as allowing Filipinos who chose to stay behind to return to the country and allow them to return to Libya,” Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said.
However, the lowering of the alert level will not cover the deployment to Libya of newly-hired OFWs.
The DFA raised alert level 4 in March this year, and asked Filipinos in the country to leave the country due to the politico-security situation in the country.
Gradual redeployment
In a letter to Labor and Employment Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Del Rosario has requested the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Governing Board to issue a resolution allowing the gradual redeployment of returning Filipino workers.
The DFA recommended starting with those working in the medical and oil sectors, subject to proof of existing employment, such as return to work letter from their employers and appropriate visas, as determined by the POEA.
(Source: GMA News)
