Fifty one Filipinos living in Libya have signed up for voluntary repatriation while the Philippine government is working on evacuation plans.
According to an Inquirer report, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Charles Jose confirmed on Tuesday that the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli has started making flight arrangements for the first batch of Filipinos who signed up for the repatriation program. He said their documentation is being arranged and that they would be put on a flight home as soon as possible.
The DFA official also said that exit points have been readied for Filipinos departing from the conflict-stricken nation in case the international airport in Benghazi is shut down. Land routes through Egypt and Tunisia and sea routes through Malta and Greece have already been identified.
There are at least 13,000 Filipinos in Libya and most of them are still opting to stay as “they feel that they are safe there while nothing [major] is happening yet.” Jose told the Inquirer.
