Following abduction of 3 Pinoys, deployment ban to Libya should stay —OFW solon

ACTS OFW party-list Representative John Bertiz III believes that the Philippine government's existing deployment ban of its workers to Libya should continue following the abduction of three Filipino engineers in the North African state.

"As we can see in this latest kidnapping incident, the ban should stay. It is simply too dangerous for our workers to be there," Bertiz said in a statement issued on Saturday.

"In fact, if we still have citizens left there, we should bring them home now because all foreigners there are being targeted by lawless elements," he added.

A South Korean, along with three Filipino engineers, were kidnapped by armed men off a water project site in western Libya on July 6.

Bertiz said the seized Filipino workers may have entered Libya despite the deployment ban through working visas obtained from a third country.

"It is also possible the three Filipinos were already in Libya a long time ago, and that they shunned repatriation when the Philippine government brought home some 14,000 workers in 2011 and 2014," Bertiz said.

According to Bertiz, Libya is in much need of foreign professionals for its medical and oil sectors.

Tripoli, Libya's capital city, has also been appealing to Manila to lift the deployment ban, he said.

But foreigners in Libya, Bertiz said, are not only encountering security issues but also money remittance difficulties as well.

"The best way to secure the safe release of the three Filipinos is for us to coordinate our efforts with the Libyan and South Korean governments," he said.

Seoul has already deployed a warship to Libya in an attempt to show force to secure the release of the hostages.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs has assured the family of the three abducted Filipinos in Libya that it is doing everything it can to ensure their “safe and early release.”

The Philippine Navy is preparing an "appropriate force package"  to assist foreign affairs officials in efforts to ensure the safe release of the three Filipinos. —KG, GMA News