DFA probes ‘inhumane’ treatment of repatriates
DFA spokesman Charles Jose. AFP FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday that they will investigate the complaints of Filipinos about the alleged “inhumane” treatment they went through while they were being repatriated out of strife-torn Libya.
“The DFA is verifying these reports and an investigation will be conducted. Those accountable will be put to task,” DFA spokesman Charles Jose said in a statement.
“The intention was very good [to get the Filipinos out of Libya]. It’s just that somewhere along the line there were some inadequacies,” he said.
The chartered ship from Malta was rented at a cost of $1.8 million and docked at the ports of Benghazi and Misrata to load Filipino repatriates.
Several Filipino’s aired their complaints to reporters such as how they had to sleep on the floor of the chartered ship, the lack of air conditioning in some cabins, and cabin beds that were infested with bed bugs.
One Filipina nurse that boarded the ship from Benghazi said in an interview on TV5 that she was told to “just scratch it” when she asked one of the ship officers for some medicine for the bites all over her arms and legs.
“I mean, it’s inhumane. It’s already difficult to get home and what I went through isn’t easy either then we won’t be treated like humans,” the Filipina who identified herself as Zel, said in the televised interview.
“In fact, it so difficult because there was only one washroom for almost 200 people, it really isn’t a joke,” she said.
Around 700 Filipinos were brought out of Libya by ship from Benghazi and Misrata and then brought to Malta where two Philippine Airline chartered planes flew them back to Manila.
Jose said they would look at all the preparations put in place for the repatriation and determine where there were lapses.
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