Department of Foreign Affairs building. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines – The mandatory repatriation continues, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) reiterated Thursday after a Filipino nurse was abducted and raped in the capital city of Tripoli.
“The DFA reassures the public that repatriation efforts are on-going in Libya under Crisis Alert Level 4 (Mandatory Repatriation). At no point in time was it discontinued,” it said in a statement.
“Repatriation efforts are headed by Adelio Angelito Cruz, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli and leader of the Rapid Response Team. The DFA remains committed to the protection of our nationals in Libya as evidenced by the continued presence of core Embassy personnel despite the highly volatile security situation in that country,” DFA said.
The nurse had been abducted in her home by four Libyan youths and then brought to an undisclosed place where she was raped by six persons.
She was released two hours after and then taken by Philippine Embassy personnel to a hospital for a medical checkup. She is presently under the care of the Embassy, DFA spokesman Charles Jose said.
One Filipino construction worker was previously kidnapped and beheaded by militiamen in Libya, which is on the verge of civil war amid weak government control.
The situation in Libya has been unstable since the fall of long-time dictator Muammar Gaddhafi in 2011.
“We reiterate our call to our remaining nationals in Libya to immediately get in touch with the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli and register for repatriation. The Philippine Government will shoulder the repatriation costs,” DFA said.
To register for repatriation, Filipinos may contact the Embassy in Tripoli through the telephone numbers (00218) 918-244-208 / 914-370-399 / 945-348-481 and the e-mail addresses tripoli.pe@gmail.com and tripoli.pe@dfa.gov.ph.
The Embassy’s address is KM 7 Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas, P.O. Box 12508, Tripoli.
Families and relatives of Filipinos in Libya may also call DFA’s 24-hour hotlines (02) 552-7105 / (02) 834-4685 to register their relatives in Libya for repatriation. They may also call these numbers for any questions and concerns, or send their queries by e-mail to oumwa@dfa.gov.ph.
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