OFWs may now return to Libya

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz

The government has lifted the ban on the deployment of returning overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) employed in the medical and oil sectors in Libya, Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said Wednesday.

Baldoz said the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) governing board issued a resolution allowing medical and oil workers who have existing contracts in Libya to return to that country, which was recently wracked by civil war.

“The lowering of the alert level, and consequently the lifting of the ban, will not cover the deployment to Libya of newly hired OFWs,” Baldoz said in a statement.

“That will be determined at a future date and will be subject to further assessment to satisfy the government that enough guarantees exist to ensure the safety of our OFWs bound for Libya,” she added.

Baldoz said the redeployment of returning workers from other sectors might be allowed “at a later time when the Philippine government is satisfied that there are enough safety guarantees for OFWs.”

The labor chief said the resolution “takes effect immediately” and would allow the gradual redeployment of “returning workers in the medical and oil sectors only, subject to proof of existing employment as determined by the POEA.”