Gadhafi’s last Filipino maid finally comes home

The last of the four Filipino domestic helpers employed by the household of the late Libyan dictator Moammar Gadhafi is finally home.

According to Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz, Philippine labor attaché to Tripoli Nasser Mustaffa personally accompanied overseas Filipino worker Raquel Collantes to the Tripoli International Airport last August 19 to facilitate her repatriation to the Philippines.

“Collantes is the last of the four Gadhafi household service workers who we searched for to be rescued at the height of the 2011 Libyan uprising,” Mustaffa said in his report, coursed through Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary Danilo Cruz.

Mustaffa said Collantes traveled using her passport after he requested the embassy to extend its validity.

Good rapport with Libya

“At first, we encountered difficulty in convincing Libyan immigration authorities to give her an exit visa due to her employer’s status. In the end, they gave her an exit visa after we complied with some requirements. This is due in no small measure to our good rapport and goodwill with the Libyan government,” Mustaffa said.

“Finally, we can now close this high profile case involving the four OFWs,” Baldoz said, commending Mustaffa for his effort as she welcomed Collantes home.

Baldoz urged Collantes to start a new life by exploring other employment or livelihood options through the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration.

Gadhafi’s first two household helpers, Diane Jill Rivera and Mary Ann Ducos Almario, who were rescued by the Philippine Overseas Labor Office (Polo) on Sept. 19, 2011, were personally escorted by Mustaffa when they were repatriated via Tunis, Tunisia on September 24, 2011.

Zenaida Labuguen, the third Gadhafi household domestic worker,  was repatriated last January 6 after staying at the Filipino Workers’ Resource Center for over a month. The International Organization for Migration assisted Polo in Labuguen’s repatriation, according to DOLE.

Originally posted: 7:48 pm | Tuesday, August 28th, 2012