No need to bring Filipinos home from Libya, says Labor chief

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz. FILE PHOTO

MANILA, Philippines—There is no need to repatriate thousands of Filipinos from Libya just yet, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).

“No repatriations from Libya as of now. We have not received any report that our overseas Filipino workers there were affected by the crisis. I was assured that the environment there is safe,” said Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz.

However, Baldoz said the government may consider tightening regulations on the deployment of construction workers.

“They (construction workers) are the ones quite vulnerable because they are employed by smaller firms,” she explained. “I think we have to screen the applications of OFWs for Libya to determine which sector they would be working for.”

DOLE previously allowed a partial lifting of the deployment ban to enable rehires to return to work.

The number of Filipino workers in Libya has already surged to 3,000 since the partial lifting of the ban.