Rescued Filipinos in Misrata arrive in Manila

MANILA, Philippines—The six Filipinos trapped for 23 days in Misrata, Libya and rescued in Zitlin have arrived in Manila, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Thursday.

With them are three other Filipinos earlier brought out of Tripoli, the DFA said in a statement.

Director Ricardo Endaya, executive director of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (DFA-OUMWA) and DFA-OUMWA principal assistant Melvin Almonguera welcomed them at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport.

The six Filipinos—five nurses and one engineer—were earlier met by Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario during his trip in Tripoli and Misrata last week.

The nurses also confirmed that two other nurses, Bernadette Pavurada and Lilian Rosales, had sent them an email, saying that they are safe and are now in Benghazi. They were part of the group of nurses working in National Oncology Institute in Misrata who were earlier reported as missing.

The six Filipinos recounted that in the morning of March 18, Libyan troops stormed and camped beside their residence, just across the street where opposition forces were stationed. What followed were days of non-stop gunbattle.

The Filipino workers were unable to leave because snipers from either side readily shot anyone seen on the street. One of the nurses was shot by a sniper, but was lucky that it was the powdered milk she was carrying that was hit.

Out of humanitarian compassion, the nurses risked their lives to treat the wounded soldiers. Two of them said that they had to break into an abandoned pharmacy across the street to get medicines and tools to treat and even perform surgical procedures on the casualties.

Because of their service, the Filipinos were transferred by government troops to a safer place. Twenty-three days later they found themselves in Zitlin, the town closest to west of Misrata where they were rescued by Philippine embassy officials.

Del Rosario went to Tripoli last April 20 on orders of President Benigno S. Aquino III’s to ensure the safety of Filipinos in Libya and make sure no one is left behind.

It was Del Rosario’s third trip to Libya. On February 25, he led a group of over 400 Filipinos from Tripoli to Tunisia while on March 22, he made a final call for Filipinos to leave Libya, and accompanied 33 Filipinos out of Tripoli.