DFA Orders Mandatory Evacuation of Pinoys From Libya

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) ordered yesterday the forced repatriation of some 1,600 Filipinos in Libya where rebels were making a final push to crush forces loyal to embattled strongman Moammar Gadhafi.

“It’s now Alert Level 4 which calls for mandatory evacuation,” said DFA spokesman Raul Hernandez.

Earlier yesterday, the DFA told a press conference that the Philippine embassy in Tripoli would first monitor the situation before deciding if there would be a need to raise the alert status from level 3.

Hernandez said there were still clashes in the streets of Tripoli, although the rebels in many places around the capital were already celebrating the defeat of Gadhafi’s forces.

“Many of them are medical workers and they are helping out in the hospitals taking care of the sick and injured Libyan nationals,” Hernandez said, referring to Filipino workers in Libya.

At Malacañang, officials said the government is prepared for any eventuality in Libya and Syria, where thousands of Filipinos are in danger of getting caught in worsening violence.

“The President is having the situation in Libya validated so we can see what else can be done to help Filipinos who are there,” deputy presidential spokesperson Abigail Valte told reporters in an informal briefing.

In Libya, the rebels were already in the heart of the capital Tripoli on Monday and were expected to swarm into Gadhafi’s palace anytime.

Syrian security forces, meanwhile, continue their operations to crush protesters.

Valte said majority of the Filipinos in Libya are “nurses and medical workers, who are still safe within the hospitals that they work for.”

“On the situation in Libya, the President has given additional instructions... We have been advised by the IOM (International Organization for Migration) that our people in the embassy must remain in the embassy due to violence in the streets,” Valte said.

“We have been advised that it is highly, it is extremely unsafe for our people in the embassy to go out now to check the situation of our fellow Filipinos,” she said.

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