The abduction of three Filipino technicians in Libya is bound to reinforce the Philippines’ existing ban on the deployment of its workers to the strife-torn North African country, ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III said Saturday.
“There is a ban on deployment of Filipino workers to Libya, which still has an ongoing civil war. The seized technicians may have entered Libya with working visas obtained from a third country,” Bertiz said in a press statement.
“It is also possible the three Filipinos were already in Libya a long time ago, and that they shunned repatriation when the Philippine government brought home some 14,000 workers in 2011 and 2014,” Bertiz added.
In a related development:
• The Philippine Navy will be sending a naval contingent to Libya to try to secure the release of three Filipino engineers kidnapped by unidentified armed group at a water facility in southeastern part of Libya on July 6.
Navy Commander Jonathan Zata, director of the Philippine Public Affairs Office, said a Fleet-Marine Component was planning an appropriate naval force that would be deployed in Libya in response to the kidnapping of three Filipinos along with a South Korean national held by suspected Islamic militants.
“Initially, the Philippine Navy has directed its Liaison Officer, Captain Donn Miraflor, who is attached to the Combined Maritime Forces based in Bahrain, to coordinate with Boy Melicor, the Philippines’ Charge d’ Affaires in Tripoli, Libya,” Zata said in a statement.
At present, the Navy could not ascertain the type of vessel that would be sent to Libya.
President Rodrigo Duterte on Friday vowed to send two Philippine Navy warships to Libya to help in the eventual freedom of the three Filipinos and a South Korean.
The South Korean government has deployed its own warship, the 4,000-tonner Munmu the Great, to Libya. With PNA
Libya is in desperate need of foreign professionals for its medical and oil sectors, and Tripoli has been repeatedly appealing to Manila to lift the ban on the deployment of Filipino workers.
“But as we can see in this latest kidnapping incident, the ban should stay. It is simply too dangerous for our workers to be there,” Bertiz said.
“In fact, if we still have citizens left there, we should bring them home now because all foreigners there are being targeted by lawless elements,” Bertiz said.
Foreigners in Libya are not just encountering security issues, but also money remittance difficulties, Bertiz said.
“The best way to secure the safe release of the three Filipinos is for us to coordinate our efforts with the Libyan and South Korean governments,” Bertiz added.
Islamic militants linked to al Qaeda and Islamic State are operating in Libya, mostly in remote desert areas.
Zata said Libyan authorities had been exerting all efforts for the past month to ascertain the identity of the perpetrators and for the recovery of the kidnapped victims.
Meanwhile, the Philippine Navy would also be sending a vessel to Vladivostok, Russia to reciprocate the visits of Russian warships in Manila last June, seen as a primer for the deepening security cooperation between the two navies.
The sending of a Philippine Navy warship to Russia was earlier discussed between Flag Officer-in-Command Vice Admiral Robert Empedrad with Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Vladimir Ivanovich Korolev at St. Petersburg relating to the Russian Navy Day last July 29.
Empedrad, along with two ranking navy officials went to Russia as representatives of AFP Chief of Staff Gen. Carlito Galvez during the Main Naval Parade at St. Petersburg of Russian Navy Day, in commemoration of over three centuries of Russia’s history.
During the event, the Russian federation honors members of the Russian Navy and showcases its strength and capabilities.
Russian President Vladimir Putin attended the parade, along with China’s People’s Liberation Army-Navy, Vice Admiral Shen Junlong and other foreign delegations.
“The official visit underscores the Navy’s diplomacy efforts for increased interaction among other navies. These engagements are building blocks for closer cooperation in areas of mutual concern such as combatting terrorism, violent extremism and transnational crimes, the conduct of humanitarian assistance and disaster response,” the statement said. With PNA