Libya is close to a full-blown civil war, but Filipino workers say they have a “better chance of surviving” there than at home in the Philippines.
The Department of Foreign Affairs issued a mandatory evacuation order last month for the estimated 13,000 Filipinos working in Libya, but only 1,700 signed up for repatriation.
Foreign Minister Albert del Rosario said, “They're scared, but their concerns are their jobs.”
The Philippines' government has chartered a ship to take Filipinos from Libya to Malta, from where they will be flown home. “I'm sure we can get 50% to come home,” del Rosario said.
