One of the most important things that Filipinos have to consider when looking for a job overseas is their potential workplace’s safety, among many others. However, in the off-chance that workers get assigned to places where there is already known threat to civilian’s safety, they are left to exercise due mindfulness and great caution in all their activities.
In many parts of the world, there has been ongoing turmoil and strife such as in parts of the Middle East, Africa, and then there’s Hong Kong, recently. Amid all this, there is reportedly a number of Filipinos still based in these areas, some even for decades already.
No Filipinos Hurt in Libyan Capital Airstrike – DFA
However, in line with the recent airstrike which took place in the Libyan capital as of late, Elmer Cato, Chargé d’Affaires of the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli shared that there were no Filipinos reportedly killed or hurt in a deadly airstrike at a migrant detention center in the Libyan capital, as shared in a report by The Inquirer.
In a statement issued by the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Wednesday (July 3), Cato shared that no Filipinos were reported to be among the 40 people killed and 80 injured during the said attack.
Meanwhile, the DFA called on to Filipinos in Tripoli to remain on high alert and “take necessary precautions” following the airstrike.
In a statement released by the foreign affairs department, it echoed the advisory issued by the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli shortly after the incident that took place in Tajoura District, about five kilometers from a hospital compound where around 40 Filipino nurses and their dependents were staying.
It added that the detention centre, which was located next to a military camp, housed mostly African migrants.
For its part, the embassy likewise reminded Filipinos residing or working near military facilities or encampments to “take added precautions and to relocate if necessary in the wake of the announcement by the Libyan National Army (LNA) that they will be carrying out more airstrikes against military targets inside Tripoli.”
As per the data shared by the DFA, there are approximately 1,000 Filipinos in the Libyan capital and its surrounding areas, most of whom are nurses or hospital workers.
Cato also noted that the embassy remains concerned about the safety of the more than 40 Filipino nurses and engineers who chose to stay in their workplaces, which are located in areas where fighting has been taking place.
Meanwhile, eleven Filipino nurses already sought shelter at the embassy last Sunday (June 30) after fighting broke out again near their hospital south of Tripoli while another six Filipinos availed of the government’s offer of repatriation to safety.
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