Priest Hits Slow Evacuation of OFWs in Libya

MANILA, March 3, 2011— Despite efforts by the government to bring home the overseas Filipino workers in Libya, a Franciscan priest said its action is ‘too slow.’

Based on the reports relayed to them by their priests in Libya, Manila-based Fr. Pete Montellana said the situation there is getting worse causing fright among OFWs.

It also appeared, he said, that the Philippine Embassy there can’t provide the necessary assistance to the OFWs trapped in the troubled country.

“Based on the information we received from our Franciscans (based in Libya) it appeared that the assistance rendered by the government was slow. It was really slow,” said Montellana.

The missionary made the statement Thursday over church-run Radyo Veritas although the government claimed it is doing significant progress in its repatriation program.

“That’s not true. They should make if faster. We, in the Franciscan community, are urging them to speed up the giving of assistance to the OFWs,” he said.

He expressed concern that the situation could get worse if the Gadaffi administration would arm its civilian population.

Montellana also said that the Filipinos had to fend on their own on how they could rescue themselves.

One of the priests in the area also reported that the OFWs are experiencing food shortage.

Montellana said: “Those (Filipinos) who are staying in the desert were forced to leave the area because of scarcity in food.”

“In fact, they said that the OFWs in Tripoli limited their food consumption and eating only one meal a day,” he said.

The priest admitted that bringing the Filipinos out of Libya has been difficult, especially those who are staying in the desert because they were the ones who were left behind by their employers.

The Order of Friar Minors (OFM) had been providing assistance to Filipinos in Libya for the last 17 years.

Montellana said that the bulk of the Filipino population in Libya is living in Tripoli.

“If I am not mistaken there are about 9,000 OFWs in Tripoli. There are also thousands of Filipinos in Benghazi,” he said.

Source: http://www.cbcpnews.com/?q=node/14853