DFA asked to bring home Cebuano

CEBU, Philippines - Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama is asking the Department of Foreign Affairs to locate and facilitate the immediate repatriation of a city resident who is now caught in the ongoing political unrest in Libya.

This as the Lapu-Lapu City government hired an Overseas Filipino Worker who had just been repatriated from Libya. Paul Espinosa, resident of Barangay Marigondon, was assured of a job at the City Hall by Mayor Paz Radaza.

In Cebu City, Rama made a personal appeal to DFA Secretary Albert del Rosario for the immediate repatriation of Winston Fernandez. In his letter addressed to del Rosario, Rama said Fernandez is in a “very precarious” situation because nobody from the Philippine government is taking care of his papers. His whereabouts in Libya remains unknown.

Fernandez’s brother is a City Hall employee who asked Rama to help him locate his brother and arrange his repatriation.

Several Overseas Filipino Workers from Libya have already been repatriated by the government following the political unrest in Libya. 

One of them was Espinosa, 32, who narrated his ordeal to Radaza during his visit to the Lapu-Lapu City Hall yesterday.

Espinosa, a former employee of the Lapu-Lapu City government, said most of the OFWs waiting for repatriation in Libya are starving because of lack of food supply.

“Grabe gayud kaayo ka kuyaw, kalisud ug kagutom sa among pagka butang didto,” said Espinosa.

He said there were 200 Filipinos employed in Sejong Co., a power plant in Sirit City in Libya, three of them are Cebuanos.

Radaza assured Espinosa of a job at the city government. The Mayor also ordered the city social welfare office to determine how much the local government can give him as financial assistance.

“Andam sa paghatag og ayuda ang dakbayan ngadto ni Espinosa gumikan kay nahibawo man kita sa iyang kalisod,” Radaza said.

Meanwhile, the lack of communications was blamed for the government’s failure to immediately attend to the needs of OFWs who are in distress.

Philippine Honorary Consul to Canada Hazel Ouano-Alpuerto made the observations on how the government reacted to the crisis in Libya and New Zealand.

“We need to communicate the outside world using the modern technology and we have to show that we care for them,” Alpuerto told The FREEMAN yesterday.

According to her, our government should learn a lesson from how other countries respond to crisis situations.

Alpuerto cited the earthquake in Haiti where other countries sent their skilled workers to help in the rescue and relief operations.

Other important thing the government should do is to let the family of the victims feel that the government cares for them.

Alpuerto said that the presence of government officials in the area is very important to attend to the needs of the OFWs and to coordinate with other agencies.

Alpuerto emphasized “communications and sensitivity” as important tools and the government must also take care of the needs of the families of the victims here in the country. — (FREEMAN)