16 August 2014 - The Philippine Government, through the combined efforts of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), chartered a ship and two Philippine Airlines (PAL) flights to bring home 766 Filipinos from Libya.

"Our mission is to ensure the safety of Filipinos who are caught in dangeous situations abroad," Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario said. "We remain committed to helping our nationals in Libya in any way we can," he stressed.

The first flight, PR 9009 which is carrying 419 Filipinos, is expected to land in Manila at 10:00 p.m. today while the second flight, PR 9007 that have 347 Filipinos onboard, will arrive at 03:30 a.m. tomorrow, August 17. This latest arrival brings the total number of Filipinos repatriated from Libya at government expense to 2,727.

Both flights originate from Malta to where the Government-chartered ship F/B Bridge ferried Filipinos from the Libyan cities of Benghazi and Misurata. DFA and OWWA representatives will brief and assist the repatriates upon arrival, including the provision of fares and/or transportation assistance to their hometowns/provinces.

The DFA declared Crisis Alert Level 4 in Libya last July 20, which led to the issuance of a total deployment ban and the implementation of the mandatory repatriation program (MRP) by the  Philippine Government. On August 02, Secretary Del Rosario traveled to Djerba, Tunisia, to oversee repatriation operations and encourage the Filipinos who are still in Libya to avail themselves of the MRP while exit points remain open.

Repatriation from Libya is being undertaken via land route through the Libya-Tunisia border and via sea route to Malta. The Government is also exploring the use of the Libya-Egypt border as a possible exit point. Rapid Response Teams, composed of personnel from the DFA, DOLE-OWWA and Philippine National Police (PNP), have been deployed in Libya, Tunisia, Malta and Egypt to coordinate repatriation efforts.

The Philippine Government renews its appeal to all remaining Filipinos in Libya to immediately reach out to the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli and register for repatriation.

To register for repatriation, Filipinos can reach the Embassy in Tripoli through the telephone numbers (00218) 918-244-208 / 914-370-399 / 945-348-481 and the e-mail addresses This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

The Embassy's address is KM 7 Gargaresh Road, Abu Nawas, P.O. Box 12508, Tripoli.

Families can also call DFA’s 24-hour hotlines (02) 552-7105 / (02) 834-4685 to register their relatives in Libya for repatriation. They may also call these numbers for any questions and concerns, or send their queries by e-mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. END