Two Boholana nurses who were among the 810 Filipinos stranded in violence-plagued Libya have arrived in Bohol. They responded to the call of the government to come home and boarded the evacuation ship commissioned by the Philippine government, the Department of Foreign Affairs said on Thursday. The two OFWs from Bohol are sisters Maria Renita and Rachel Calamba, all residents of Lindaville Subdivision, this city. In an interview, the two nurses admitted that their working condition was no longer safe, adding that they already feared for their lives knowing that the hospital, El Khadra Hospital, where they worked could be targeted by the rebels in Libya.

The Calamba sisters told the Post that there are many other OFWs who got stranded at the Philippine consulate office and are waiting to be evacuated by the Philippine government. Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert del Rosario said the Philippine government will no longer hire a ship that will be used for the evacuation of Filipinos in Libya. “There will be no ship after this,” Del Rosario said, adding “it's difficult to support another ship” as many Filipinos are still reluctant to leave Libya. However, he said those who would later on decide to leave, may join the Philippine government evacuation by land via Egypt or Tunisia.

The Philippine government shoulders the travel expenses of Filipino evacuees. However, there are several companies in Libya that pay for the evacuation of their Filipino employees. Manila enforced the mass evacuation of its workers in Libya last June due to the deteriorating security and widespread violence in the North African state. Last July, a Filipino construction worker was beheaded by militants, while a Filipina nurse was gang-raped, the DFA said. (PNA)