ONLY 86 of the 1,600 Filipinos in Libya have expressed their intention to be repatriated, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said yesterday.

The DFA, in a press conference said the opposition has seized most of the capital and the situation has started to gradually stabilize.

On August 12, Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario instructed DFA Undersecretary Rafael Seguis to proceed to Tripoli to convince the remaining Filipinos who are still in Tripoli to avail of the repatriation being arranged by the Embassy amidst the tension in Libya.

He visited neighboring towns and hospitals to arrange for the repatriation of Filipinos who are prepared to leave Libya. 

The Rapid Response Team (RRT) is presently in Djerba to assist the Embassy in the repatriation of the remaining Filipinos in Libya. There are some 1,600 Filipinos who are still in Tripoli and its neighboring suburbs.

Philippine Ambassador to Libya Alejandrino A. Vicente and Seguis have coordinated with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) for the repatriation by sea of Filipinos who are still in Tripoli.

IOM has entrusted the embassy 400 passenger seats on a chartered ship for Filipinos.

The embassy is continuously assessing the security situation whether it would be safe for Filipinos to proceed to agreed meeting points for repatriation.

The 24/7 monitoring center of the embassy continues to operate and the embassy continues to enjoin Filipinos in Libya not to go out into the streets but to stay in their homes and workplaces and wait for the advice from the embassy in preparation for eventual repatriation.

The DFA continues to maintain hotlines for families of Filipinos who are in Libya. The hotline numbers are 834-3240, 834-3245, and 834-3333.