THE government has spent close to P100 million for emergency relief assistance to overseas Filipino worker repatriated from Libya.

Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration gave P93.210 million in Economic Relief Assistance of P10,000 each to 9,333 OFWs repatriated from Libya and spent P5.894 million in transport fares for  4,615 repatriates who went home to their respective provinces.

Baldoz said 9,663 OFWs have been repatriated from the strife-torn North African country.

She said OWWA provided counseling services to 2,853 OFWs and gave temporary shelter to 922 repatriates; while 4,615 availed of free long-distance calls provided by OWWA.

The labor chief said the National Reintegration Center for OFWs had referred 4,173 OFWs to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration for possible re-deployment and 10,433 OFWs (which includes non-Libya repatriates) to local companies for domestic employment..

Baldoz added that the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority has trade-tested and issued national certificates to 43 repatriates, profiled and referred to the OWWA 391 repatriates for the OWWA scholarship program, and trained 1,491 repatriates under TESDA’s Green Skills Training Program, which provides free training in such trades as manicure, pedicure, hair cutting and styling, and materials recycling.