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Remains of slain Filipino in Libya to arrive this week


The Philippine Embassy in Libya is set to repatriate the remains of a Filipino worker killed in Tripoli on Monday, almost a month after he was stabbed dead supposedly in relation to his work in the Dutch Embassy there. Anthony Atenaja, an all-around assistant at the Embassy of the Royal Netherlands in Libya for several years until his death, was attacked by a Libyan assailant on June 16 while he was about to buy lunch, Vice Consul Jose Garcia III of the Philippine Embassy told GMANews.TV. Co-employees rushed Atenaja, 30, to a nearby hospital but he was declared dead on arrival. “A suspect is in the custody of Libyan authorities but investigations are still ongoing to determine if he really was the suspect and the motives behind the killing," said Garcia. A Filipino in Libya told GMANews.TV the assailant was supposedly upset after the Dutch Embassy denied his visa application, and vented his anger on Atenaja. Garcia, however, said while there were rumors that Atenaja’s killinh was work-related, police authorities have yet to conclude their investigation. “We find that strange because (Atenaja) was not working in the consular office of the Dutch embassy," he explained. Garcia said Atenaja’s remains were supposed to be repatriated on Sunday but it was rescheduled to Monday due to problems with the airlines. The Dutch embassy shouldered the repatriation costs and assured Atenaja’s family that they would get all entitlements due to him as an employee of the embassy, Garcia added. According to Garcia, travel from Libya to Manila, including a stopover in Doha, normally takes 14 to 16 hours, but shipment of remains may take longer. Atenaja, whose parents and brother are in Quezon City, left behind a wife, also an overseas Filipino worker based in Bermuda, and a child. Another brother is an OFW also in Libya. - KBK, GMANews.TV

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