Frontliner OFWs in Libya welcome triplets in the middle of armed conflict, COVID-19 threat

A Filipino couple working as frontliners in Libya have welcomed a set of triplets in the strife-torn country.

In an interview on "Unang Balita," Reynald and Ciela Borja said they felt very blessed with the birth of their babies on March 20.

However, they still have fears of raising a family amid the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and the armed conflict going on around them.

"Kung nandito ka sa Libya, hindi po mawawala sayo 'yung kaba kasi may giyera na nga sila, meron ka pang COVID-19 na inaabangan na nakakatakot, na nakakamatay din," Reynald told GMA News.

"Anytime, 'yung air strike, hindi mo alam kung saan ba to, kung paparating na ba sa inyo," Ciela added.

Renald recalled a time when they heard a bomb go off at a close distance.

"'Nung time na malapit na bomba dito sa amin, 'yung asawa ko nagtanong sakin, 'Ano yun?' Sabi ko, 'Matulog ka na, ano lang 'yun, fireworks,' pero bombahan na," he said.

Ciela said that she continued to go to work at the hospital, even when she was pregnant.

"Isa po 'yun sa diversion ko po, 'yun 'yung para hindi ko maramdaman 'yung kaba during nabubuntis ako, parang dina-divert ko nalang 'yung sarili ko nung time na 'yon," she said.

Last year, the Philippine government ordered a total ban on the deployment of Filipino workers to Tripoli due to hostilities in the war-torn country. 

Some OFWs were repatriated by the Department of Foreign Affairs but others opted to stay in Libya. —Margaret Claire Layug/MGP, GMA News