OWWA: Libya had highest number of displaced OFWs in 2011

The political unrest in Libya caused the highest number of overseas Filipino worker (OFW) displacements this year, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.   According to a report of SunStar,  OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon noted that nearly 35% of the repatriated OFWs as of November 11 — or 9,162 out of the 26,273 OFWs — were from Libya, where a civil war broke from February to October this year, resulting in the fall of Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi. The report came out on December 18, the United Nations' International Day of Migrants, a day set aside for recognizing the efforts, contributions, and rights of migrants worldwide.   The Philippine government ordered the mandatory repatriation of OFWs in Libya last August when the political unrest in the country began to escalate. The conflict ended when a National Transitional Council rose to power to oversee Libya’s transition into a democratic state. Other countries with high OFW displacements  Meanwhile, Dimzon said the other regions with high OFW displacement this year include:

• Jeddah, Saudi Arabia (2,003),
• Madagascar (599), and
• Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (550).

The OWWA administrator said the agency extended skills and trainings on financial and entrepreneurial management, livelihood and basic social value formation to the repatriated OFWs.   "We do not only provide OFWs and their families with services, we empower them to become responsible individuals who look beyond their stints abroad," she said.   A total of 46,655 OFWs were also given assistance abroad before they went home for good as part of the agency’s reintegration program, she added. - VVP, GMA News