Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said to date, about 12,000 Filipinos in Libya have been repatriated since six  months ago.

She said they are now waiting for the situation in Libya to stabilize before considering whether to lift the deployment ban to that country, which will also depend on the opinion of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).

On Wednesday Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Carlos Cao Jr. said the interagency committee had decided to keep the deployment ban to Libya until the DFA finished its assessment of the security situation there and submits its recommendation to the Office of the President.

Since Tuesday, the DFA, DOLE, POEA, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), and the Commission on Filipinos Overseas (CFO) have been discussing the possible lifting of the deployment ban.

“We have a lot of workers who returned who want to go back to Libya,” said Baldoz. “That’s why we are studying the issue.”

In any cxase, she said the labor department has programs that offer them help to put up small businesses and help in the schooling of their children.

One of these is the “Balik Pinay, Balik Hanap Buhay” program for domestic helpers who lost their jobs in crisis-torn countries of the Middle East, were victims of illegal recruiters or suffered abuse from their employers.

Under the program, they receive entrepreneurial assistance in the form of training and P10,000 as capital to start a home-based business such as reflexology, cosmetology, production of bath soaps, scented oils, herbal medications, skin health treatments, manicure or pedicure, fashion accessories making and repair, and food processing.

Baldoz added other workers under the same circumstances can also avail themselves of business loans ranging from P30,000 to P3,000,000 from the P2-billion National Reintegration Loan Fund, which she said is easy to access, requires no collateral, with very low interest of 7.5 percent a year, and has a very liberal repayment period.

(Sara Fabunan)