Philippines looks to reopen Benghazi consulate

By Olfa Andolsi

Tunis, 9 June 2017:

The Philippines chargé d’affaires Mardomel Celo D. Melicor has had talks with foreign ministry officials in the Beida-based interim government on the possibility of reopening the country’s consulate in Benghazi. No date, however, has been given.

With many Filipino workers are still working in the country, particularly in the healthcare sector, although they have been told by the Philippines Foreign Ministry on more than one occasion that they must leave the country. Several stayed on, however. Their role and safety was also discussed in yesterday’s meeting.

Prior to the troubles, there were some 8,500 Filipinos working in the sector, 4,000 of them ­in the Benghazi area alone – the largest single concentration in Libya.

Last September, the then acting mayor of Benghazi Ahmed Al-Oraibi called on the Philippines to reopen their consulate, which at the time had been closed for over two years.

The Philippines’ embassy remains open in Tripoli’s Gargaresh district.