In a text message to reporters, Foreign Affairs Spokesperson Charles C. Jose said: “We can confirm that reported abduction and rape of Filipina nurse took place.”
According to Mr. Jose, four young men kidnapped the nurse Wednesday morning in front of the home where she stayed.
The gang was reportedly joined by two more men. “Two hours later, she was released after allegedly being raped by six Libyan youth,” Mr. Jose said.
He said Philippine Embassy personnel in Tripoli took custody of the nurse after accompanying her to a hospital for a medical examination.
Asked for more information about the nurse, Mr. Jose said: “”We have no clearance to disclose it.”
Some two weeks earlier, on July 15, a Filipino construction worker was kidnapped and beheaded by militias, allegedly because he was not a Muslim.
The victim’s body was identified in a hospital in Benghazi five days later, on July 20.
That day, the DFA raised alert level 4 for the mandatory repatriation of Filipinos there.
The DFA on Thursday issued this statement:
“We reiterate our call to our remaining nationals in Libya to immediately get in touch with the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli and register for repatriation. The Philippine government will shoulder the repatriation costs.”
On Monday, the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli has started relocating its non-core staff to Tunisia due to the deteriorating security situation.
Other male officers and staff augmented by the Rapid Response Team will remain in Tripoli to administer the repatriation of the remaining overseas Filipino workers in the country.
Of the estimated 13,000 Filipinos in Libya, 708 have been repatriated as of July 29. -- Ailyn D. Galura
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