(Eagle News)–The Department of Foreign Affairs on Sunday, July 7, have asked the help of Iraq and Libya to help secure the release of five Filipinos who were abducted by armed men in those countries.
This was revealed by Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano in a statement.
According to the DFA, based on initial reports from the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad, two Filipinas were taken by armed men in Uzem District, south of Kirkuk.
Based on reports received by Chargé d’Affaires Julius Torres, the women were accordingly with two other Filipinas on their way to Baghdad from Kurdistan when their vehicle was stopped.
The driver abandoned his vehicle and the four Filipinas.
Two of the Filipinas, however, are now in police custody after they escaped.
In Libya, based on a report by the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli, three Filipino technicians were among four foreign nationals taken by armed men from a waterworks project site.
Chargé d’Affaires Mardomel Melicor said the armed men entered the construction site located 500 kilometers from Tripoli early morning Friday and also abducted Libyans.
Melicor said the armed men later released one of the foreign workers and all the Libyans.