The seven Filipino seafarers who had been acquitted of fuel smuggling in Libya will receive financial and livelihood assistance from the government, the Department of Labor and Employment said yesterday.
Labor Secretary Silvestre Bello III said that the assistance to be given to the seafarers is part of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration’s reintegration program.
“The reintegration program of the government – OWWA will give them financial assistance. Then, we can extend to them yung livelihood assistance, tapos lahat ng mga anak nila will be covered by scholarship – educational scholarship up to college,” said the Labor chief.
The seven seafarers arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 Tuesday evening onboard Turkish Airlines via Istanbul, Turkey. They were welcomed by government officials and their families.
The seafarers were detained in Libya in 2017 where they were sentenced to four years in prison for allegedly attempting to smuggle 16 million liters of fuel. (Analou de Vera)
