PH SEEKS HELP OF IRAQ, LIBYA FOR RELEASE OF PINOY HOSTAGES

Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano on Sunday said the Philippine government has sought the help of Iraqi and Libyan authorities for the safe release of five Filipinos abducted by unidentified armed men in separate incidents in the two countries over the week.

In a statement, Cayetano said the Philippine Embassies in Baghdad and Tripoli had formally alerted the local authorities in Iraq and Libya, respectively, about the abductions which happened on Saturday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs has yet to disclose the identities of the five abducted Filipino migrant workers.

“We are in touch with authorities in Iraq and Libya and have requested their assistance in locating and securing the release of our missing (nationals),” Cayetano said.

Chargé d’Affaires Julius Tor- res said four Filipino women were traveling with a group along a highway connecting Baghdad to the city of Kirkuk when their vehicle was stopped by their abductors.

He said two of the Filipinos, who were then on their way to Baghdad, managed to escape and were now safe in police custody.

The two other Filipino women were taken by the kidnappers, according to Torres.

Meanwhile, the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli reported that three Filipino technicians were kidnapped along with four other foreign workers from a waterworks project site just 500 kilometers outside the Libyan capital.

Chargé d’Affaires Mardomel Melicor said the kidnappers arrived at the construction site early morning Friday and took the foreign workers and their four Libyan colleagues.

The abductors eventually freed one of the foreign workers and all the Libyan nationals, Melicor said.