February 24, 2011 – Thursday
Last night, Princess called me up twice. (She is the eldest daughter of Dr. Najmed, the former Director General of one of the biggest government hospitals in Tripoli whom we met through a Filipino nurse. He consulted Kiko and me about some academic problems of his children and he became a close friend of ours. His family had adopted me as a member of their own household. I call their first child Princess because she has a resemblance to Princess Diana of UK). On her first call, she updated me with the latest news. The situation in Benghazi had risen to a dangerous level. Anti-government protesters had penetrated the peaceful demonstrations at Saha Qadra.
On her second call, Princess asked me to stay with them in their house. She said that I could call them anytime if I make the decision to join them and her father would come to fetch me. I told her that the coordinator between the embassy and our group couldn’t contact me through the cellphone so he advised me to just stay in my flat where he could see me for any instructions.
Bok called up at 3:00 AM to ask how I was. He was worried that I was not eating properly anymore. (He was the cook in the house, I was the laundrywoman and dish washer). He also told me to get the plane tickets of the group in Zletin so whatever happens they would have an alternative plan. I said I still had enough food that could last even for more than a week. I also mentioned that Rey and Inna, two of my children in the Philippines, commented that I looked better when they saw me at Skype yesterday than when they talked to me last week. From my talk with them, I gathered that Khaddaffi had vowed that he wouldn’t step down from power; that the 6-man committee from DFA-Manila that would facilitate the repatriation process left the Philippines already.
I also told Kiko that I had already prepared my kids for whatever decision I had to make. Of course, they would prefer that I go back to our country but if I would decide to stay, they would understand because I am in a better position to assess the situation.
Edna, another Filipino English lecturer (from Mesolata, a small town under Kohms), called me up at about 9:00 AM. She said that her group in the area had decided to stay. Just like most of the Pinoys in Libya (including me), the reason is financial. There is no job in the Philippines which could offer us better salary than what we’re getting here. If we go home, chances are, we might not be able to come back because of the UN sanction. This bolted my resolve to stay. Those who were staying were more in number!
I rang up Fr. Allan after lunch. He is a Filipino priest based in Tripoli. I hadn’t talked to him for several weeks now because of some misunderstanding but I decided to reach out to him. I just felt it so petty of me to be acting like a brat in the face of what is happening around us. Fortunately, I was able to contact him on my first attempt (His phone is eternally busy!). When asked about the current situation (I feel so isolated being alone in my flat with no radio and television), he said that they are no longer allowed by the Bishop to hold masses outside Tripoli because a Catholic priest was recently killed in Tunisia. He also informed me that anti-regime protesters barricaded the church for more than two hours before they were dispersed by the police with tear gas. This occurred at midnight until 2:00 AM. Fr. Allan knew that I was alone in my flat so he told me that it would be a good idea if I would stay with the Libyan family who asked me to join them.
Ate Baby called up at 7:00 PM and told me that she would go to the embassy on the next day to register for repatriation. She said that she would just bring one hand-carry baggage with a few clothes and her important documents (as instructed by the embassy). She would leave everything else in Kohms (and she had quite a number of possessions already, huh!). Again, she asked me about my decision and I gave her another noncommital response.
I received a call from Noel at about 8:00 PM. (He was also an English lecturer working in Janzour, a small town at the outskirt of Tripoli; he acted as the coordinator between our group and the embassy). He said that the tickets were not with him but with the DFA people who would be coming from RP (Republic of the Philippines). Everyone who wanted to go home had to register at the embassy and bring their things there. If necessary, they had to stay at the embassy and wait for instructions. He said that there was an assurance that all OFWs deployed by our agency would be accommodated because Madam had submitted our names to DFA-Manila. He informed me that air travel had already been blocked, no plane can land or leave Libya, so evacuees would travel by land to Tunisia, or by boat to Malta.
After Noel’s call, I sent an SMS to Kiko informing him about what Noel told me. I also told him that I was worried that he might not have money anymore. Thel had no salary yet and the kids’ expense (milk, food, diapers, etc.) was something Bok was not prepared for. (Bok was basically thrifty that’s why before his family arrived, I was the one borrowing money from him. When they came, he was not able to anticipate the expense so he borrowed from me once in a while). I informed him that I was thinking of going to Zletin tomorrow after the mass to bring them money. I also told him that all shops were closed in Tripoli. I ended my message saying : “Let’s all pray for Libya. LET GO AND LET GOD.”
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