MANILA — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has lowered the crisis alert in Libya by a notch to Level 3 following improved political and security conditions.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega on Friday said Alert Level 3 meant that entry of Filipino workers to Libya would be restricted, although repatriation was no longer mandatory.

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"Ang nangyayari sa Libya, walang complete stability ang government," De Vega said in a public briefing.

"Hindi pa completely settled pero umpisa na ito ng pagre-relax para hopefully in the future, makakabalik tayo sa normal," he added.

(Libya still lacks complete government stability. It's not yet completely settled, but we have started relaxing restrictions so that we can hopefully return to normal.)

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De Vega said authorities could not further lower the crisis alert level due to the presence of 2 warring political factions.

No Filipino has so far asked to be repatriated, saying they are valued by the Libyan government and employers, De Vega noted. Libyan firms are also keen on hiring Filipino workers, he said.

"Ang issue lang na gusto nilang ayusin, hindi ang perception of safety pero mga labor issues, salaries, unpaid salaries... yun ang tinatalakay natin, yun ang inaayos natin," the official said.

(They just want to fix the perception of safety, labor issues, unpaid salaries. We are discussing that.)

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De Vega said there would no be new deployments to Libya. Filipinos who wish to return to working there should have a certification from the Philippine embassy, he said.

"Sa DFA ang primary concern namin ay protection, ang [Department of Migrant Workers] ang in charge, among other things, [sa] deployment. So far wala pa tayong approved new deployment aside sa mga babalik," he said.

(The DFA's primary concern is protection, while the DMW is charge of deployment. So far, we have yet to approve any new deployment, aside from returning workers.)

There are around 2,300 Filipinos in Libya.