The Filipina nurse could not hold back her tears as she hugged and thanked us for the last time. 

We were standing just outside the immigration area at Tunis Carthage International Airport where she and her seven-year-old son will take the flight that would first take them to Doha and then on to Manila. 

“Pasensya na po. Lahat po kayo naabala dahil sa amin,” she said while trying to wipe off her tears. 

We first met her a few weeks after the latest fighting in Libya broke out almost eight months ago. It must have been April when we visited the Tripoli Central Hospital to see how our nurses were coping. She was among those  who want to go home but could not until the hospital finally remits her hard-earned salary that had accumulated over the years. 

We could sense the exasperation, especially given the fact that even if she wanted to she could not go home to visit her ailing mother in Gabaldon, Nueva Ecija, because of the travel ban. She said she had a small son she was single handedly raising. 

We would see her again and her son at school activities and in gatherings of the Filipino Community. We told her to just get in touch with us when she is ready to go home. A few weeks ago, she reached out and told us she was ready. And we were, too. 

We would see her again and her son at school activities and in gatherings of the Filipino Community. We told her to just get in touch with us when she is ready to go home. A few weeks ago, she reached out and told us she was ready. And we were, too. 

And so there we were this afternoon at Tunis Carthage for the final leg of her homecoming. It was her first trip to the Philippines in 10 years. It was also her son’s first. She was crying and apologizing for the inconvenience. 

“Never kayo naging abala sa amin,” we told her. “You are the reason why we are still there in Libya—to look after you and our other kababayan.” 

“Thank you po. Thank you po, talaga,” she said. 

We then gave the son a stuffed camel as a remembrance. The boy held it tightly to his chest. 

Be good,” we told him and waved them both goodbye.

It is with this as backdrop that the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli joins the rest of the nation in paying tribute to our kababayan abroad as we commemorate Overseas Filipinos Month. 

We take this opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to serve and protect Filipinos not just in Libya but also those in the other countries under our jurisdiction.

1 December 2019