MANILA, July 8 (Xinhua) -- The Philippines is working closely with the government of Iraq and Libya to secure the release of five Filipinos who were abducted by armed men in two separate incidents in Iraq and Libya, Philippine Foreign Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano said on Sunday.
"The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), through our embassies in Baghdad and Tripoli, has been informed that five (Filipinos) have been taken by armed men in Iraq and Libya on Friday," Cayetano said in a statement.
He said the DFA is in touch with authorities in Iraq and Libya and have requested their assistance in locating and securing the release of the missing Filipinos.
Initial reports from the Philippine Embassy in Baghdad said two Filipinas were taken by unidentified armed men along a highway in Uzem District, south of Kirkuk.
Chargé d'Affaires Julius D. Torres said the women were reportedly with two other Filipinas on their way to Baghdad from Kurdistan when their vehicle was stopped by the armed men.
Torres said that reports also indicate that the driver abandoned his vehicle and the four Filipinas who were then taken by the armed men.
However, two of the Filipinas later escaped and are now in police custody, according to the reports.
In Libya, the Philippine Embassy in Tripoli said three Filipino technicians were among four foreign nationals taken by armed men from a waterworks project site also on Friday.
Chargé d'Affaires Mardomel Melicor said armed men entered the construction site located 500 kilometers from Tripoli early morning Friday and took five foreigners and four Libyan from their quarters.
Melicor said the armed men later released one of the foreign workers and all the Libyans.