PBBM ties with Mideast leaders helped free 17 Pinoy seafarers

Philippine News Agency

FILE: A whole-of-government team welcomes the 17 Filipino crew members of M/V Galaxy Leader who were held captive for more than a year in Yemen. (Photo: Department of Migrant Workers/Facebook)

MANILA – The close relationship of President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. with Middle East leaders and the presence of Filipinos in the region contributed to the release of the 17 Filipino seafarers held hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen for 428 days, a foreign affairs official said on Saturday.

“Our President really thanked Oman… This was (the) consequence which we were hoping for and got it much faster as [we] expected it,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Affairs Eduardo De Vega said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

“And maybe [it] is because we [have a] special friendship. Our President has been talking to leaders in the region and definitely because of the high regard the Middle East countries have for us because of the work of our millions of Filipinos there, so salamat din sa kanila (we also thank them),” he added.

De Vega said Philippine officials conducted quiet diplomacy until the breakthrough in the Israel-Hamas negotiations before the assumption to office of US President Donald Trump.

The Filipino seafarers arrived in the Philippines from Muscat, Oman via Oman Air flight at 9:31 p.m. on Thursday.

They were booked by the government at a hotel together with their families. They are staying there, until Tuesday at least, for further monitoring.

“So that their health [will] be monitored to make sure wala silang (they have no) post-traumatic stress disorder. So, after that maybe Tuesday, they will be brought to their provinces, most of them are not from Metro Manila,” De Vega said.

Department of Health Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo said the crew members will undergo medical and psychosocial support, acknowledging the trauma the seafarers endured during their captivity.

“We are aware of the psychological toll that 428 days in captivity can have, and we are committed to offering comprehensive medical and psychosocial support,” Domingo said during the arrival press conference at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 in Parañaque City.

The President thanked His Majesty Sultan Haitham bin Tariq Al Said, Sultan of Oman, and his government for their successful mediation, which led to the release and safe passage of the Filipino seafarers through Oman.

The Houthis hijacked the cargo vessel Galaxy Leader near Hodeidah in November 2023 while en route to India, taking hostage its 25 crew members, including the 17 Filipinos. (PND/PNA)