17 Pinoy seafarers held by Houthi rebels safe – DMW

MANILA, Philippines —  All 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by the Houthi rebels in Yemen are safe and have contacted their families, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said yesterday.

“We know that the 17 seafarers have contacted and were allowed to contact their families and they are safe on board the ship,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in an interview.

Cacdac said the DMW is regularly coordinating with the families of the seafarers.

Latest information received by the DMW indicated that the vessel is still anchored off the coast of Yemen.

Cacdac said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is working with other governments for the safe release and return of the seafarers.

The 17 were among 25 crewmembers of the cargo vessel Galaxy Leader, which was seized by the rebels following a helicopter-borne attack in the southern Red Sea on Nov. 19.

Cacdac said the DMW welcomes the recent designation of the Red Sea’s southern section and the Bab El-Mandeb Strait leading to the Gulf of Aden as high-risk areas.

He said the expansion of the identified high-risk areas in the Red Sea would provide additional protection to Filipino seafarers.

Meanwhile, Filipino domestic helpers in Hong Kong will receive a salary increase next year, the DMW reported yesterday.

All foreign domestic helpers (FDH), including Filipinos in the former British colony, will benefit from the wage legislation set by Hong Kong’s labor department.