Ship owners, manning agency say 17 Filipino seafarers held by Houthis safe: OWWA

Zen Hernandez, ABS-CBN News

MANILA - Almost three weeks after they were seized by Houthi rebels, all 17 Filipino crew of the ship Galaxy Leader are safe.This is the guarantee provided to Philippine government representatives by both the manning agency and ship owners. According to Overseas Workers Welfare Administrator (OWWA) Arnell Ignacio, he was visiting the Filipino community in Greece when he learned that top officials of the manning agency, Sea Power, and Galaxy Leader ship owners were also in Greece. <figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2893692" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>In a dialogue, both ship owners and manning agency expressed deep concern over the crew’s welfare and their families. They committed to continue paying the seafarers’ salary and even doubling it, to help families cope with the situation. Food and supplies should not be a problem for the crew since the ship has ample provisions. The Houthis also do not seem to want to harm the crew. “Basta ang importante lang wala namang indication or any expression of any aggressive request, wala namang ganon. Ang gustong i-emphasize ng mga counterparts naman natin sa Greece na itong mga kasama dito sa hostage taking eh parang pamilya na nila because they have been working with them for 28 years so kung kapamilya natin ‘tong nandon, kapamilya din nila yung nandon,” Ignacio said. For its part, OWWA continues to be in touch with the seafarers’ families to provide much-needed support and information. However, Ignacio also admitted, that it remains a “wait and see” situation. This is because progress on any negotiation remains unclear since the Houthis refuse to demand anything. “Tinanong ko rin yan meron bang negotiation, wala rin silang masabing negotiation, any negotiation na nangyayari kasi mga wala ding hinihingi…Pag ganitonang sitwasyin very sensitive ang information ang pinaka importante they are safe,” Ignacio added. The Department of Foreign Affairs previously said quiet diplomacy is being employed for the safe return of the seafarers. It can be remembered that President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. even canceled a trip to Dubai to focus on the matter.<ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/news/12/01/23/marcos-jr-to-exhaust-all-remedies-to-free-17-filipino-seafarers">Marcos Jr. says to &#x27;exhaust all remedies&#x27; to free 17 Pinoy seafarers in Red Sea</a></li></ul> The car carrier, Galaxy Leader and its 25-man crew were raided by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea last November 19. A video of the Houthi hijacking operation was released on November 21, showing armed men jumping from a chopper onto the ship’s deck.Another video of a Houthi navy commander shaking hands and talking to the crew was also posted on November 22. No new footage has been released since then. But the Houthis have reiterated its warning to target and attack all Israeli-linked, operated and owned vessels in the Red Sea if Israel will not cease its aggression on Palestine, especially in the Gaza Strip, where nearly 16,000 Palestinians have been killed and 1.8 million displaced.

Almost three weeks since they were seized by Houthi rebels, all 17 Filipino crew of car carrier Galaxy Leader are safe.

Ship owners, manning agency say 17 Filipino seafarers held by Houthis safe: OWWA | ABS-CBN

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Ship owners, manning agency say 17 Filipino seafarers held by Houthis safe: OWWA

Ship owners, manning agency say 17 Filipino seafarers held by Houthis safe: OWWA

Zen Hernandez,

ABS-CBN News

Published Dec 07, 2023 08:16 PM PHT

Read More:

Galaxy Leader

Houthis

Filipino crew

OWWA

Arnel Ignacio

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