AT pass five o’clock in the afternoon on Tuesday, the 11 Filipino seafarers who survived a missile attack by Houthi rebels in Yemen arrived in the country.
The crew members arrived at NAIA 3 aboard Ethiopian Airlines flight ET 644. Among them, one sustained a minor injury.
According to the Department of Migrant Workers, the repatriates will receive an assistance package through a whole-of-government approach to ensure their safety and welfare.
The package includes an on-site medical and physical check-up from the Department of Health (DOH), financial and comprehensive reintegration support from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as well as livelihood aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
The repatriates were welcomed by House Committee on House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs Chairman Rep. Ron Salo and DMW Officer-in-Charge Hans Leo J. Cacdac with Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, Health Secretary Teodoro Herbosa, and other senior government officials.
The seafarers received financial assistance worth P50,000 from the Department of Migrant Workers along with its comprehensive reintegration support, as well as medical and psychiatric assessment from the Department of Health.
Also, the seafarers received livelihood aid worth P20,000 from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and scholarship and training vouchers from TESDA.
DFA said before their arrival in the country, the crew members received financial assistance of $1,000 or over P55k from the Philippine Embassy in Cairo.
DMW first reported that two Filipinos were killed in an attack by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden last week. The operation to recover the ship and the remains of the two Filipinos who died in the attack is ongoing.
Except for the one who returned home, two Filipino seafarers were also injured in the missile attack and are now recovering in a hospital in Djibouti City.
On March 6, around 5:30 p.m., Houthi rebels based in Yemen launched a missile attack on the crew’s cargo vessel. The ship was 50 nautical miles away from Aden, the capital of Yemen.
Based on the manning agency’s report, the missile struck the vessel’s fuel bunker section causing an explosion and engulfed the ship in flames. The magnitude of the explosion forced the crew to evacuate the ship immediately to avoid further injuries.
An Indian Navy vessel, part of the international task force patrolling the volatile Red Sea – Gulf of Aden sea lanes, rescued the crew and brought them to Djibouti.
