EDITORIAL
The problem of Houti rebels in Yemen who are now creating trouble in the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea, attacking commercial ships especially those remotely affiliated with Israel, is expected to continue as long as there is fighting in Gaza between Israeli defense forces and Hamas and other Palestinian militants.
Complications dog this issue, as Iran is somehow a passive participant in the hostilities, being a key supporter and financier of the Palestinian resistance, and also of the Houtis. The Houti rebels are of course expected to align their political plans and actions with Iran, and so you can see them releasing missiles from Yemen to Israel, dangerously close to hitting Saudi Arabia if the system malfunctioned. Inside their turf, the Houtis have attacked, boarded, and bombed cargo vessels and oil tankers belonging to the West, and it is the Philippines’ misfortune that in those ships, many Filipinos were working as seafarers.
While the Philippines has a small voice to even influence the geopolitics in the Middle East and West Asia, at least the Marcos administration is doing all it can to cushion the negative impact of the war on our maritime sector which is a big contributor to the economy.
The successful return to the country yesterday of 21 out of 22 Filipino seamen on board the MV Tutor that was attacked by missiles and drones last June 12 is evidence that the Marcos administration can bring results, especially after the President enjoined all government officials to adopt the whole-of-government approach in tackling the problem.
The 21 Filipino crew members of the MV Tutor arrived safely in the Philippines around noon on Monday. They left Bahrain, where they were ferried by a rescue United States Navy Ship, on Sunday. Labor Attache Hector Cruz of the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) - Al Khobar accompanied the sailors.
One Filipino remained missing though.
Before boarding Gulf Air flight GF154, Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Anne Jalando-on Louis, MWO - Bahrain Officer-in-Charge Celia Cabadonga and welfare officer Dr. Amelito Adel Cruz gave them a briefing and financial assistance of 192 Bahraini dinars (about PHP30,000).
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City, they were met by Secretaries Hans Cacdac of Migrant Workers and Ted Herbosa of Health, and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, also the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs chair.
The seafarers would receive PHP230,000 in immediate financial assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), House of Representatives-Office of the Speaker, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
It was Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac who announced on Saturday that in one of the fastest rescue operations ever in the Red Sea, US Navy personnel snatched to safety some 21 Filipino seafarers aboard the ill-fated MV Tutor.
Cacdac said the team of DMW, Migrant Workers Office (MWO) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), under the ‘One-Country Team Approach’ led by the Philippine ambassador in Bahrain, all did their part in completing the successful rescue.
The DMW head noted that the collaborative efforts of various government agencies and their foreign counterparts have resulted in the quick rescue of 21 out of 22 Filipino seafarers onboard MV Tutor. He said the rescue came in less than 24 hours after President Marcos ordered to have them moved to safety.
Since nobody can argue against success, those behind the successful rescue of 21 Filipino seafarers can always claim that it was primarily because of President Bongbong Marcos' whole-of-government initiative.
We hope that the authorities will utilize the same tack in effecting the release of 17 more Filipino seafarers captured by Houthi rebels in November and December last year.
“The ongoing effort to secure their release being undertaken through the DFA – the DFA is communicating with foreign governments who have communication lines with Houthi rebels with the objective of securing the release of our seafarers and bringing them home safely,” Cacdac said.
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