4 Filipinos on board hijacked Portuguese cargo ship

Source: The Manila times
Author: Bernadette E. Tamayo

MANILA, Philippines: The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said the government will do everything to secure the release of four Filipinos aboard the Portuguese cargo ship MSC Aries which was hijacked near the Strait of Hormuz.

Hans Leo Cacdac, officer-in-charge of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), on Sunday confirmed that four Filipino seafarers were on board the Portuguese-flagged vessel.

"We have already reached out to the families. As of last night we learned that the vessel has reached the port of Iran," Cacdac said in a radio interview.

He said the DMW has "gotten in touch with the manning agency, the ship agent and the operator" of MSC Aries. "We also receive information from them [about the situation of the Filipinos]."

"We coordinated also with the Department of Foreign Affairs as soon as the news [of the hijacking] came out," Cacdac said.

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The DFA on Saturday said that it coordinated with the Philippine Embassy in Tehran and the DMW to verify the presence of Filipino seafarers on the cargo ship.

"No efforts will be spared to have them released and returned home as soon as possible," the DFA said.

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"Advancing the welfare of our seafarers and other overseas nationals is an ongoing commitment of the administration of President [Ferdinand] Bongbong Marcos [Jr.]," it added.

Filipino seafarers comprise 25 percent of those employed in the global maritime industry, with almost half a million serving on cargo and cruise ships.

Iran has released 18 Filipino seafarers held aboard MV St. Nikolas after the manning agency who hired deployed their replacements, the DFA said on March 27.

"We're hoping it will be that way too in the case of the MSC Aries," Cacdac said.

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Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo said the Philippines is working to secure the release of 17 other Filipinos being held aboard Galaxy Leader by suspected Houthi rebels.