Marcos: Govt working to 'bring home safely' Filipinos on ship seized in Red Sea

President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. said the Philippine government is working to safely bring home the 17 Filipino seafarers aboard a ship seized by Yemen's Houthis in Red Sea.

In a statement Wednesday night, Marcos said, "The safety of our 17 Filipino seafarers is of utmost concern."

"Our seafarers are not alone. The government is doing everything in our power to bring them safely home," he said.

He said the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is coordinating with its counterparts in Iran, Oman, Qatar, and Saudi Arabia for updates.

The Department of Migrant Workers also regularly communicates with the families of the hostages.

The DFA earlier said the Filipino seafarers were among the foreigners held hostage when Yemen's Houthis seized a cargo ship in the southern Red Sea earlier this week.

"Kasama ang iba't ibang dayuhan, so nababahala tayo dito. This is not the first time na may na-hostage.   Sinabi ng mga humuli na walang sasaktan na foreign na tripulante," Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De vega said in a "24 Oras" report by Cedric Castillo.

The Houthis, an ally of Iran, have been launching long-range missile and drone salvoes at Israel in solidarity with the Hamas militants fighting in the Gaza Strip.

The group's spokesman earlier warned it would target ships owned by Israel.

"Meron itong koneksyon sa gyera sa Israel-Hamas... Tinarget ito dahil Israeli-owned daw kahit na Japanese yung company," De Vega said.

Meanwhile, the United States is reviewing "potential terrorist designations" for the Houthi rebel group in response to its seizure of a cargo ship, White House national security spokesperson John Kirby said on Tuesday in a Reuters report.

Kirby's comment was significant because one of the Biden administration's first acts after taking office in January 2021 was revoking terrorist designations of the Houthis over fears the sanctions they carried could worsen Yemen's humanitarian crisis.

"In light of this, we have begun a review of potential terrorist designations and we will be considering other options as well with our allies and partners as well," Kirby said at a White House press briefing. He called for the immediate release of the ship and its international crew.

The Bahamas-flagged car carrier is chartered by Japan's Nippon Yusen. It is owned by a firm registered under Isle of Man-headquartered Ray Car Carriers, which is a unit of Tel Aviv-incorporated Ray Shipping, according to LSEG data.

Iran has denied involvement in the seizure of the ship, which the car carrier's owner on Monday said was taken to the Houthi-controlled southern Yemen port of Hodeidah.—Anna Felicia Bajo/LDF, GMA Integrated News