21 Filipino seafarers from Houthi-hit ship back in PH — OWWA

The 21 Filipino seafarers who were rescued from MV Tutor following a Houthi attack last week at the Red Sea have already arrived in Manila on Monday morning, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) said.

OWWA said the seafarers were repatriated through flight GF154, and arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3.

They were welcomed by the OWWA Airport Team led by Deputy Administrator Mary Melanie Quiño, Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Department of Health Secretary Ted Herbosa, Congressman Phillip Jude Acidre of the Tingog party-list, and Labor Attaché Hector Cruz.

Aside from financial assistance, OWWA also offered the seafarers food, transportation assistance, and hotel accommodation.

The 21 of the 22 Filipino seafarers of MV Tutor arrived at the Port of Manama, Bahrain at around 5:30 p.m local time on Saturday, according to the DMW. They boarded a flight back to the Philippines on Sunday evening.

As of Saturday, Cacdac said that one Filipino crew of the MV Tutor remained inside the abandoned Liberia-flagged coal carrier whose crew members were all Filipinos.

“We are still searching for him… We were assured they will not stop in terms of locating our missing seafarer who is just within the ship," Cacdac said at the Saturday News Forum in Quezon City.

"There will be a salvaging operation of the ship… teams will go back to the ship to find the missing seafarer," he added.

Yemen's pro-Iranian Houthi group last Wednesday took responsibility for the small watercraft and missile attacks that left the ship taking on water and in need of rescue near Yemen's Red Sea port of Hodeidah, according to a Reuters report.

The Philippines, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, condemned the attack and called on members of the United Nations "to protect the human rights of seafarers." — RSJ, GMA Integrated News