PHILIPPINE President Ferdinand R. Marcos, Jr. on Thursday said 17 Filipino seamen who had been held hostage by Houthi rebels since November 2023 are set to return to the country “very soon” after successful mediation efforts with the Iran-backed group.
“It is with utmost joy that, after more than a year of captivity in Yemen, I announce the safe release of all 17 Filipino seafarers, together with the rest of the crewmembers of M/V Galaxy Leader,” he said, based on a statement released by the presidential palace.
“Our Filipino seafarers are now in the care of our Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman and will be reunited with their loved ones in the Philippines very soon,” he added.
The Department of Foreign Affairs in 2023 said the 17 Filipinos were among those held hostage by the Yemeni rebels after seizing their cargo ship, which was linked to Israel, in the Red Sea.
That year, Yemen’s Al-Masirah TV, which is operated by Houthi rebels, released a video showing their men descending from a helicopter and seizing the Japanese Nippon Yusen K.K cargo ship in the southern part of the Red Sea.
Houthi military spokesman Yahya Saree had said the seizure was in response to “heinous acts” against Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank.
The Houthis described the ship as Israeli, Reuters earlier reported. The group also seized a British-owned cargo ship that had been sailing through the southern Red Sea.
The Department of Migrant Workers in April last year barred the deployment of Filipino seamen on passenger and cruise ships to the Red Sea and Gulf of Adden after attacks by Houthi rebels. — J.V.D. Ordoñez
