PLEA FOR RELEASE. The cargo ship MV Galaxy Leader in this undated photo. The Presidential Communications Office said Friday (Aug. 2, 2024) that Manila is seeking the release of the seized cargo ship's sick Filipino seafarers being held hostage by the Houthi group. (Anadolu photo)
MANILA – The Philippines is seeking the release of sick Filipino seafarers being held hostage by the Houthi group for “humanitarian reasons,” Malacañang said on Friday.
Citing the July 30 memorandum from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Presidential Communications Office Secretary Cheloy Garafil said several Filipino crew members of MV Galaxy Leader are exhibiting symptoms of malaria.
Garafil said the DFA memorandum was issued to inform President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. about the current health condition of the Filipino seafarers.
“According to a DFA memorandum for the President dated July 30, Honorary Consul to Yemen Mohammad Saleh Al-Jamal confirmed that several Filipino crew members were experiencing significant health issues as they show malaria symptoms,” she said.
“Al-Jamal sought the assistance from Sana’a authorities for the release of the Filipino crew members, citing humanitarian reasons because of their declining health condition.”
The Sana’a government in Yemen told the Philippine government that the request for the release of Filipino seafarers “depends on external decisions,” according to the DFA memorandum.
The DFA said the Sana’a government would discuss the issue and the case with the specialists and the Presidency of the Yemeni Republic under the Houthi government.
“Hence, negotiations and discussions are plausible for their (Filipino seafarers) fate and possible release,” the memorandum read.
Garafil said the DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migration Affairs is awaiting Al-Jamal’s report on the follow-up meeting between Ambassador Ahmed Omar and representatives of the Yemeni Foreign Ministry in Sana’a.
The sick Filipino seafarers are nevertheless getting medical assistance from the Sana’a government, the DFA said, adding that specialized doctors were sent to Galaxy Leader to carry out necessary medical procedures.
On July 27, Marcos expressed relief upon learning that the 17 Filipino seafarers under the custody of the Houthis were “all safe” after the recent Israeli attack on Yemen’s Hodeidah port.
Marcos also reassured the seafarers’ families that the Philippine government is doing everything for their safe return to the country.
In November last year, Houthi rebels hijacked the Bahamas-flagged Galaxy Leader, a car carrier owned by Israeli shipowner Ray Shipping, as it transited the Red Sea. (PNA)
