The 21 Filipino crew members of the MV Tutor arrived safely in the Philippines around noon on Monday.
They left Bahrain, where they were ferried by a rescue United States Navy Ship, on Sunday. Labor Attache Hector Cruz of the Migrant Workers Office (MWO) – Al Khobar accompanied the sailors.
One Filipino remained missing though.
Before boarding Gulf Air flight GF154, Philippine Ambassador to Bahrain Anne Jalando-on Louis, MWO – Bahrain Officer-in-Charge Celia Cabadonga and welfare officer Dr. Amelito Adel Cruz gave them a briefing and financial assistance of 192 Bahraini dinars (about PHP30,000).
At the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City, they were met by Secretaries Hans Cacdac of Migrant Workers and Ted Herbosa of Health, and Tingog Party-list Rep. Jude Acidre, also the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs chair.
The seafarers will receive PHP230,000 each in immediate financial assistance from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), House of Representatives-Office of th
e Speaker, Overseas Workers Welfare Administration and Department of Social Welfare and Development.
House Speaker Ferdinand Martin Romualdez and his wife, Tingog Party-list Rep. Yedda Marie Romualdez, will dip into their calamity funds for the PHP150,000 cash assistance they would contribute for each seafarer.
‘This assistance is a token of our gratitude for their courage and resilience during this harrowing ordeal,’ the Speaker said in a statement.
‘We stand by them and are committed to providing the necessary support,’ Rep. Yedda Romualdez added.
Reports said Houthi rebels rained drones and missiles on the Liberia-flagged vessel on June 12 near the Yemeni port of Hodeidah.
The attack caused severe flooding and damage to the engine room.
Meanwhile, the missing crew has to be found first before declaring anything, Cacdac said at the press briefing.
‘We have to be precise about this. He is missing, he has not been found and he has to be searched before we can make conclusions kung ano ang nangyari sa k
anya (as to what really happened to him),’ he said.
Cacdac said he accompanied the family of the missing seafarer to the shipowners’ office in Manila on Friday to meet with officials.
‘We drove the point home. Una, ‘yung overriding concern ng Pangulo na kailangang mahanap ‘yung tripulante. Pangalawa ‘yung kanilang commitment na magkaroon ng patuloy na operasyon (First is the concern of the president to find the missing seafarer. Second, their commitment to continue with the operation),’ he said.
The Filipino captain of MV Tutor, Christian Domarique, thanked all those who were part of the rescue.
‘On behalf of my crew, pasalamat po ako sa nasa Itaas. Kay Pangulong BBM, kay Secretary Hans, sa ambassador sa Bahrain, maraming salamat po sa Kanya (I thank God above. To President BBM, Secretary Hans, to the ambassador in Bahrain, thanks to God),’ Domarique said.
Source: Philippines News Agency