Home 
MANILA, Philippines -- Three Filipino seafarers were among the freed crew of the Chinese fishing vessel F/B Tianyu, which was released by Somali pirates Sunday, Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) spokesman Bayani Mangibin said Monday.
He said the Philippine embassy in Nairobi, Kenya confirmed earlier wire reports about the release of the vessel.
This brings down to 53 the number of Filipino seamen still in captivity.
Over the past year, the hijacking of ships in the Gulf of Aden has intensified, prompting the international community to act jointly against the pirates.
Hundreds of millions of dollars are estimated to have been paid for the release of the vessels and their crew.
The situation has reached the point where the United Nations General Assembly has voted to authorize land-based action in Somalia against the pirates.
