Malacañang concerned over kidnapping of Filipinos in West Africa

MANILA, Philippines—Malacañang has expressed concern over the kidnapping of 11 Filipino sailors in separate incidents in waters off the West African nations of Togo and Benin.

“We are concerned about the kidnappings and (Labor) Secretary Bello is handling it,” presidential spokesman Salvador Panelo said in a Palace briefing Tuesday.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) earlier said two Filipino sailors had been abducted in Togo following reports about the kidnapping of nine other Filipinos in Benin last week.

The two Filipinos were crew members of the Greek-flagged ship which was attacked by pirates off the coast of the capital, Lome, on Nov. 4.

Two days earlier, pirates abducted nine Filipino crew members from a Norwegian-flagged boat off Benin’s coast.

READ: DFA tracking 2 Pinoy seamen abducted in Togo