DFA gives aid to 13 Filipino survivors of missile attack by rebels in Yemen

In this image obtained from the US Central Command (CENTCOM) on March 6, 2024 shows the Barbados-flagged, Liberian-owned bulk carrier after it was hit by anti-ship ballistic missile (ASBM) launched from Iranian-backed Houthi rebels. (File photo by Handout / US Central Command (CENTCOM) / AFP)

MANILA, Philippines — The 13 Filipino seafarers who survived a missile attack on a cargo vessel in Yemen received around P55,000 cash assistance from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said on Tuesday.

He also confirmed that 11 of them are set to arrive in the country at 6:15 p.m. Tuesday.

“We provided the first tranche of financial assistance. This was from the DFA. We gave them a thousand dollars each,” said de Vega in a Palace briefing.

He added the Department of Migrant Workers and other agencies are also set to provide other aid to the seafarers.

Meanwhile, the two severely injured crew members are still recovering and will be repatriated via air ambulance in the coming days, de Vega said.

“They are recovering, although their injuries are grave,” he noted.

De Vega also mentioned that the bodies of the two Filipino casualties are still yet to be retrieved as the ship is still being transferred to a safer location.

On March 6, the ship True Confidence caught fire in the Gulf of Aden due to a missile attack from Houthi rebels.

Aside from the two Filipinos, there was also one Vietnamese seafarer who died from the incident, de Vega said.