11 Filipino survivors of Houthi attack on ship back in PH

Facade of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 in Pasay City. INQUIRER FILE PHOTO / RICHARD A. REYES

MANILA, Philippines — Eleven of the 13 Filipino crewmen who survived Houthi rebels’ missile attack on their ship, True Confidence, returned to the Philippines on Tuesday.

The sailors arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 at 5:22 p.m. and were welcomed by officials from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

Also present were officials from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Department of Health (DOH), the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority, and Kabayan party-list Rep. Ron Salo.

READ: 2 Filipino sailors killed, 2 severely hurt in Houthi missile attack 

In a statement on Monday, the DMW said that the “eleven returning seafarers are composed of the 10 unharmed crew members in the missile attack on their ship, the bulk carrier True Confidence, by Houthi rebels last March 6 as it was traversing the Gulf of Aden.”

The wheelchair-bound 11th crew member suffered a fracture on his left foot during the emergency evacuation of the ship but was later cleared by medical authorities as fit for travel.

Upon arriving in the Philippines, the seafarers reunited with their families who welcomed them at the airport’s VIP Lounge.

READ: Romualdez vows aid for kin of seafarers killed in Houthi attack 

The DMW earlier reported that 13 Filipinos survived the missile attack, but two of them were still not able to go home as they were still being treated at a hospital in Djibouti City.

“They are due to come home, we are just waiting for the proper documents,” DMW officer-in-charge Hans Cacdac said in a press briefing following the 11 seafarers’ arrival.

According to the DMW, the returning sailors would each receive P50,000 from their department, P50,000 from OWWA, and P20,000 from the DSWD.

DFA Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega also told reporters at the press briefing that their department has provided financial assistance to the seafarers.

This is on top of the assistance that the owner of the Liberian-owned bulk carrier would dole out to the survivors.

Meanwhile, DOH officials present at the seafarers’ arrival said that psychosocial counseling was provided to assist them in recovering from their traumatic experience.

The DMW further said that recovery operations are underway for the retrieval of the remains of three crew members, two of them Filipino, who died in the missile attack.

The two Filipino sailors and the other crewman were the first fatalities reported since the Houthi group began attacking ships plying the Red Sea in November.