17 Filipinos in Yemen OK even after Israeli strikes

A picture shows a view of the Israel-linked cargo vessel Galaxy Leader seized by Houthi fighters, at anchor off the coast of Yemen’s Hodeida on May 12, 2024.  —photo by Agence France-Presse

MANILA, Philippines — The 17 Filipino seafarers in the custody of Houthi rebels were unharmed during the Israeli military’s recent strikes on the Houthi-controlled port of Hodeidah in Yemen.

President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., in a post on his official X (formerly Twitter) account on Saturday night, said the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh reported that all 17 seafarers of the Galaxy Leader cargo ship are safe in Hodeidah.

“I wish to assure their loved ones in the Philippines that our government has not forsaken them and we are doing everything to secure their safe return home,” Marcos said.

READ: DFA: PH won’t abandon 17 sailors held by Houthi rebels

He renewed the Philippines’ call for a speedy resolution of the conflicts in the Middle East so that “no more lives may be lost and all can live in peace.”

The 17 Filipino seafarers have been held hostage for nearly nine months by Houthi rebels from Yemen since their cargo ship was hijacked in the Red Sea in November last year.

Marcos assured the government is doing every effort to ensure the safe return of the 17 Filipino hostages.

The Houthi rebels reportedly seized the Galaxy Leader and held hostage its 25 crew members, including the Filipinos, in retaliation for Israel’s attacks in Gaza.

Last month, Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said the government, through the Department of Foreign Affairs, is working with foreign governments to secure the release of the 17 Filipinos.