Filipinos held hostage by Houthis to be released soon – DFA

MANILA, Philippines — Nine Filipino seafarers of the ill-fated M/V Eternity C, held hostage by the Houthis in the Red Sea, will be released and will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen to Muscat, Oman, according to information received by the Department of Foreign Affairs.

In a statement on Tuesday evening, the DFA said it was informed by authorities of the Sultanate of Oman regarding the matter.

“The release was the outcome of efforts of Oman, in cooperation with the Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs. Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro personally discussed the plight of the Filipinos with her Omani counterpart, Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi, during a bilateral meeting in July, and again raised the matter during a phone call in November,” said the DFA.

READ: DMW: 8 of 21 Filipino crew of besieged MV Eternity C rescued

“The Philippine Embassy in Muscat and the Migrant Workers Office-Muscat will make arrangements for the safe and immediate return of the Filipinos to the Philippines,” it added.

The DFA said the Philippine government expresses its sincerest appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman.

Earlier, reports came that MV Eternity C sank in the Red Sea after repeated attacks from Yemen-based Houthi militants using sea drones and rocket-propelled grenades.

The bulk carrier was sailing under the flag of Liberia, carrying 22 crew members, 21 of whom are Filipinos.

READ: PH seafarers barred from vessels passing through Red Sea, Gulf of Aden

The Philippine government previously barred Filipino seafarers from boarding vessels passing through the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.

The Department of Migrant Workers particularly required manning agencies to submit a written guarantee that passenger or cruise vessels with Filipino crew members will not traverse the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, which have been designated as “war-like zones.” /cb