PHL welcomes UN support for piracy attack victims

The Philippines welcomed the United Nations' newly launched assistance program offering support for victims of piracy attacks - an initiative that stemmed from a Philippine proposal.

 

UN Office on Drugs and Crime officials briefed participants during the meeting of Working Group 1 of the Contact Group on Piracy off Somalia (CGPCS) in London on Nov. 14.

 

“The Philippine government welcomes the decision taken by UNODC to complement its counter-piracy capacity-building projects in the judicial and legal systems of Somalia by creating a new program to assist seafarers who have fallen victims to Somali pirates,” said Philippine Ambassador to London Enrique Manalo in a news release.

 

According to the Department of Foreign Affairs, (DFA) the program has initially provided repatriation assistance to South Asian crewmembers recently released by Somali pirates.

 

It said the new UNODC program for seafarers stemmed from a Philippine proposal that counter-piracy programs funded by UNODC should also address the needs of seafarers who are victimized by this international crime.

 

"The Philippine proposal was conveyed by the Embassy’s Minister Francisco Noel Fernandez at a meeting of WG1 in London in February of last year," the DFA said.

 

The DFA said Filipino seafarers account for one-third of the crewing complement of merchant vessels engaged in international traffic.

 

The DFA said there are some 24 Filipino crew members still held by Somali pirates but the Philippine government is working continuously with ship owners and operators to secure their release. - VVP, GMA News