Pinoy crew members of MV Galaxy Leader back in PH

The 17 Filipino seafarers recently released by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthis have returned to the Philippines.

According to a statement issued on Thursday, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the seafarers landed at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 at 9:31 p.m.

They were met by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Foreign Affairs Secretary Enrique Manalo, Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista, Health Secretary Teodoro Bautista, and other government officials upon arrival.

“The immediate repatriation and provision of comprehensive assistance and support to the Filipino seafarers is a directive from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr., under one-team approach of ensuring better protection and welfare of the Filipino seafarers and their families,” the statement read.

In a ''24 Oras'' report by Jamie Santos on Friday, Philippine Ambassador to Oman Raul Hernandez said that they arranged for the release as soon as they heard about the ceasefire deal between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"When the ceasefire happened in Gaza, immediately [we] talked to the Houthis and sent a plane to collect our seafarers. Immediately, we booked them for this flight. So, now we are happy that they are here,” he said.

The Department of Migrant Workers said that the seafarers would receive financial assistance, psychosocial intervention, scholarships, and livelihood assistance.

Meanwhile, the Department of Transportation assured that the seafarers would be able to renew their seaman’s books.

The seafarers will remain in Manila while undergoing medical assessment, after which they will be transported back to their respective provinces.

“Some of them are symptomatic for some infections. Not serious, but a lot of things can happen in 428 days. We don’t even know if they had access to medical services while they were in captivity. Wala po namang (None of them seem) visibly in pain or anything,” said Department of Health spokesperson Assistant Secretary Albert Domingo.

The seafarers were the crew members of the commercial ship that was seized by the Houthis in November 2023 and held captive for over a year.

A report by Houthi-owned Al Masirah TV noted that the release was "in coordination" with the three-day-old ceasefire in Gaza's war between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas.

"The release of the Galaxy Leader crew comes within the framework of our solidarity with Gaza and in support of the ceasefire agreement," it quoted the Houthi Supreme Political Council as saying.

Houthi leader Abdul Malik al-Houthi said that they were still ready to act if Israel violated the ceasefire. — BAP/VBL, GMA Integrated News