DFA: Some Pinoys among crew shown in Houthi video

Some Filipino seafarers were among the individuals shown in a video released by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, who earlier claimed to have rescued crew members from the cargo vessel Eternity C after sinking it in the Red Sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) confirmed Tuesday.

“Yes, meron,” DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega told GMA News Online in response to a query on whether Filipinos were among those featured in the footage.

However, De Vega said the exact number and identities of the Filipinos seen in the video remain unverified as of now.

“Ask DMW [Department of Migrant Workers] for confirmation as to their number or identities. Not all the 11 are Pinoys,” he added.

On Monday, the Houthis released video clips and images showing 10 crew members they claim to have “rescued” from the Eternity C, one of two commercial vessels struck by the rebel group earlier this month.

According to the Houthi statement, 11 mariners in total were recovered from the sea, including two who sustained injuries and were provided medical care. One body found aboard the vessel before it sank was also brought to a hospital morgue.

The attacks mark a renewed phase in the Houthis’ campaign against ships they allege are linked to Israel — a campaign that had paused briefly but has since intensified amid the ongoing war in Gaza. A separate strike also hit another ship, the Magic Seas.

EU naval task force Operation Aspides previously reported that 15 of the 25 crew members on the Eternity C remained missing, with four presumed dead.

Washington has since accused the Houthis of kidnapping the missing crew, while Human Rights Watch described the attacks and unlawful detention of seafarers as potential war crimes.

One Filipino survivor, Cocoy, had earlier recounted his ordeal in an interview, describing the moment a Houthi missile struck the ship.

“Akala ko po mamamatay na ako (I thought I was going to die.),” the seafarer said, noting that he was off-duty and resting in his cabin when the captain's voice boomed over the intercom of the cargo ship: "We are under attack".

The July 6 assault on the Greek-owned Magic Seas broke a months-long lull in attacks by Yemen's Houthi rebels on Red Sea shipping, which began after the start of the Gaza war in October 2023.

Crew members scrambled to reach the "muster station" at the center of the ship, considered the safest place should a projectile strike the vessel.

GMA News Online has reached out to both the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) for further confirmation, but has yet to receive a response as of posting. — BAP, GMA Integrated News