Stranded Pinoy seamen in Iraq repatriated soon

The two Filipino seamen stranded in Iraq since July and abandoned by their employer in September without money and food may soon be reunited with their families in the Philippines. Thanks to another Filipino in Iraq, the Manila-based Center for Migrants Advocacy, and responsive Philippine government officials who worked overtime even on a weekend to help Rodolfo Limjap and Abril Ricablanca taken out of the port of Umm Qasr for their eventual repatriation to Manila. Limjap, 32, from Rosario, Cavite and Ricablanca, 35, from Iloilo City, may be transported by ferry to Dubai either Monday or Tuesday. “The safest way for the two seamen to be repatriated back home is through Dubai. However, they will require a transit visa in Port Rashid Dubai to the airport," said Renee Dominguiano, assistant port manager of Inchcape Shipping Services in Iraq, who brought the plight of the two stranded seamen to the attention of GMANews.TV last week. Inchcape Shipping Services provides logistics support for the British Forces in Iraq. Dominguiano has been looking after Limjap and Ricablanca. He has also been assisting in securing the required documents and waiver of visa fees with the Umm Qasr Port Authority to enable them to get out of Iraq to Dubai. Dominguiano also arranged for a doctor to check on the health condition of Limjap on Saturday. He said Limjap was spitting blood. His feces also had blood traces. He has been given antibiotics. The two are among the crew of MV Pishgam, registered at St. Kitts & Nevis, but its real owner is an Iranian who had abandoned the ship, Dominguiano said. MV Pishgam is under the management of Aries Shipping management, a United Arab Emirate (UAE) shipping company, and chartered by Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines to take Dubai, Iran and Kuwait routes. The ship arrived in Umm Qasr on July 21 and a few days later, an Iraqi judge ordered a hold departure order for the vessel, stemming from a court case a consignee had filed in an Iraq court. Quick response Philippine officials and agencies promptly responded to appeals for help through CMA executive director Ellene Sana who has been coordinating the efforts from early morning until late into the night. “I talked already to Limjap and his Indian captain. Iraqi court may lift travel restrictions on Monday but (the ship) captain needs guarantees that ferry fares of two Filipino seamen are refunded and entry visas to Dubai arranged," said Philippine Ambassador to Kuwait Ricardo Endaya. “I sent already a report to DFA for immediate action." Endaya used to serve as charge d’affaires in Iraq before his transfer to Kuwait months ago. Overseas Workers Welfare Administration chief Marianito Roque also quickly responded to the request of CMA for assistance through the OWWA representatives in Dubai, which has agreed to shoulder the ferry fares of Limjap and Ricablanca from Umm Qasr to Dubai. Foreign Undersecretary Rafael Seguis; Crescente Relacion, executive director of DFA’s Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA); charge d’affaires Wilfredo R. Cuyugan in Amman, Jordan; and Philippine consulate and labor officials in the United Arab Emirates have been helping process the repatriation of the two stranded seamen to Manila. Reverend Stephen Miller of the Mission to Seafarers (MTS) in Dubai also responded positively to CMA’s urgent call for help. MTS, a foreign partner of CMA in attending to the needs of distressed seafarers, is also assisting in the repatriation of the Indian crew. CMA’s partner in the Middle East, the Jeddah-based V-Team Advocacy and Community Service, was also on hand to help coordinate the efforts. The Philippine consulate general in Dubai has agreed to shoulder the costs of Limjap’s and Ricablanca’s UAE visas, drawing from its Assistance to Nationals fund. The remaining problem is getting them out of Dubai to Manila. Sana said OWWA Dubai has been locating the employer of the seamen to pay for the costs of their plane fares to Manila. “If OWWA Dubai will not be able to locate the employer in Dubai, then nobody pays the fares of the two from Dubai to Manila. The two may be stranded in Dubai. They cannot stay in the POLO (Philippine Overseas Labor Office) compound because they are men," Sana said. However, she said CMA will explore the possibility for MTS to provide accommodation to the Filipino seamen while awaiting their flight to Manila. Family’s appeal Limjap’s wife, Dizza dela Rosa, said their son Rodolfo Jr. has been praying to have his dad home when he turns three years old on Nov. 17. “Talaga pong pinanghihinaan na ako ng loob kasi hindi ko na po alam kung ano ang gagawin ko kasi nagwo-worry na po ako sa asawa ko na nagkasakit na po. ‘Yung dumi n’ya po may dugo daw. Hindi naman daw po pwedeng dalhin sa hospital gawa ng delikado kaya dun lang daw po sila sa port," Dela Rosa said. “Kahit po undocumented at ‘di nagdaan sa POEA (Philippine Overseas Employment Administration) ang asawa ko pinatos n’ya ang offer na direct hire kasi gusto n’ya po makaipon dahil gusto n’ya po ipagamot ang anak n’ya kasi ang baby po namin pag umiyak or nasasaktan biglang na ngingitim at hindi na nakakahinga," she explained. “At ang isa pa po n’ya na reason ay gusto n’ya hanapin ang tatay n’ya kasi 29 years na po silang hindi nagkikita. Hindi n’ya po alam kung nasaan po. Sabi n’ya pag may ipon na s’ya madali n’ya magagawa ‘yun, kaso paano n’ya pa po magagawa ‘yun gayung kahit s’ya nasa delikadong sitwasyon," Dela Rosa said. “Kaya din po n’ya tinanggap ‘yung trabaho na ‘yun kasi ang dami n’ya na po inaplayan dito wala po tumanggap sa kanya kasi wala po s’yang US visa kasi lahat po ng seaman na tinatangap ngayon ay ‘yung may mga US visa na daw po. Sabi n’ya kung hindi n’ya daw po tatanggapin ‘yun paano n’ya pa raw po maipapagamot ang anak n’ya at paano n’ya pa rin daw po mahahanap ang tatay n’ya," Limjap’s wife added. “Sana matulungan n’yo na makauwi ang asawa ko na may sakit. Hindi bale na po na hindi niya makuha ang sweldo niya ng eight months basta makauwi na lang po sila," she appealed. Ricablanca has five children aged between three and 10 years old in Capiz. His sister, Melinda Valenzuela, said from Iloilo City that Ricablanca accepted the job in the Middle East out of desperation to earn a living for his family. She said he did not have a regular job before leaving for abroad. “Nag-e-extra lang sa construction. Ang asawa wala ring trabaho." “We know they have been stranded but we do not know what to do. We don’t know where to go. We have no money," she said. She said Ricablanca is the 10th in a brood of 11. Lost at sea According to Dominguiano, MV Pishgam left Port Rashid in Dubai on July 7, heading for Umm Qasr, Iraq. When the ship turned after channeling one island between the UAE and Iraq, it tilted 25 degrees portside, snapping the lashings on the containers. As the ship maneuvered to safety, 34 containers fell into the sea. The consignee of the containers filed a claim in a Dubai court and another case in Iraq. The consignee demanded $1.5 million compensation for the lost cargo. But the ship owner and its insurer simply shied away from the case, noting that the declared value of the entire ship is only $300,000. Since September 1, the ship owner has cut off food and water supply for the crew, Dominguiano said. He said that the rest of the crew, who were Indians, have already received assistance from their government and are ready for repatriation. Only the Filipinos are left without money and food supplies. The court has already ordered the release of all the crew but the two Filipinos do not have money to buy plane tickets, not even for food, he added. On tourist visas “Limjap and Ricablanca arrived in Dubai in January on tourist visas. They were directly hired by MV Pishgam management through the recommendation of Capt. Alex Calaguas, a friend of the two, the former captain of the ship. Calaguas resigned from Aries Shipping shortly before MV Pishgam set sail for Iraq. “The two are asking monetary assistance from us to finance for their ferry and plane tickets back home. I will also try to contact the Philippine embassy for what help they can extend," Dominguiano said. “The families of Limjap and Ricablanca are really worried about their situation. I advised them [families] to visit the Department of Foreign Affairs in Manila. But they complain that they don’t have money even for transportation," he said. – GMANews.TV