Sara Duterte seeks justice for Filipino seafarers killed in Houthi attack

Vice President Sara Duterte on Friday condoled with the bereaved families of the Filipino crew members who reportedly died when their commercial vessel was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

“Ipinapaabot ko, kasama ang buong Tanggapan ng Pangalawang Pangulo, ang aming pakikipagdalamhati sa pamilya ng tatlo nating kababayan na OFW seafarers na namatay sakay ng MV Eternity C,” Duterte said in a video message. 

(I, along with the entire Office of the Vice President, extend our condolences to the families of our three OFW seafarers who died aboard the MV Eternity C.) 

“Aming pinagdarasal ang hustisya para sa kanilang tatlo at kaligtasan ng kanilang mga kasamahan,” she added. 

(We pray for justice for the three of them, as well as for the safety of their fellow crew members.) 

The cargo ship Eternity C sustained engine damage after it was hit during an assault by the Iran-backed Houthi group on Monday, July 7. The Liberia-flagged, Greek-managed vessel had 22 crew members on board—21 of whom are Filipinos and one is Russian. 

Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Cacdac said Thursday that three more Filipino crew members were rescued from the ship, bringing the total number to eight. 

Cacdac, however, said that the 13 other Filipino sailors remain unaccounted for, and as many as four deaths from the Houthi attack still need to be verified. 

The Department of Foreign Affairs had said two Filipino seafarers were "most likely" killed in the incident. —VAL, GMA Integrated News