The Department of Migrant Workers on Thursday confirmed that two Filipinos were among the three seafarers killed in the missile attack on their bulk carrier by Houthi rebels in the Gulf of Aden.

According to the DMW and independent reports, the Barbados-flagged and Liberian-owned True Confidence was attacked by the Iran-backed Houthis on Wednesday.

Of the 15 Filipinos aboard the ship, three others were injured in the attack, the DMW said. Citing “privacy reasons,” the department did not identify any of the seafarers, including the ones who were killed and wounded.

In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said the 13 surviving Filipinos, including the three wounded, were brought by the Indian Navy to Djibouti, a nation in the Horn of Africa bordered by Somalia and Ethiopia.

“The Philippine Embassy in Cairo, Egypt, is dispatching a team to Djibouti to provide them with the necessary assistance, including replacing their travel documents that were left on the ship,” the DFA said.

“The Philippine government remains steadfast in the belief that through diplomacy and adherence to international law, the inter-related conflicts affecting the region at present will eventually be resolved, leading to the resumption of free and unimpeded commerce for the world economy and freedom of navigation for the international community,” it added.

The DMW assured the relatives of the slain and wounded Filipino seafarers of its full support and assistance.

Sympathy attacks

Since November last year, when they hijacked the Galaxy Leader and held hostage 17 Filipino seamen, the Houthis have been hitting with missiles and explosives-laden drone ships plying the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea en route to the Suez Canal.

“The DMW is in touch with the ship’s manning agency and shipowner to ascertain the conditions of the rest of the crew, particularly the Filipino crew members, as we have been informed that they have been taken to a safe port,” it said.

The attacks were part of the Houthis’ protest against the ongoing war in Gaza, following the attack by Hamas on Israel on 7 October 2023.

First fatalities

The three seafarers were the first fatalities of Houthi attacks on merchant vessels transiting the key Red Sea trade route.

Houthi military spokesperson Yahya Saree wrote on social media that the vessel was targeted with missiles “after the ship’s crew rejected warning messages” from the rebels.

The United States Central Command, which oversees America’s military operations in the Middle East, earlier said that three crew members had been killed and at least four injured, including three critically.

According to the report, the vessel had a crew of 20 — one Indian, four Vietnamese, and 15 Filipinos. Additionally, three armed guards, two from Sri Lanka and one from Nepal were also on board.

Implement risk mitigation

“We pray for their immediate recovery,” the DMW said of the three wounded Filipinos.

The department said it is coordinating with the shipowner and manning agency to repatriate the remaining Filipino crew members.

It reiterated its call to owners of ships navigating the volatile Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to comply strictly with the areas’ expanded “high-risk” designation.

Likewise, it urged them to implement appropriate risk mitigation measures, such as rerouting vessels and deploying armed security personnel on board the vessels for the safety of the Filipino seafarers.

The DMW also called for continued diplomatic efforts to de-escalate tensions and to address the causes of the current conflict in the Middle East.

Terrorism, plain and simple

Meanwhile, Senate President Juan Miguel Zubiri strongly condemned the attack.

“This is an act of terrorism, plain and simple — waging violence and death on civilians who are simply trying to make a living out on the seas,” Zubiri said in a statement.

“There is no way to justify this brutality,” he added. “My deepest condolences go to the families of the victims, and I join them in calling for justice for their loved ones.”

“I also call on the Department of Migrant Workers to seek the return of the victims to their families and to extend the necessary assistance to the injured crewmen,” he added.