President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Thursday thanked the government of Djibouti for its assistance to Filipino seamen impacted by the Houthi missile attack on their cargo vessel, the M/V True Confidence, in the Gulf of Aden last March.

New Djibouti Ambassador to the Philippines Ibrahim Bileh Doualeh presented his credentials to Marcos, along with seven other new diplomats, at Malacañang.

“Thanks for all the help you have given to the Filipino seafarers in times of great need. We hope to continue this relationship,” Marcos told Doualeh. “I hope the amity between our two countries will grow and [bring us closer].”

The Houthi rebels from Yemen fired an anti-ship missile at the True Confidence as it was transiting the Gulf of Aden en route to Jeddah and Aqaba from China.

Three crew members died, including two Filipinos. Of the remaining crew, 13 were Filipinos who were rescued by the Indian Navy and transported to a hospital in Djibouti in the Horn of Africa.

All 13 Filipino seafarers have returned home and received support from the Philippine government.

In a separate courtesy call, Marcos eyed discussing security concerns with Estonia as he received the credentials of Estonian Ambassador to the Philippines Mait Martinson.

“We welcome you as ambassador to the Philippines, as I’m sure that your president has started very important talks in terms of some of the security issues that both our countries are happy to (address). I hope that we can continue with that discussion,” Marcos told Martinson.

The Philippines and Estonia signed a memorandum of understanding in 2023 to support cybersecurity initiatives between them.

Other ambassadors who presented their credentials last Wednesday were Jagdishwar Goburdhun (Mauritius), Farhod Arziev (Uzbekistan), Hassan Abdelsalam Omer (Sudan), Maj. Gen. Gotsileene Morake (Botswana), Morecome Mumba (Zambia), and Abdelhafid Bounour (Algeria).