Distressed Pinoys from Haiti, high-risk seas back home

Five overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on Tuesday evening.

They were the first group of OFWs who requested repatriation from Haiti due to the escalating gang violence in that country.

The Department of Migrant Workers said a total of 35 Filipinos have opted to avail of the government’s repatriation program and will receive assistance through the DMW Aksyon Fund.

Last March, the Department of Foreign Affairs raised the alert level for the Caribbean country to level 3.

In addition, 22 Filipinos who were crew members on the MV Transworld Navigator arrived at NAIA Terminal 3 on two separate flights.

One batch arrived on Tuesday followed by a second one early on Wednesday morning. They followed the return of five seafarers on 30 June.

The Transworld Navigator was attacked by Houthi rebels while traversing the Red Sea on 23 June.

The DMW assured them of full assistance from the government, including financial aid and reintegration support for the 27 seafarers.

The agency had previously advised shipowners to reroute their voyages to safer waters and avoid high-risk areas.

The shipowners were also mandated to submit threat and risk assessments and to deploy maritime security forces, including armed guards, when sailing through high-risk waters.

The seafarers were also encouraged to assert their “right to refuse sailing” if they felt unsafe working on ships traversing the danger zones.