The appeal to release the three malaria-stricken Filipino seafarers of the Houthi-seized MV Galaxy Leader in Yemen are currently “in the works,” according to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

The three seafarers are part of the 17 crew members of the MV Galaxy who are still held captive by Houthi rebels.

“As far as we know, they are safe. They are being fed and given their basic necessities on board the ship,” DMW Secretary Hans Cacdac said in a news forum in Quezon City.

Cacdac added that the Department Foreign Affairs (DFA) has already reached out to governments that have communication channels with the Houthi rebels.

According to a DFA memorandum for the President dated 30 July, Honorary Consul to Yemen Mohammad Saleh Al-Jamal confirmed that several Filipino crew members were experiencing significant health issues as they showed symptoms of malaria.

Al-Jamal sought assistance from Sana’a authorities for the release of the Filipino crew members, citing humanitarian reasons due to their declining health condition.

Meanwhile, in a social media post, President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. reassured the families of the seafarers in the Philippines that the government has been doing everything possible for their safe return to the country.

In November last year, Houthi rebels hijacked the Bahamas-flagged MV Galaxy Leader, a car carrier owned by Israeli shipowner Ray Shipping, as it transited the Red Sea.