Jailed seafarers’ wives plead for PBBM help

The wives of three Filipino seafarers currently incarcerated in Algiers, Algeria on drug charges have sought the help of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to bring their husbands home.

The three seafarers, whose names were withheld to protect their families from bashing, were among the eight seafarers arrested in July 2023 after 35.8 kilograms of alleged cocaine was found on their ship, the MV Harris, a Maltese-flagged container vessel.

According to the wives, the eight seamen were originally sentenced to 20 years at the Berrouaghia prison facility in Algiers.

But after their Philippine lawyers, provided by the government and the seafarers’ manning agent, Eastern Mediterranean Manning Agency Inc. (EastMed), filed a motion for reconsideration with the Algerian Court of Appeals last year, five of the eight were acquitted.

Their husbands, however, were sentenced to 15 years in prison, which, according to their agency, was unjust because the seafarers were also victims.

In an earlier interview, EastMed’s former owner’s representative, Capt. Edgardo Flores, said the vessel originated from a port in Valletta, Malta, sometime in July 2023.

“Normally, drug syndicates use stevedores who discreetly place illegal substances in the cargo. This has been happening in all ports globally,” he said.

Stevedores are employees or contractors who load and unload cargo from ships.

Seafarers not drug peddlers

“This September or October, the Algeria Supreme Court will decide on their fate, our last straw. That is why we are humbly asking for the help of the President to intervene through a government-to-government deal. They have been incarcerated for roughly two years now. One of them is suffering from diabetes. Please help them because they are seafarers and not drug peddlers,” one of the wives said in a press conference in Manila on Friday.

The wives said the Departments of Foreign Affairs and Migrant Workers haven’t failed to provide them with updates regarding the case, aside from arranging their visits to Algeria in March to check on the condition of their husbands.

“They are so hopeless and miserable, that is why we are seeking the President’s intervention. We pity our children who miss their fathers. Please don’t let them grow up without their fathers,” the wives begged.

In a separate letter to the Philippine Embassy in Libya, the wives sought the embassy’s assistance in the ongoing legal case involving their husbands.

“We deeply understand that international legal and diplomatic processes take time, but our families have been suffering emotionally and mentally due to the prolonged uncertainty.

“Many of our children have grown up without their fathers, and our families continue to live in hardship and anxiety, not knowing when our loved ones will be able to return home,” they said in their letter.

“As family members, we are extremely concerned for their safety, health, and mental state during this difficult time. Your support and communication would offer us reassurance and hope as we continue to endure this hardship,” the wife of the MV Harris captain said.

Meanwhile, last April, 20 Filipinos were held by Korean authorities after 50 boxes of alleged cocaine were found in the engine room of the Norwegian-flagged cargo vessel, M/V Lunita.