The government ensured that the crew members would be provided with the necessary support.
DMW officials, led by Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac (4th, right row), talk with some of the repatriated seafarers upon their arrival at the airport.
PHOTOGRAPH COURTESY OF DMW
Fourteen Filipino seafarers from M/V SIDR have safely returned to the country following the 31 August attack on the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz that killed two other Filipinos.
The survivors arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 in Pasay City at around 9:54 p.m. Tuesday aboard Emirates flight EK334.
Upon their arrival, they were welcomed by Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan.
As part of the UPLIFT initiative under the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., the DMW and OWWA ensured immediate assistance for the repatriates, including medical and psychosocial interventions as well as the processing of their benefits.
The Bureau of Immigration, the Manila International Airport Authority medical team, and New NAIA Infrastructure Corp. also assisted by expediting their arrival processing.
According to Cacdac, the government ensured that the crew members would be provided with the necessary support as they gradually return to their families and normal lives.
“The President’s instruction is to ensure that we provide our full support to you. What matters most right now is that you made it home safely to your families. You can rest assured that the benefits allocated under the programs of the DMW and OWWA will be granted to you,” Cacdac said.
Caunan, for her part, encouraged the crew members not to hesitate to approach the DMW and OWWA if they need additional assistance, while Ret. MGen Restituto Padilla Jr. stated that they will undergo medical and psychosocial assessments and will be given a briefing regarding their benefits.
The safe return of the crew members was made possible through the joint cooperation of the Philippine Embassy and the Migrant Workers Office in Oman, the Philippine Consulate General and the Migrant Workers Office in Dubai, their shipowner, and the government of Oman.
Iran has imposed an effective blockade of the strait since the United States and Israel launched their war on 28 February. On 3 September, Iran’s Revolutionary Guards said two oil tankers caught fire after striking mines while transiting the Strait of Hormuz, Agence France-Presse reports.
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