17 seafarers, 26 OFWs repatriated
The DMW and OWWA directed the manning agencies to arrange physical and psychological examinations and debriefing sessions, if needed.
SAFE return Department of Migrant Workers personnel welcome 17 Filipino seafarers who returned to Manila on 9 October 2026 after being caught in separate security incidents in the Strait of Hormuz.
Photograph courtesy of DMW
Seventeen Filipino seafarers whose ships were hit by projectiles in separate incidents in the Strait of Hormuz returned to Manila on Friday, while 26 distressed overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) also arrived from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Saturday said 16 crew members of M/V Kazimah III and one from M/V Sinbad arrived at Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 3 aboard Emirates Flight EK 334 and Etihad Airways Flight EY 446.
DMW officer-in-charge Assistant Secretary for Sea-Based OFW Concerns Augusto San Diego III led officials who welcomed the seafarers.
Representatives of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), Manila International Airport Authority and their manning agencies also provided arrival assistance.
The DMW and OWWA directed the manning agencies to arrange physical and psychological examinations and debriefing sessions, if needed. They were also reminded to provide applicable benefits and compensation related to the repatriation and the incidents.
The Strait of Hormuz is a critical shipping chokepoint linking the Persian Gulf to the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea.
Deadly sea lanes
Rising regional tensions, military activity and attacks on commercial vessels have heightened risks to seafarers, disrupted maritime operations and raised concerns over crew safety, vessel security and global energy supplies.
The danger has become deadly for Filipino crews: five Filipino seafarers had died and one remained missing by September 2026.
Meanwhile, 26 distressed OFWs from Riyadh arrived aboard Cebu Pacific Flight 5J741. The DMW and OWWA provided food, temporary accommodation, transportation and financial assistance.
OWWA regional offices will assist them in returning to their home provinces.
Separately, the Philippine Embassy in Cambodia and the Migrant Workers Office in Phnom Penh arranged the repatriation of 29 distressed Filipinos scheduled to arrive in Manila on Saturday.
The group includes 23 alleged human trafficking victims and six other distressed OFWs.
Ambassador-designate Senen Mangalile and Labor Attaché Melvin Caseda are coordinating the repatriation. The Migrant Workers Office in Phnom Penh assisted using the DMW’s AKSYON Fund.