Houthi attack leaves Filipino sailors in shock
ONE of the Filipino sailors aboard bulk carrier True Confidence who survived the Houthi attack on March 6 said that the missile strike that set their ship ablaze was so sudden.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels attacked the Barbados-flagged vessel while it was traversing the Gulf of Aden.
Second Officer Mark Anthony Dagohoy, one of the survivors, said that due to the sudden and unexpected strike, the crew members were unable to save their belongings.
At a press conference on Tuesday, Dagohoy said he vaguely recalled everything that happened that night because of trauma, except that they had to abandon the ship immediately.
In December 2023, the International Bargaining Forum (IBF) agreed to designate the southern section of the Red Sea as one of the high-risk areas.
“We were informed that the Gulf of Aden is a highrisk area, and we knew where the ship would sail and its destination. Also, it’s the only route we can traverse,” Dagohoy said.
According to the International Transport Workers Federation (ITF), seafarers have the right to refuse sailing through designated high-risk areas. However, Dagohoy said they still chose to sail for the sake of their families.
Dagohoy has been seafaring since 2014, and he said it is not the first time that the ship crossed the Red Sea, but the March 6 attack was their first.
Because of the conflict between Israel and the militant group Hamas, Houthi rebels have been targeting ships they believed were owned by Israelis.
The March 6 attack left three crewmen dead, two of them Filipinos.
“We were very saddened. We were together for many years. Harmony is important on a cargo ship. And because of them, we were able to finish our tasks with ease,” Dagohoy said.
The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said there were 15 Filipino seafarers aboard the cargo ship True Confidence.
Dagohoy is one of the 11 survivors who arrived home on Tuesday afternoon. The remaining two will be coming home soon via special air ambulance.
DFA Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega said the initial financial assistance of $1,000 from the DFA was given to the 11 survivors, including the remaining two left in the hospital in Djibouti City.
“Rest assured [that] we’re working to safeguard the remaining two in the hospital, as well as the recovery of the two remains,” Migrant Workers Officer in Charge Hans Cacdac said.
Various government agencies will give the repatriated seafarers assistance package, including on-site medical and physical check-ups from the Department of Health (DoH), financial and comprehensive reintegration support from the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), as well as livelihood aid from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), and Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA).
A total of P120,000 from DMW, OWWA and DSWD will be given to the repatriates, excluding the assistance that their manning agency will provide.
DSWD initial assistance
DSWD Secretary Rexlon “Rex” Gatchalian has directed the agency’s operations cluster, led by Undersecretary for Operations Monina Josefina Romualdez, to help the families of the two fatalities and the survivors of the missile assault.
“The DSWD expresses its heartfelt condolences to the families of the two Filipino seafarers who perished in the tragic incident,” DSWD Spokesman Romel Lopez said on Wednesday.
The DSWD has already provided P10,000 in monetary assistance to the mother of one of the two sailors who died in the missile strike.
The bereaved family of the other fatality will also receive assistance from the department.
“This is just initial assistance. Rest assured that we will continue to assist the bereaved families in this difficult time,” Lopez said, adding that the 11 survivors who arrived in the Philippines from Egypt on Tuesday were each granted P20,000 financial assistance and food aid. CLAIRE BERNADETTE MONDARES AND MOISES CRUZ