MANILA– The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) on Friday announced that two Filipino seamen who were stranded in Iran are now home after departing for Manila on April 26.
The DFA-Office of Public Diplomacy said that Jerry Gabanzo and Miguel Estrella Jr., the crew members of the MV Blue Nile, arrived in Iran on April 1, 2018 after they were offloaded from their vessel.
The Philippine Embassy in Tehran learned about their plight only on April 16 when the wife of one of the seamen sent an urgent email, narrating their situation in Chabahar, a town in southern Iran located more than 1,800 kilometers from Tehran.
DFA said the embassy made immediate representations to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Tehran and its regional office in Chabahar as well as with the immigration offices in both cities to obtain custody of the Filipino seamen.
An embassy team flew to Chabahar on April 23 and brought to Tehran the Filipino seamen the following day, April 24.
The Philippine embassy also informed the seamen’s manning agencies in Manila about their situation in Iran and brought to the latter’s attention their complaint of unpaid salaries and other benefits from the ship owner based in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
With constant representations at the Immigration Office in Tehran and through the Iranian government’s assistance, the processing of the two seamen’s exit clearances and other documentary requirements took only a day to complete, said the agency.
DFA said the two Filipino seamen stayed overnight at the embassy until they departed Iran for the Philippines early morning on April 26.
Consul General Alfredo Borlongan accompanied them on their return flight to Manila. (PNA)
