By Joyce Ann Rocamora | Philippine News Agency
The nine Filipino crew members of the ill-fated M/V Eternity C held captive by the Houthis will soon be released, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday.
In a statement, the DFA said it received the news from authorities in the Sultanate of Oman, helping facilitate the Filipinos’ release.
The DFA did not provide a timeline for the release or repatriation of the Filipino seafarers, but said the nine will be transferred from Sana’a, Yemen, to Muscat, Oman.
“The Philippine Embassy in Muscat and the Migrant Workers Office-Muscat will make arrangements for the safe and immediate return of the Filipinos to the Philippines,” the DFA said.
“The Philippines expresses its sincerest appreciation to the Sultanate of Oman,” it added.
DFA Secretary Ma. Theresa Lazaro personally discussed the plight of the Filipinos with her Omani counterpart, Foreign Minister Sayed Badr bin Hamad El-Busaidi, during a bilateral meeting in July and again during a phone call in November.
The nine were held hostage by the Houthis after their vessel sank from a drone attack launched by the rebel group in July.
The vessel was carrying 22 crew members, 21 of whom are Filipinos, when the incident occurred in the Red Sea. Eight have been rescued, three were reportedly dead, while one was unaccounted. (PNA)
