07 November 2016 — The five (5) Filipino crew members of FV Naham 3 who have recently been released by their Somali captors were welcomed warmly upon arrival at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) Terminal 3 on October 28. They were accompanied by Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs Jesus I. Yabes and other DFA personnel from the Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA).

Joining the DFA officials, led by Secretary Perfecto R. Yasay, Jr., at the airport were Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Undersecretary for Social Protection Ciriaco A. Lagunzad III, as well as representatives from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), which provided airport support; and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which provided hotel accommodations and transportation for the seafarers and their families. Together with them was Representative Dakila Carlo E. Cua of the Lone District of Quirino.

The Filseafarers were also provided with complete medical exams by the Department of Health (DOH) and conducted in Las Piñas Medical Center. The DOH also identified provincial hospitals in which the seafarers can avail of further medical assistance, while DSWD provided region-based psychosocial services.

The Philippine government, through the DFA and the Foreign Service Posts in Egypt, Kenya, Singapore, Oman, Bahrain, Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, and the United Kingdom, actively monitored the issue of the Filipino seafarers until they were eventually released. The support provided by the DFA included cash assistance and airfare for one of the seafarers from Kenya to the Philippines.

The FV Naham 3 hostage is the second-longest since the Somali piracy scourge began. It is the last fishing vessel hijacked at the peak of this maritime security issue. END