DFA facilitates homecoming of kidnapped seafarers after 428 days in captivity
MANILA 28 January 2025 — In what was hailed as another victory for quiet diplomacy, seventeen (17) Filipino seafarers, part of 24-member crew of the MV Galaxy Leader came home at 9:30 p.m. on 23 January 2025 to resounding applause from their family members and heads and officials of government agencies led by the DFA.
The seventeen seafarers arrived safely at NAIA 1 on 23 January 2025 at 9:30 p.m. after successful mediation efforts by the Government of Oman following the ceasefire deal between Hamas and Israel – the condition required by the Houthi captors of the Galaxy Leader crew, prior to their release.
Throughout their 428-day ordeal as captives of the Houthi rebels (429 if their flight from Muscat to Manila is included), the Department never forgot them, never let them go, and worked with all stakeholders, in ensuring their safe homecoming, through the power of prayer and quiet diplomacy.
Secretary of Foreign Affairs Enrique Manalo, acting upon the instructions of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., constantly made efforts to keep his Iranian, Omani, Qatari and from other governments in making direct appeals for the release of the seamen on behalf of their long-suffering families.
Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega, Undersecretary for Migration Affairs, said key government agencies played their role – from the Department of Migrant Workers (which kept engaged with the families of the 17, which was very useful), to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), the International Committee of the Red Cross and Red Crescent (ICRC), but as one partner agency stated, the DFA “did the heavy lifting.”
“This is because only the DFA has the diplomatic skills and contacts to make the release possible.” Throughout the 428-day campaign to secure their release, the Philippine Embassy in Riyadh arranged for the Honorary Consul in Sana’a, Mohamed Saleh Al Jamal to undertake humanitarian visits. Philippine Ambassador to Oman Raul Hernandez also played the key role immediately before the seafarer’s release, having been instrumental in conveying the message of the Omani Foreign Ministry during a Joint Bilateral Consultation Meeting (JBCM) held on the week of the seamen’s release.
Sheikh Khalifa bin Ali bin Issa al-Harthy, Undersecretary for Political Affairs of the Foreign Ministry of Oman, during his meeting with Secretary Enrique Manalo, broke the news of the impending release. President Marcos thanked, on behalf of the Filipino people, His Majesty Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman and his government, for their successful mediation.
The release of the Filipino seafarers, including the rest of the 24-man crew, is part of a series of DFA successes facilitated by the country’s professional diplomats. END
The 17 seafarers happily reuniting with their wives and family members at NAIA1 shortly after their arrival, with officials of President Bongbong Marcos Jr. looking on
