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Manila Bulletin devider Philippines devider National devider We will do everything to bring 17 Filipino hostages home — Marcos

We will do everything to bring 17 Filipino hostages home — Marcos

Published Nov 30, 2023 11:36 pm

The Philippines will exhaust all remedies to bring home the 17 Filipino seafarers held hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen.

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President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos Jr. (PCO Screenshot)

President Marcos made the statement in a video message released on Thursday night, Nov. 30, explaining his reason for canceling his supposed trip to Dubai.

“Alam naman ninyo may mga bagay na kailangan agad na asikasuhin. Isa na dun yung ating mga kababayan, mga kapwa Pilipino natin na na-hostage, 17 sila na na-hostage at ginagawa natin lahat ng paraan upang sila ay maiuwi na (You must know that there are things we need to attend to. One of them is the Filipinos being held hostage, there are 17 of them and we are doing everything we can to bring them home),” Marcos said.

The President said a delegation is now being formed to negotiate in the hostage situation and bring the Filipinos home.

“Kaya’t binubuo natin ang isang delegasyon para pumunta sa kanila at makipag-usap dun sa mga may hawak sa kanila para makauwi na sila. Kaya’t, siguro naman maunawaan ninyo, na inuna muna natin ‘yan dahil kailangan nating tiyakin ang syempre ang seguridad ng ating mga kababayan (So, we are forming a delegation to go there and negotiate to those who are holding them hostage and bring them home. So I hope you understand that because we need to ensure their safety and security),” he added.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) disclosed on Nov.  23 that the 17 Filipino seafarers aboard cargo vessel Galaxy Leader were taken hostage by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea.

On Nov. 30, the DFA said that the hostages are in good condition and will eventually be released.

"Government sources say that the hostages are in good condition, and will eventually be released. Efforts are ongoing for this to happen as soon as possible," the DFA said.

An hour before his scheduled flight to Dubai on Thursday morning, Marcos announced that he will no longer attend the 28th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP28) in Dubai to personally attend to the case of the 17 seafarers.

The President said he hopes that the Filipino community in Dubai will understand his decision as he emphasized the government is also attending to the case of the Filipino nationals affected by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.

He said there are already Filipinos affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict who safely arrived in the Philippines through the help of various government agencies. 

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Department of Foreign Affairs Houthi rebels President Marcos
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