The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is working on the repatriation of the 17 Filipino seafarers held hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen for more than a year.
President Ferdinand 'Bongbong' Marcos (Photo from the Presidential Communications Office)
President Marcos announced on Thursday, Jan. 23, that the Filipino hostages, along with rest of the crew members of M/V Galaxy Leader, have been freed.
“The Department is working on their immediate repatriation to Manila so that they could reunite with their long-suffering families as soon as possible,” the DFA said in a statement.
“Our successful efforts despite all the challenges prove that quiet diplomacy works. The men and women of the Department of Foreign Affairs will remain true to our calling to serve our country and people,” it added.
The DFA furthered that the release of the hostages “could not have been possible had it not been for the support and mediation efforts of the Sultanate of Oman, for which we are eternally grateful.”
Marcos likewise thanked His Majesty Haitham bin Tarik, Sultan of Oman, and his government, for the mediation.
Yemeni rebels seized M/V Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea in November 2023. They took all 25 crew members, including the 17 Filipino seafarers, as hostage in retaliation for Israel’s attacks in Gaza.
The hostages were in captivity for more than 400 days.