The wives of three Filipino seamen, who were among those arrested in Algeria after their ship yielded more than 35 kilos of cocaine in July 2023, are appealing for government intervention as the drug cases leveled against them are set for final decision this year.

Eight Filipino seamen were first sentenced to 20 years imprisonment but five of them were acquitted after lawyers provided by the Philippine government and their manning agency were able to secure favorable ruling last year from the Algerian Court of Appeals.

While the jail term of the three remaining Filipinos were reduced from 20 to 15 years, the wives asked for government assistance as they insist that their husbands are innocent of illegal drugs-related cases following the seizure of cocaine from the MV Harris.  

The illegal drugs were allegedly loaded by stevedores hired by drug syndicates to discreetly include illegal drugs into the cargo.

The case of the three remaining Filipinos were already brought to the Supreme Court of Algeria and the three wives are seeking help from President Marcos as the final verdict is expected by September or October this year.

“We are humbly asking for the help of the President to intervene through a government-to-government approach. They have been suffering for roughly two years now. One of them is suffering from diabetes. Please help them with this injustice because they are seafarers and not drug peddlers,” one of the wives said in a press conference in Manila on Friday.

“They are so hopeless and miserable, that is why we are seeking the President’s BBM intervention. We pity our children who miss their fathers. Please don’t let them grow without their fathers,” she added. 

The same appeal is contained in a separate letter to the Philippine Embassy in Libya in Tripoli. 

“We deeply understand that international legal and diplomatic processes take time, but our families are already suffering emotionally and mentally due to the prolonged uncertainty,” the letter read.

“Many of our children have grown up without their fathers, and our families continue to live in hardship and anxiety, not knowing when our loved ones will be able to return home,” it added.

In April this year, 20 Filipinos were also held by Korean authorities after a cargo vessel M was discovered to contain 50 boxes of alleged cocaine. Sixteen out of the Filipino crew were repatriated, while four, including the ship's captain, are still under investigation.