THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday it was using silent diplomacy to secure the release of 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea in November.
The DFA Office for Migrant Workers Affairs said it has been waiting for updates on the hostage situation, including information from the country’s honorary consul in Sanaa, Yemen.
“Our embassy in Riyadh covers the Houthi controlled part of Yemen which is poised to rise up against the recognized government,” according to Robert Ferrer, Jr., acting senior special assistant of the DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs.
“But there is quiet diplomacy going on among the ambassadors in Oman,” Ferrer said at the confirmation hearing of the Senate foreign affairs committee for 49 foreign service appointees.
“We are awaiting updates from our ambassador in Oman and in Qatar… because these two countries are the active ones in mediating with the Houthi in the release of the 17 seafarers,” he added.
The Houthis had said it seized the vessel on behalf of Palestinians who were “being massacred by Israel.” They said they would target all ships related to Israel and warned that no country’s vessels should engage with Israel in the Red Sea.
The British-owned cargo ship captured by the Houthis is operated by a Japanese company.
The Nippon Yusen K.K., known as NYK Line, has a total of 25 people on board. The crew hails from Bulgaria, Ukraine, the Philippines, Mexico and Romania, Kyodo News reported.
The Israel Defense Forces viewed the hijacking of the cargo ship by the Houthis near Yemen in the southern Red Sea as a “very grave incident of global consequence.”
The crew did not include an Israeli and the ship “is not an Israeli ship,” the military said, adding that the vessel departed Turkey enroute to India.
President Ferdinand Marcos has ordered the formation of a Philippine delegation to negotiate with the Houthis.
In a video message, the President assured the public that the government was exhausting all possibilities to secure the release of the 17 Filipinos.
The President was set to leave for the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP28) in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, but in an unprecedented move, he cancelled his trip to personally attend to the hostage crisis.
“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 know some things need immediate attention. One of those is our fellow Filipinos who are being held hostage, there are 17 of them and we are doing everything we can to bring them home),” Marcos said.
The President expressed hopes that the Filipino community in Dubai would comprehend his decision. He emphasized that the government is also addressing the situation of Filipino nationals affected by the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
Marcos stated that several Filipinos affected by the Israel-Hamas conflict have safely returned to the Philippines with the assistance of various government agencies.
“So we continue to do our best to improve the situation for our fellow citizens and hopefully they can come home soon,” the Chief Executive said.