ANTIQUE — After more than a month of waiting, the remains of an Antique-born Filipino seafarer killed in a Russian drone attack on his vessel in Ukraine have finally been brought home.
The remains of Jude Prado Pagunsan, 37, married and a resident of Sitio Wayang, Barangay Ubos, Valderrama, Antique, arrived at the Iloilo International Airport in Cabatuan on August 30.
Pagunsan was serving as an able seaman aboard the Antigua and Barbuda-flagged Venturo, a Supramax bulk carrier, when the vessel was struck by a missile on July 18.
Representatives of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), the Antique provincial government through Sangguniang Panlalawigan member Karmila Rose Dimamay, and Pagunsan’s family were at the airport to receive his remains.
“At 5:25 a.m. on August 30, 2026, Jude P. Pagunsan’s family received his remains at the Iloilo International Airport. Jude, our fellow seafarer from Valderrama, died after his vessel was hit by a missile in Ukraine,” Dimamay said in a statement.
Pagunsan’s relatives said his funeral Mass will be held at St. Luke the Evangelist Parish Church in Valderrama on September 5, followed by his interment at the Roman Catholic Cemetery at 3 p.m.
His wake is currently being held at the family residence in Sitio Wayang, Barangay Ubos.
The repatriation followed appeals from Pagunsan’s family to the Philippine government and the shipping company to expedite the recovery and return of his remains.
“Sana matulungan po kami na mapadali ang pagkuha ng bangkay sa loob ng barko, kung maaari lang po sana. Maghihintay po kami ng impormasyon para mapanatag na ang isipan at kalooban ng pamilya,” his sister-in-law, Nehj Tesa, said in an appeal.
Another relative, identified as Zhel Pgns, also sought international assistance in recovering and repatriating Pagunsan’s remains.
“Please help us! To recover our cousin’s body (Jude Pagunsan) and return it to the Philippines. Hope this message will spread to the entire world. We are seeking for help and assistance. This would truly matter most,” the relative said.
The DMW said Pagunsan was one of two Filipino seafarers killed in a series of attacks on commercial vessels operating in the Black Sea. Twelve other Filipino crew members were injured, while another remains missing.
The Russia-Ukraine conflict, which began in 2014 and escalated into a full-scale Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, has increasingly affected commercial shipping in the Black Sea, a major route for international trade.
Days before the attack that killed him, Pagunsan had shared on Facebook a post about another vessel that had been hit by a drone strike at a Ukrainian port in the Black Sea.
“Sail in peace, Sirs!” he wrote.
In an emotional Facebook post, Pagunsan’s wife, Glenn Ates, said their children had been waiting for their father to come home.
She lamented that Pagunsan had shared a post about the dangers faced by another vessel shortly before his own ship was attacked.
“Nag-share kaw pa kan bhe, pero kamo gani ang gisunod nila ug bomba. Grabe man sila oi, wala may kalooy gyud. Ngano man nga nagtrabaho lang man mo, ngano man nga ikaw pa gyud. Daya mo bah hulat pa kami kanimo mauli ikaw. Ang mga bata mo nagap kanimo mauli man c Papa, Ma,” she wrote.
The Black Sea is a major corridor for the transport of oil, gas, agricultural products and other goods, with numerous international vessels — including ships crewed by Filipino seafarers — regularly passing through the area.
It is also a strategically important theater in the Russia-Ukraine war, serving as a key gateway for Ukraine’s agricultural exports and as an important maritime route for Russia./PN
