MANILA — President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has ordered stronger protection and assistance for Filipino seafarers working aboard international vessels after two Filipinos were killed in an attack on an oil tanker in the Strait of Hormuz, underscoring the growing risks posed by the widening conflict in the Middle East.
Marcos said the government is intensifying efforts to safeguard Filipino maritime workers, who make up a significant presence aboard commercial vessels and are increasingly exposed whenever ships operating in conflict zones come under attack.
“The new danger now is our seafarers, yung kasi doon tayo nagkakaroon ng casualty. ‘Pag inatake yung isang tanker, isang barko, malamang may Pilipino doon,” Marcos told reporters after attending the 18th BRICS Summit in New Delhi, India.
“So the chances of a Filipino becoming a casualty, getting hurt or getting killed are very much there,” he added.
The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier reported that two Filipino crew members were killed when the Saudi-flagged crude oil tanker MT Sidr was attacked while passing through the Strait of Hormuz on Aug. 31.
Fourteen other Filipino seafarers survived the attack and were repatriated on Sept. 8.
Following the incident, Marcos directed the DMW to assist the families of the fatalities and facilitate the release of benefits, compensation and insurance claims due to them.
The DMW is also investigating shipowners and Philippine manning agencies linked to five vessels carrying Filipino seafarers that were either attacked or placed at risk in the Strait of Hormuz and the Northern Black Sea.
The investigations come as the government seeks to determine whether adequate safeguards were provided to Filipino crew members deployed aboard ships traversing dangerous waters.
Marcos assured affected seafarers and their families that government support would continue, while saying the Philippines is also reaching out to other countries in an effort to reduce the dangers faced by Filipino maritime workers.
“Pagka may pangyayaring ganyan, kaya naman patuloy lang ang aming support, ang binibigay sa kanilang pamilya,” he said.
“And we try also to talk to the other countries na pag may Pilipino, huwag niyo nang bombahin. And you know, it’s just the consequence of a war. That’s what it is. This is a war,” Marcos added.
The protection of seafarers also emerged as an issue during the BRICS meeting, where Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi called for measures to safeguard maritime navigation and seafarers.
Modi proposed the creation of a BRICS emergency support network for maritime workers as international concern grows over the safety of commercial shipping and crews operating near conflict zones.
Marcos said the Philippine government’s response to the Middle East conflict would extend beyond seafarers to other Filipinos who could suffer from its direct and economic consequences, including overseas Filipino workers, transport workers and vulnerable sectors.
“Lahat ng ating kayang gawin para suportahan ‘yung OFW natin, ‘yung ating mga transport workers, ‘yung mga nasa lower demographic ng lipunan natin, lahat ‘yan, siyempre ‘yan ang ating iniintindi,” he said./PN
