Govt urged to speed up negotiations to release 92 Filseamen held in Somalia
MANILA, Philippines - An seafarers' advocacy group urged the Philippine government on Monday to speed up negotiations for the release of 92 Filipino seafarers held hostage by Somali pirates.
The International Seafarers’ Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation Inc. said the seafarers' plight has placed their families in agony.
"Can you imagine the agony of their families here? The government should exert more effort to speed up the release and repatriation of those poor seafarers, who were just pushed by poverty to try their luck at the high seas," ISAC president and maritime labor lawyer Edwin de la Cruz said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website.
He said that while the international community is all eyes on the dramatic release of Maersk-Alabama ship captain Richard Phillips, the number of Filipinos being held hostage by rebel groups in lawless Horn of Africa, is hard to ignore.
On the other hand, he assailed the shipowners who frequently endanger the lives of their crew by letting their ships sail on the dangerous waters, that part of Africa.
“They only want profit. They often disregard the safety of their crew.
What is more saddening, they don’t even want to lift even a single finger whenever their ships got into trouble," he said.
De la Cruz also called on groups advancing the rights and welfare of seafarers to pressure government, especially the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to act with immediacy.
“To the religious, governmental, and non-governmental institutions, with concerns over migrants, let us be united to make the negotiations faster. The longer they remain captives, the more danger that they face," he said. - GMANews.TV
The International Seafarers’ Action Center (ISAC) Philippines Foundation Inc. said the seafarers' plight has placed their families in agony.
"Can you imagine the agony of their families here? The government should exert more effort to speed up the release and repatriation of those poor seafarers, who were just pushed by poverty to try their luck at the high seas," ISAC president and maritime labor lawyer Edwin de la Cruz said in an article on the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines website.
He said that while the international community is all eyes on the dramatic release of Maersk-Alabama ship captain Richard Phillips, the number of Filipinos being held hostage by rebel groups in lawless Horn of Africa, is hard to ignore.
On the other hand, he assailed the shipowners who frequently endanger the lives of their crew by letting their ships sail on the dangerous waters, that part of Africa.
“They only want profit. They often disregard the safety of their crew.
What is more saddening, they don’t even want to lift even a single finger whenever their ships got into trouble," he said.
De la Cruz also called on groups advancing the rights and welfare of seafarers to pressure government, especially the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), to act with immediacy.
“To the religious, governmental, and non-governmental institutions, with concerns over migrants, let us be united to make the negotiations faster. The longer they remain captives, the more danger that they face," he said. - GMANews.TV
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