Five overseas job applicants lost a total of P1.1 million to a woman who promised to secure visas for them from the Italian embassy in Manila.

The Department of Foreign Affairs assured relatives of second mate officer Loreto N. Quiles Jr that his disappearance from the Japanese chemical tanker Golden Nori hijacked off the coast of Somalia on Oct. 28 is being investigated.

Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Esteban Conejos Jr said Quiles was declared missing when the multinational forces led by the US navy boarded the hijacked vessel on December 12.

“Investigation on the circumstances of his disappearance is ongoing. DFA has asked the manning agency for an official report," Conejos said.

Quiles was one of the nine Filipinos among the 23-man crew of Golden Nori that was taken by pirates off the coast of Somalia. The pirates released the crew on Dec. 3 but only eight of the nine Filipinos arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last Saturday.

Redentor Anaya, vice president for operations of Seacreast Maritime Management that recruited the seafarers, said they were still clueless on the whereabouts of Quiles.

Initial reports said Quiles was one of the crew who jumped overboard when the Somalian pirates boarded the ship on October 28. The crew were released on December 3 and sailed for nine days from Somalia.

The Filipino seamen were earlier scheduled to return to the country on December 18. The DFA did not explain the cause of delay in repatriation.

Those who arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport Terminal 1 on Saturday afternoon were:

• Restituto Bulilan, captain;

• Melchor Cayabyab, chief mate;

• Raymundo Panaligan, junior third mate;

• Mario Ocenar, chief engineer;

• Adelino Amparo, first engineer;

• Carlito Lotoc, second engineer;

• Laureano Villanueva, buson; and

• Ismael Perez, chief cook

A sister of Quiles earlier asked for help in finding his brother.

“Please help us find the truth in this, please help as know his whereabouts," said Laarni Quiles-Escoto in an e-mail to GMANews.TV.

“We have been worried since we learned about this last Dec 13 from the staff of Seacrest," she said.

“Please help us, we hope that there is no cover up on this," said Laarni from Bacoor, Cavite. - GMANews.TV

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