DFA says ban to Gulf of Aden unavoidable

MANILA, Philippines - The Department of Foreign Affairs is appealing for understanding from the shipping industry for the government’s deployment ban to the Gulf of Aden, saying it is a necessary measure to curb the spiking number of Filipino seafarers being kidnapped by Somali pirates.

Foreign Affairs spokesperson Ed Malaya told GMA News on Wednesday morning that the deployment ban is only temporary and is meant to put a lid on the abduction of Filipino crew members plying the troubled gulf.

"The ban is only an interim emergency measure," Malaya told Arnold Clavio over Unang Balita, “We can’t just keep our eyes closed as the number of Filipino seafarers kidnapped there is spiking."

Based from data collected by GMANews.TV, a total of 80 Filipino seafarers remain captive by Somali pirates, who have resorted to sea banditry after the collapse of their central government in 1991.

The number of Filipino seafarers being held hostage in Somalia have constantly yo-yoed — from 44 at the start of the year to 108 last month — as pirates continuously hijack ships passing through the Gulf of Aden, slowly releasing vessels only after ship owners willingly pay multi-million dollar ransom.

On Tuesday morning, pirates released 23 Filipino seafarers on board the Philippine-flagged and operated MT Stolt Strength, which was hijacked for more than six months. Shipowners refused to say whether ransom was paid for the release of the ship and crew.

Meanwhile, Malaya pointed to two other government agencies - the Department of Labor and Employment and the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency – for the deployment ban’s implementation.

Maritime and seafarers’ groups slammed the ban saying it was impossible to implement such policy for ships consider the Gulf of Aden an important waterway for trade. Contracts of Filipino seafarers also do not reveal the ship’s route so it is difficult to check whether or not the vessel would pass through the banned area. [See: Deployment ban to Gulf of Aden risky, ridiculous]

But Malaya is not giving up on the ban.

"We are looking into those concerns. Of course the shipping industry is important in giving opportunities to Filipino seamen but the security and safety of the seafarers is our primordial concern." He said.

Malacañang stood its ground on the deployment ban to the Gulf of Aden and maintained that it was only doing so for the Filipino seafarers, who supply a third of the world’s shipping manpower and are most prone to sea abductions.

Press Secretary Cerge Remonde was quoted in reports as saying that they are holding talks with all stakeholders in the maritime sector to address their concerns on the government policy. - Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV

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