3 RP seafarers freed; 53 others remain in Somalia

MANILA, Philippines - The Philippine Department of Foreign Affairs confirmed on Monday afternoon that three Filipinos on board a Chinese fishing vessel were freed by Somali pirates over the weekend. The 24-member crew, including the three Filipinos, of FB Tianyu No. 8 were released by Somali pirates on Sunday after ship owners allegedly paid a ransom. The Chinese fishing boat was hijacked by pirates last November 14 as it crossed the Gulf of Aden. Foreign Affairs spokesperson Bayani Mangibin said the freed sailors are “all in good condition." This development brings down to 53 the total number of Filipino seafarers held by Somali pirates in the Horn of Africa since November 10. Last year, a total of 17 ships with 208 Filipino seafarers on board had been hijacked off the Horn of Africa. The Philippines supplies one-third of the world’s shipping manpower with about 270,000 Filipino seamen employed by foreign maritime agencies, making them the most vulnerable and prone to pirate attacks. The reported release of the three Filipinos came on the heels of the news that 18 Filipino seafarers on board the hijacked MV Chemstar Venus would be hurt by Somali pirates unless shipowners pay the ransom. In a statement dated February 3, the Filipino seamen asked President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo, top government officials and chiefs of government agencies taking care of overseas Filipino workers to intervene as the five-day ultimatum given by the hijackers is about to end. The statement did not state when the five-day deadline would end, but it said the abductors would either sink or push the ship aground should the owner fail to pay. Mangibin said in an separate interview that the pirates have gone desperate but would most likely not hurt the ship's crew. The DFA spokesperson cited several instances were pirates used terror to force shipowners to pay up while not laying a single finger on the vessel or the crew members. - with reports from Mark Joseph Ubalde, GMANews.TV