DFA: 17 Pinoy hostages in Somalia in good condition

MANILA, Philippines - The 17 Filipino seamen on a ship hijacked last weekend in the Gulf of Aden are in good condition, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Tuesday. DFA spokesman Eduardo Malaya said they are contacting the families of the 17 to inform them about the latest update on the hostages. "Sinabi ang mga Pilipinong tripolante are all in good condition at saka yung ating manning agency ay in the process of informing the families of the Filipino seamen [The Filipino seamen are all in good condition and their manning agency is now in the process of informing their families]," he said in an interview on dzXL radio. He said the Philippine Embassy in Nairobi earlier confirmed the hijacking of a vessel carrying 17 Filipino, three Greek, three Romanian and one Ukranian. Malaya added that based on information from Philippine Embassy and the manning agency that sent the Filipinos, the owner of the ship had made contact with the hijackers.- GMANews.TV