Philippine President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has skipped COP28 in Dubai to personally deal with “important developments” within the hostage state of affairs involving 17 Filipino seafarers.
He is convening a gathering to facilitate the dispatch of a high-level delegation to Tehran, Iran, with the purpose of offering obligatory help to the seafarers.
Marcos has assured the Filipino people who the federal government is doing all it will possibly to make sure the security of the 17 Filipino seafarers taken hostage by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
Yemeni rebels seized the cargo vessel Galaxy Leader and took hostage its 25 crewmembers, together with 17 Filipinos, in retaliation for Israel’s offensive in Gaza, in line with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA). The Bahamas-flagged, British-owned Galaxy Leader, with hyperlinks to Israeli businessman Abraham “Rami” Ungar, is operated by NYK.
Marcos stated that he has entrusted Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) Secretary Ma. Antonia Yulo-Loyzaga to guide the COP28 delegation and articulate the nation’s assertion on his behalf.
In a brief video message late Thursday, Marcos prolonged his apologies to the Filipino group within the United Arab Emirates. He stated he hopes that the Filipino group in Dubai will perceive his resolution, as he emphasised the federal government can be attending to the case of the Filipino nationals affected by the battle between Israel and the Palestinian militant group Hamas.
