The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has launched an investigation into the shipowner of a vessel struck by a missile in the Persian Gulf after it was discovered that the Filipino crew member on board was allegedly not registered with the agency.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac said the probe began following the attack near the Strait of Hormuz, where the Filipino seafarer went missing.
“Yung shipowner kasi ay hindi na-rehistro ‘yung ating tripulante dito sa talaan natin. So that’s one offense in itself,” Cacdac said in an interview.
According to the DMW chief, the missing Filipino was the only Filipino crew member aboard the tugboat that was hit by the missile, while the rest of the crew were foreign nationals.
Search and rescue operations remain ongoing, but authorities have yet to locate the Filipino seafarer.
“Merong mga nahanap doon sa tugboat na tinamaan ng missile pero hindi siya,” Cacdac said.
Following the incident, the DMW and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) immediately visited the seafarer’s family to extend assistance and support.
Cacdac said that while the investigation into the shipowner is underway, the government’s priority is to continue the search and rescue efforts and provide aid to the family of the missing seafarer.
Amid rising tensions in the Middle East, Cacdac also reported that 110 overseas Filipino workers have returned to the Philippines in the past two days. The government is also preparing chartered flights for more than 300 Filipinos who have expressed their desire to be repatriated.
