PRESS RELEASE                                                                      
Department of Foreign Affairs
2330 Roxas Blvd., Pasay City, Philippines                        *      Tel. No. 834-4000                                 *     www.dfa.gov.ph
SFA-DDA-474-04                                                                                                                         13 August  2004

DFA EXTENDS ASSISTANCE FOR THE RETURN HOME OF  15 STRANDED FISHERMEN

 
13 August 2004 – Reiterating the continued commitment of the  Philippines to assist Filipinos overseas, Secretary of Foreign  Affairs Delia Domingo Albert announced that 15 rescued fishermen  will arrive home tomorrow evening after flying in from Chuuk State,  Federated States of Micronesia (FSM).  The fishing boat of the 15  Filipino nationals experienced engine trouble while in the high  seas and was cast adrift to waters of the FSM.  “I am happy to  announce that due to the efforts of the Office of the  Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs (OUMWA) of the DFA and  the Philippine Consulate General in Agana, Guam (Agana PCG), 15  Filipino fishermen from Sarangani Province in Mindanao will be  coming home tomorrow.  This is yet another manifestation of the  commitment of the Philippine government to assist its citizens in  whatever land or ocean they may find themselves in,” Secretary  Albert said.
 
The 15 fishermen, led by their Captain Carlito Sinday will be  arriving tomorrow, 14 August at around 6 PM aboard Palau Micronesia  Airlines flight PD 141 at the Terminal I of the Ninoy Aquino  International Airport, where they will be officially welcomed by  OUMWA representatives.  They will then be taken to the OWWA Halfway  Shelter at the OWWA main office along F.B. Harrison St. where they  will spend the night.  They will fly to General Santos City  immediately the next day aboard Philippine Airlines flight PR 453,  departing at 7 AM, en route to their native Malapatan Island in  Sarangani Province.    The entire cost of sending home the 15  fishermen, about US$13,600 or approximately PhP750,000.00, was  charged to the Assistance to Nationals Fund of DFA-OUMWA.
 
Secretary Albert also thanked the FSM government and KAPIT, the  Filipino association in Chuuk State also for extending assistance  to the Filipino fishermen.  “I would like to express my  appreciation to the government of the Federated States of  Micronesia for all their assistance in rescuing our nationals,  especially in ferrying them aboard their vessel, the FSS  Independence, to Chuuk State where they were accommodated by KAPIT  while awaiting repatriation.  For that, I wish to commend KAPIT and  the Filipinos in Chuuk for displaying the admirable Filipino trait  of Bayanihan,” Secretary Albert said.
 
As related by Carlito Sinday, ship captain of the FV Two Brothers  02, he and his crew of 14 left Malapatan Island to fish on 17 May.  They encountered engine trouble in 03 June, were adrift for two  months until they ran aground on the small island reef in West Fayu  in Yap State, FSM.  There, they were given aid and shelter by a  local resident from Satawal Island pending arrival of the FSM ship  that took them to Weno, Chuuk State on 09 August.  The  Administrative Officer of Agana PCG, which has jurisdiction over  FSM, flew over to Chuuk today in time to accompany the 15 fishermen  catch the once-a-week direct flight from Chuuk to Manila tomorrow  morning.
 
The fishermen have no employer who can shoulder the cost of their  repatriation.  They are self-employed, small-scale fishermen who  use part of their daily catch as installment payment for their  fishing vessel.
 
A similar case was handled by DFA-OUMWA last month when it assisted  in the rescue and repatriation of 13 stranded Filipino fishermen  from Mindanao who were shipwrecked because of the typhoon Igme and  were thrown into high seas.  They were rescued by a Taiwanese  vessel while adrift in the waters of the FSM clinging to a  styrofoam icebox and brought to Guam.  From Guam, they were  assisted by Agana PCG and sent home to the Philippines.  END.