RE: OFW MATTERS

Our two Filipino seafarers, who were held hostage by pirates for over three weeks, are now free. They are going to Singapore and I have instructed our Embassy there to extend all possible assistance to the two Filipinos.

I am happy to announce that the two Filipino seafarers, Boat Captain Paterno Dionaldo and Chief Engineer Sofronio Lacno, were freed by their captors last Friday.  They were placed under the custody of the marine police in Belawan, Indonesia and then handed over to the Indonesia-based agents of their employer Kasel Salvage Pte., Ltd.    They are now in a hotel in Medan, Indonesia and are being prepared to be flown to Singapore where the headquarters of Kasel Salvage is located.  They are expected to arrive in Singapore today where the Embassy will be extending the needed assistance in coordination with their employer.

Yesterday, the two Filipino seafarers spoke with their families here in the Philippines.  Captain Dionaldo and Engineer Lacno said they were a bit shaken but otherwise doing well.

All throughout this incident, the Philippine Embassies in Singapore; Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and Jakarta, Indonesia were closely monitoring the case including coordination with the local law enforcement authorities.  Kasel Salvage directly negotiated with the captors of the two Filipino seafarers.

I would like to express our sincere appreciation for the cooperation of the government authorities of Singapore, Indonesia and Malaysia and for the tireless efforts of Kasel Salvage and Anscor Swire, which ultimately led to the release of Mr. Dionaldo and Mr. Lacno.  I also reiterate the Philippine government’s commitment to increase cooperation with our Southeast Asian neighbors to combat piracy and make our sea-lanes safer and more secure to enhance maritime commerce and international trade.

Boat Captain Paterno Dionaldo and Chief Engineer Sofronio Lacno were kidnapped when heavily armed pirates sea jacked the ocean tugboat M/V Erna on 02 October 2004 at around 6:22 PM, and took hostage the two Filipino officers.  The attack took place on a Saturday while the M/V Erna was towing a crane barge through the Malacca Straits within the territorial waters of Indonesia.  Both Filipinos were taken off the tugboat by the attackers.  The pirates also took with them the boat’s papers.  Nobody else was hurt during the attack.  The eight other Filipino crewmembers were brought home to the Philippines on 09 October and were assisted by their local manning agency Anscor Swire Ship Management Corporation.

Moving on to other matters, I wrote a letter, dated 14 October 2004,  to the governor of the Grand Cayman Islands, British West Indies, His Excellency Bruce Dinwiddy, to thank him on behalf of the Filipino people for the wholehearted cooperation he extended to the Philippine government in the relief efforts that benefited hundreds of Filipinos residing in the Cayman Islands who were affected by Hurricane Ivan towards the end of September.

Especially helpful to the Filipinos in the Cayman Islands was the decision of the Cayman government to relax the reemployment procedures, which enabled the Filipinos to acquire new work permits without requiring them to return to the Philippines.  This magnanimous gesture eased the recovery efforts for displaced Filipinos and is a testament of the warm friendship and cooperation between the people of the Philippines and the Cayman Islands.

I also wished his country well and offered him the resources and skills of the numerous Filipinos workers who are in the Cayman Islands and who are more than willing to offer their assistance in the rebuilding of the nation.  END.