FOURTEEN Filipino seafarers aboard the Saudi-flagged oil tanker, Sidr, that was attacked in the Strait of Hormuz on August 31, 2026, have returned safely back home.
In a statement, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) said the 14 Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) on Tuesday evening, September 8.
They were welcomed by officials of the DMW along with representatives from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA).
However, arrangements are still being made to repatriate the remains of two other Filipino seafarers on board the same vessel who died following the attack.
DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac assured that immediate assistance will be provided to the returning seafarers affected by the conflict in the Middle East.
The assistance include medical and psychosocial intervention and the immediate processing of their benefits.
“The President has instructed us to ensure that we give you our full support. What’s important now is that you are able to go home safely to your families. Rest assured, that you will get all the benefits that you are entitled to under the DMW and OWWA programs,” Cacdac said in Tagalog.
Cacdac said the DMW will also investigate the seafarers' manning agency if their right to refuse to sail to high risk areas had been violated./TPM