DESPITE the ordeal they went through over the past five months, the nine Filipino crew members of MV Eternity C were upbeat upon their return to the country Thursday night, December 5, 2025, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (Owwa) said.
In a television interview Friday, Owwa Deputy Administrator Jasmine Gapatan said the nine Filipino seafarers freed by the Houthi rebels are happy to be reunited with their families.
"They are happy to be with their families, and they are able to return safely before Christmas... They are in high spirits," Gapatan said.
On Thursday night, the nine crew members of the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier were able to return home to the Philippines.
This comes five months after they were taken by the Houthi rebels, who attacked the MV Eternity C in the Red Sea back in July 2025.
The Owwa official said the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) hosted a Thanksgiving Mass and lunch for the Filipino seafarers and their families on Friday.
Gapatan said the crew members will be informed of the different programs and assistance they can avail themselves of from the government.
These include financial aid, psychosocial and medical assistance, reintegration, job referrals, business counseling, and financial literacy.
"We have many mechanisms in government to assist them. They can just tell us what they want, and we will give it to them. We will help them until they can get back on their feet," said Gapatan. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)