THE Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) guaranteed on Monday, May 25, 2026, that the Filipino crew members of the cruise ship M/V Hondius who are undergoing quarantine will continue to get their salaries.
In a press briefing on Sunday night, May 24, DMW Assistant Secretary Jerome Pampolina said the 38 crew members are still getting paid by their employer despite undergoing quarantine.
"When we spoke to the ship owners, Oceanwide, they said they are continuing the payment of the salaries. This means that 80 percent of their salaries are being sent directly to their beneficiaries here in the Philippines," said Pampolina.
He also noted that the employers have also decided to complete the payments of the seafarers as provided under their respective employment contracts despite returning home at an earlier date.
"From what we gathered from the ship owners, it seems they will pay until the contract is over, which is very generous of Oceanwide because we did not expect that," said Pampolina.
According to DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, this is one of the reasons why the Filipino seafarers are staying optimistic despite their predicament.
"You know Filipinos are really happy people. Their moods are positive even though they are in quarantine," said Cacdac.
Meanwhile, the DMW head said the 38 Filipino seafarers have not been tested positive for hantavirus, which affected several people onboard the M/V Hondius.
"I need to emphasize that part of what we found out when we were there was that they tested negative every day," said the official.
"They were being tested. All of them have tested negative so far and none of them are symptomatic," Cacdac added.
To recall, a total of 38 Filipino crew members were in M/V Hondius, where a hantavirus outbreak has been declared.
The 38 Filipino crew members have since been placed under quarantine in the Netherlands until June 18 before they are allowed to return home. (Anton Banal/SunStar Philippines)
