6 Filipino seafarers receive aid, wages after unpaid work

Six Filipino seafarers who went unpaid for nearly three months aboard a foreign-flagged vessel in the Iloilo-Guimaras Strait are now receiving government assistance and have begun receiving their wages.

The situation prompted intervention from the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), who extracted the crew and initiated settlement negotiations, leading to an agreement on payment terms.

Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan stated that full wage recovery is contingent upon further validation and enforcement of their contracts, which are under review by the DMW. The seafarers have received PHP100,000 in financial aid through the DMW's Aksyon Fund and OWWA’s Emergency Repatriation Fund.

The Philippine government extended food aid and other assistance to seven Indian crew members who were also stranded with them, and the manning agency Erica Crew Manning Services Inc. is under suspension and could face license revocation for violations including failure to ensure the ship's seaworthiness and delayed payment of wages.

OWWA has provided financial aid, accommodation, and psychosocial support to the Filipino crew members while addressing systemic challenges faced by maritime workers, ensuring proper compensation and continuing monitoring of wage restitution efforts.