6 fishers stranded in China back home
THE Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said six Filipino fishermen stranded on board a Chinese-flagged vessel in China arrived Thursday from Shanghai, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said.
They transited Hong Kong on Wednesday night.
The seafarers were among the 29 Filipinos stranded on board the Chinese-flagged vessels Han Rong 362, 366, and 369, which ceased operations in May 2021.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions at China’s ports, their ships were stalled in southeastern China, the DFA said.
The Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs (OUMWA) has monitored the case since receiving a report on the seafarers’ plight and has extended assistance to the crew.
The Philippine Consulates General in Shanghai, Xiamen, and Guangzhou attended to the needs of the seafarers.
They also made representations with the ships’ principal and Chinese authorities for their disembarkation.
“The DFA has been working on their repatriation since their case came to light. Notwithstanding the challenges along the way, we finally brought home the six of them. We will definitely bring home the rest of the Han Rong fishers still in China,” stated Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Sarah Lou Y. Arriola.
Newly appointed Assistant Secretary Paul Raymund P. Cortes spoke with Consul General Josel F. Ignacio on the possible options to repatriate the remaining 23 seafarers. Both have affirmed their commitment to the welfare of overseas Filipinos.
Arriola also revealed that the DFA is organizing a chartered flight in Shanghai this December. “We recognize the clamor from Filipinos across China, so we are mounting one for the holidays,” she added.
