05/08/2026
3 ILONGGO SEAFARERS SAFELY RETURN HOME AFTER BLACK SEA ATTACK; THANK ILOILO PROVINCIAL GOVERNMENT FOR ASSISTANCE
After landing at the Iloilo International Airport, the three Ilonggo seafarers went to the Iloilo Provincial Capitol to thank the Iloilo Provincial Government for the assistance it provided during their repatriation.
Provincial Adminstrator Raul Banias welcomed the three seafarers from Ortiz (Iloilo City), Miagao, and Di**le, Iloilo. He also asked how they were doing after surviving the attack.
One of the seafarers shared that he was on duty when the attack happened.
"Sang time nga pag-ataki ka drone, ga pasaka gid ko tu sa may babaw (bridge of the ship)," he said.
He added, "Pag bomba pa lang, buo na dayon amon desisyon nga magpuli."
PESO and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) coordinated the seafarers' safe return, following Governor Arthur Defensor, Jr.โs directive to Dario.
The incident adds the three Ilonggo mariners to a growing list of Filipino seafarers caught in escalating attacks on commercial shipping in the northern Black Sea. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported that as of August 1, 236 Filipino seafarers aboard 17 commercial vessels have been affected by drone and missile attacks near Ukrainian ports, with three seafarers killed, 15 injured, one still missing, and 217 confirmed safe.
The DMW has classified the northern Black Sea as a high-risk, war-like operations area under Advisory No. 41, Series of 2026, following a sharp escalation in security incidents affecting vessels transiting or berthed at ports in Ukraine and Russia.
The designation, made jointly with the International Bargaining Forum, allows seafarers to refuse deployment to the region without penalty and entitles those who do sail there to additional compensation, insurance coverage and other protections under international labor agreements.
At present, the provincial government is focused on providing the three seafarers with psychosocial intervention and assisting them in processing financial assistance.
