Singapore – Maritime Fair Trade, July 30, 2025
For the past three weeks, the families of nine Filipino seafarers have been holding their breath, clinging to every call, every update, and every faint glimmer of hope.
Their loved ones, crew members of the Liberia-flagged bulk carrier MV Eternity C, are now hostages of the Houthi rebels, militant forces operating out of Yemen, following a violent attack in the Red Sea on July 7.
On July 29, the Philippines’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed that the nine Filipinos are alive and in the custody of the Houthis, marking a grim chapter in the escalating maritime conflict that has gripped the Red Sea in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
The confirmation came during a virtual press briefing held July 29 night and led by Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac.
“Today, we confirm, in coordination with our DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs), that the nine are in the hands of the Houthi forces,” Cacdac announced during the briefing. “And we are continually in close coordination with the DFA and the families with reference to the safety, well-being, as well as the release and safe return of the nine.”
Cacdac’s announcement followed the release of a video by the Houthis a day earlier, on July 28, which showed the nine Filipino seafarers alive and apparently unharmed. The rebels claimed they had “rescued” the mariners.
