MANILA, Philippines — Twenty-one Filipino seafarers rescued from the Houthi-hit merchant ship MV Tutor last June 12 will be receiving P150,000 each from lawmakers.
On Monday, Tingog Partylist Rep. Jude Acidre said the P150,000 cash assistance, or a total of P3.15 million in total comes from the personal calamity fund of House Speaker Martin Romualdez and his wife, Rep. Yedda Marie.
Citing Rep. Yedda, Acidre said the cash assistance “aims to help them and their families as they transition back home.”
Aside from this, House Deputy Secretary General Sofonias Gabonada, Jr. said Romualdez also sought to provide more government assistance to the seafarers, including benefits from the Sustainable Livelihood Program of the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD) or the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE)-Integrated Livelihood and Emergency Employment Program.
“Also included in the aid package being worked out for the rescued seafarers are Financial Assistance of P10,000 per qualified immediate family member under the AKAP (Ayuda para sa Kapos Ang Kita Program) program of the DSWD and a 20-day emergency employment under the TUPAD program of DOLE,” the statement said.
READ: No Filipino hurt in latest Houthi attack
The 21 rescued seafarers arrived on Monday morning at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport. In addition to the cash assistance from the Romualdez couple, the crew members received financial assistance worth P230,000 from various government agencies.
Before this, the government of Bahrain also granted them P30,000 or 192 Bahraini dinars each.
Based on reports, Houthi rebels off the western coast of Yemen hit the Liberia-flagged Tutor with drones and missiles on June 12.
There were 22 Filipino seafarers on board the MV Tutor. Of this figure, 21 were rescued, while one remains missing.