Miriam wants inquiry on alleged lack of safety measures for seamen

MANILA, Philippines - Sen. Miriam Defensor-Santiago is calling for an inquiry on the alleged lack of safety measures for Filipino seamen aboard foreign vessels.

“(The) pirates operating off Somalia were now ranging far beyond their original spheres of operations, and that a multinational naval fleet deployed in the area was being spread thin,” she said.

“It’s alarming that the interdictions are no longer happening in the Gulf of Aden, but are happening outside, off Tanzania, or even somewhere in the Indian Ocean.”

While the Gulf of Arden is being patrolled, pirates are now operating beyond that area up to the Red Sea, she added.

Santiago said she agrees with Labor Secretary Marianito Roque that shipping companies must provide more protection for Filipino seamen after 16 of them were held hostage when pirates took control of a Greek-flagged supertanker off Somalia recently.

At least 229,000 Filipinos are aboard merchant shipping vessels worldwide, Santiago added, quoting a DOLE report.

Santiago said Filipino seamen must be trained to repel attacks.

Last Dec. 1, 16 Filipinos and other crewmembers of a Greek tanker evaded attacking pirates off Omani waters with water hoses and flares, she added.

Santiago said she has been counting on ship owners to take steps to win the freedom of Filipinos and other crewmembers detained by pirates.

“This report, and the others before it, about Filipino sailors and other nationalities being taken as hostages by pirates has reached an alarming proportion so as to merit a congressional inquiry to find ways to save and protect our seafarers, considered to be the best in the world today,” she said.