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Senator Raffy Tulfo is eyeing to conduct a Senate inquiry in aid of legislation to review and draft new necessary policies and regulations concerning the deployment of Filipino seafarers to high-risk zones.
This image released by Ansar Allah Media Office in Yemen shows the Liberian-flagged bulk carrier Eternity C is seen as it sinks in the Red Sea on Wednesday, July 9, 2025. (Ansar Allah Media Office via AP)
This, as nine Filipino seafarers of the Liberia-flagged vessel MV Eternity C are being held by Houthi rebels in Yemen.
"Among the issues to be discussed is whether there should be a mandatory security assessment for dangerous sea routes, and if a total deployment ban should be enforced in areas where there is a high threat to the lives and safety of our seafarers," Tulfo said in a statement.
He added that Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac informed him that the nine missing Filipino seafarers from the attacked and sunken MV Eternity C are now confirmed to be held by the Houthi rebels. They are part of the 21 Filipino crew members aboard the vessel when it was attacked by the rebel group.
He said that according to Cacdac, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) is currently coordinating with the government of Oman, the same country that previously helped with the case of the Filipino crew aboard the MV Galaxy Leader, which was also caught in a similar incident.
"My office has already updated some of the families of the Eternity C crew who personally approached me last July 15 to seek assistance and information about the condition of their loved ones," he added.
The bulk carrier MV Eternity C was attacked in early July. The ship had 22 crewmen, 21 of them are Filipinos.
Due to the series of attacks on ships in the Red Sea over the past two years, Tulfo had urged the DMW to consider banning the deployment of Filipino seafarers to ships passing through the area and instead assign them to vessels taking safer sea routes.
