Seafarers freed by Somali pirates to return home

MANILA, Philippines - After four years of suffering at the hands of Somali pirates, five Filipino seafarers are finally returning home and will be reunited with their families, officials said yesterday.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) chief Hans Leo Cacdac said the five Filipino seafarers who were just released from captivity are scheduled to arrive on board Emirates Airlines flight EK332 at 4:30 p.m. today.

Aside from their families, officials of the Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Foreign Affairs and OWWA will welcome the seafarers upon their arrival at the airport.

Arnel Pregillana Balbero, Elmer Salvador Balbero, Ferdinand Jacinto Dalit, Akes Tininggal Edwas Jr. and Antonio Auxtero Libres Jr. will be aided through the documentation process at the airport and given accommodations, said OWWA officer-in-charge Carmelina Velasquez.

“We imagine the nightmare that our kababayans went through… We wish that they, together with their families, will be able to adjust and (return) to their normal lives,” she said.

Aside from airport assistance, OWWA is also providing the five seafarers transport fares to their hometowns, where they will be recommended to undergo psychosocial counseling.