COTABATO CITY – The Ministry of Labor and Employment is closely coordinating with the Department of Migrant Workers upon learning of the two Filipino seafarers who got killed in a missile strike on Wednesday, March 6, in the Aden Gulf.

Labor Minister Muslimin G. Sema has instructed Director Annuarudin U. Tayuan of the ministry’s Overseas Workers Welfare Bureau to take part in the monitoring of the Filipino seafarers affected by the ongoing conflict in the Red Sea.

According to the reports, the attack on the commercial ship MV True Confidence, a Barbados-flagged bulk carrier, was the first fatal strike of the Houthi militant group against commercial ships in response to the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza.

DMW has confirmed to Dir. Tayuan on Thursday, that no Filipino migrant worker from the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region is among the fifteen Filipinos confirmed affected by the attack.

Moreover, DMW also assured close communication with the BARMM Labor Ministry for possible repatriation whenever an OBW is reported affected.

Minister Sema, meanwhile, expresses his deepest condolences and sympathies to the bereaved families of the two dead seafarers.

Additionally, he confirmed that the ministry is prepared to respond promptly and offer suitable aid. (MOLE-ICD)