(Eagle News)–Foreign Affairs Secretary Alan Peter Cayetano has ordered the deployment of consular officers to Kakinada port in India to assist Filipino seafarers who were stranded there after they were abandoned by their employer more than three months ago.
In a statement, the Department of Foreign Affairs said Cayetano issued the directive after he was informed of the situation of the 21 Filipinos stuck on board the MV Evangelia M, a Liberian-flagged bulk carrier in the port located 1800 kilometers from New Delhi.
The DFA said the crew has been on board the vessel since it was abandoned by its Greek owners in June.
Cayetano also directed the DFA Office of Migrant Workers Affairs to request the assistance of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration to ensure that the manning company in Manila will “facilitate the immediate repatriation and the payment of the salaries of the stranded seafarers,” the DFA said.
