Filipino sailors victims of Somali pirates
Updated
As maritime security worsens in the waters off the African Somali coast, the Philippines has paid a particularly high price.
Among the nearly 300 seamen currently held by Somali pirates, almost half of them are Filipinos. The Philippine government refuses to negotiate with pirates, but says it could consider other options. For now, the government imposes no travel ban on Filipinos who sail through Somali waters. In fact, it has doubled the seafarers' pay, as a form of risk compensation.
Presenter: Lily Yan
Speaker: Ed Malaya, spokesman for Philippines' Department of Foreign Affairs; Joseph Entero, general secretary of International Seafarers Action Centre; Alejandro Padaen, Director of Adjudication in Philippines Overseas Employment Administration
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LILY YAN: Among nearly 300 hostages to be held by Somali pirates, 122 of them are Filipinos. The latest was a Greek-owned ship with 22 Filipino crew members captured by the pirates on Tuesday in the Gulf of Aden. A spokesperson for the Philippines Department of Foreign Affairs, Ed Malaya, says the growing number of Filipino hostages will not change the government's policy of not negotiating with pirates.
ED MALAYA, SPOKESMAN, PHILIPPINES DEPARTMENT OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS: Governments, including the Philippines, have a no-ransom policy. We do not want to deal with the pirate.
LILY YAN: But critics say the government could have done more. Joseph Entero is a maritime labour lawyer and the general secretary of International Seafarers' Action Centre.
JOSEPH ENTERO, GENERAL SECRETARY, INTERNATIONAL SEAFARERS' ACTION CENTER: There is no strong presence of our government in the United Nations, for example, on what to do with this crisis. That's unfortunate. That the reality right now.
LILY YAN: As a result of government's policy not to negotiate with pirates it is often left to the ship-owners to pay huge amounts of ransom for their crew but for many Filipino hostages their employees either try to avoid or cannot afford the huge amounts of the payouts. Mr Entero says the government should make those ship owners or agencies accountable for the negligence of their victimised crews.
JOSEPH ENTERO: We want the government, particularly the agencies that are involved in the deployment of Filipino seafarers, to exercise their mandate under the law to at least protect the lives of our Filipino seafarers.
LILY YAN: Over the weekend, the US troops killed three Somali pirates and freed the American sea captain during a daring high-sea rescue operation. Ed Malaya, the Filipino Foreign Affairs spokesperson, says his government will not exclude the possibility of taking similar actions with the help of the US military.
ED MALAYA: Governments talk to each other all the time. If ever it is done it has to be done in very careful manner.
LILY YAN: But head of ISAC Joseph Entero has dismissed this type of military rescue as the answer to the Somali pirates issues. He calls for deeper understanding of the cause and a long-term solution from the international community.
JOSEPH ENTERO: ISAC believe that there is a deeper problem behind this crisis. There are also legitimate grievances of the Somali militants. For instance, there have been complaints about illegal dumping of toxic wastes and the degradation of the marine coastal resources. I think they are legitimate grievances that must be addressed too.
LILY YAN: So far the Philippines Government is reluctant to put a stop on Filipinos who are going to work in those dangerous water. In fact, the Government has doubled the salary for those who are willing to go and work in Somalia. Foreign Affairs Department spokesperson Ed Malaya again.
ED MALAYA: Shipping is an important part and we cannot really just stop the flow of trade. The decision here is to give proper advice to our seafarers.
LILY YAN: Entero from seafarers organisation ISAC says it is a sad reality that the seamen do not have a choice but to continue risking their lives.
JOSEPH ENTERO: With our problem here, with our economic problem here in the Philippines, that advice will not work. They are saying they would rather die working than die hungry.
