FINALLY RELEASED The 17 Filipino crew members of MV Galaxy Leader who were held captive by Yemeni rebels for over a year were set to be reunited with their loved ones upon arrival in Manila on Thursday, Jan. 23, 2025 —PHOTO FROM THE PHILIPPINE EMBASSY IN OMAN

MANILA, Philippines — The 17 Filipino crew members of M/V Galaxy Leader who were held captive in Yemen for more than a year are now back home.

The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) confirmed the seafarers’ arrival on Thursday evening.

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“The seafarers arrived safely at the NAIA Terminal 1 in Pasay City via Oman Air 843 at 9:31pm, Thursday evening,” DMW said.

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According to DMW, the immediate repatriation and provision of comprehensive assistance and support to the Filipino seafarers is a directive from President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., under a one-team approach of ensuring better protection and welfare of the Filipino seafarers and their families.

In November 2023, Yemeni rebels seized MV Galaxy Leader in the Red Sea and took hostage its 25 crew members, including 17 Filipinos, in retaliation for Israel’s offensive in Gaza.

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READ: 17 seafarers held hostage in Yemen are now free

This was after the country’s headline inflation further slowed to 1.9 percent in September, the lowest recorded since the 1.6 percent rate logged in May 2020.

In its latest report, the BAI said the volume of imported meat inched up by 7.8 percent to 757.3 million kilograms in the first seven months of this year from 702.24 million kg in the same period a year ago.

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