Kin of Pinoy seafarer killed off Nigeria seek PHL govt's help

The relatives of the Filipino seafarer who was killed in a hijacking incident last month off Nigeria are calling on the Philippine government to hasten the release of around P3.21 million in benefits they are supposed to receive. “The family of Christopher Cortez Ceprado is now asking the government to speed up the release of several death benefits for them," Dennis Gorecho, counsel of the victim’s relatives, told GMA News Online Tuesday night. As mandated by various laws and memoranda, Ceprado’s beneficiaries are entitled to get death benefits of:

• P200,000 from Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA);
• $50,000 (P2.25 million) from Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA);
• P10,000 from Employees’ Compensation Commission (ECC); and
• $15,000 (P675,000) under the Migrant Workers and Overseas Filipinos Act of 1995.

Ceprado’s family is also expected to receive burial expenditure benefits amounting to:

• $1,000 (P45,000) from POEA;
• P20,000 from OWWA; and
• P10,000 from ECC.

On May 11, Ceprado was found dead on board Marshall Island-flagged M/T Sea King, after it was attacked by pirates off the coast of Benin City in Nigeria. The pirates even looted the vessel and the personal effects of the crewmembers. According to Gorecho, there were 15 Filipino crewmembers aboard the M/T Sea King when the incident took place. Ceprado’s remain came home more than a month after the incident. “Legalization of documents [was] difficult since the nearest embassy is far from where the incident occurred," Gorecho said. “Worse, when his cadaver was being flown to the Philippines, customs officials [in Amsterdam] discovered that his legal documents such as medical records and death certificate were missing... Thus, his body was not allowed to leave the airport unless all necessary papers were reconstituted," he added. Gorecho pointed out that Ceprado’s body was originally scheduled to arrive in Manila last June 12. Ceprado’s remains, however, arrived at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport last June 16. He was buried last Thursday. Almost 350k Pinoy seafarers Hijacking incidents on African waters are reality checks to the risks faced by seafarers, particularly Filipino seamen, who comprise almost 30 percent of the global maritime labor force. POEA data showed that a total of 330,424 Filipino seafarers are deployed abroad in 2009. The money sent home by seamen abroad was increasing from 2006 ($1.9 billion) to 2010 ($3.8 billion). Gorecho noted that most of the hijacking incidents take place in the Gulf of Aden, which leads to the Red Sea and Suez Canal, an important and cost-effective route for trade between Asia and the Middle East, Europe, and North America.
View Larger Map “Seafarers are on the frontline of the piracy problem. In recent years, thousands of seafarers have been killed, injured, assaulted, taken hostage or threatened as piracy and armed robbery have increased dramatically," Gorecho said. He cited International Maritime Bureau records that as of January 2011, there are over 700 hostages being held on over 30 vessels. There are 78 Filipino seafarers being held captive by Somali pirates, according to Foreign Affairs data. As a policy, the Philippine government does not negotiate with kidnappers nor pay ransom, but gives ship owners a free hand in negotiating for the release of abducted Filipino sailors. — VVP, GMA News