Metro Manila, Philippines— Life as a Filipino seafarer is often defined by months—sometimes years—spent away from family. It’s a grueling reality that these men have learned to accept. But for 17 Filipino sailors aboard the M/V Galaxy Leader, a new kind of endurance was required when they found themselves held captive for 428 days.

What began as another routine assignment on the high seas soon turned into a harrowing tale of survival, fear, and hope.

It was in November 2023 when Yemen’s Houthi rebels launched attacks on international ships in the Red Sea, and among those attacked was the Galaxy Leader.

Diplomatic negotiations went on for over a year until Oman managed to facilitate the release of all 25 crew members onboard, including the 17 Filipinos.

The decision was prompted by the declaration of ceasefire between Israel and militant group Hamas in Gaza. Houthis previously expressed their support for the Palestinian people as one of the reasons for launching the attacks.

On the morning of January 23, 2025, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. announced the release of the Filipino seafarers.

“I am pleased to announce the safe release of all seventeen [17] Filipino seafarers, together with the rest of the crewmembers of M/V Galaxy Leader. Our Filipino seafarers are now in the care of our Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman, and will be reunited with their loved ones,” he said.

Shortly after, the seafarers boarded an Oman Air flight from Muscat to Manila. Around 9:30 PM, the plane landed, and the seafarers were welcomed by their loved ones with tight hugs and emotional reunions.

They were not harmed – DFA

The seafarers were not harmed by the rebels, according to Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo De Vega.

“They were well-fed and not physically harmed after the initial assault and attack to the ship,” said De Vega.

“They were treated well but not being released,” he added.

De Vega described the experience of the seafarers as more of an emotional trauma since they were far from their families and held captive in a foreign land.

The DFA official said that during the course of the captivity, the most challenging part was when they were transferred to Sanaa, the capital of Yemen.

“There was a time when their families didn’t know where they were,” De Vega recalled.

The seafarers reportedly felt worried about their safety in the capital since they were hearing explosions and attacks around the area.

“Natatakot sila na baka matamaan sila,” De Vega said.[Translation: They were scared they might get hit]

“But they were not harmed, no,” he added.

Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Cacdac noticed that some of the seafarers even gained weight after being released.

“Naging buff pa ang ilan sa kanila, their faces ay naging bright, I pointed out pa nga na bakit walang mahabang buhok baka may barbero kayo,” Cacdac said.

[Translation: Some of them even got buff, their faces became brighter. I even pointed out why none of them had long hair, maybe you had a barber]

The seafarers told the DMW chief that one of them knows how to cut hair.

Cacdac said that most of the stories came from the families of the seafarers. He said communicating with the seafarers was a challenge in the early days of captivity.

“After that they lived on board for the most part when the ship was anchored, and at some point, they were transferred inland due to the lack of supplies on board and the seaworthiness of the ship itself,” said Cacdac.

Cacdac said the seafarers had a hard time adjusting in Sanaa, but communication with their families helped a lot.

“Kami we charted a number of times the calls that have been made. So in general, there were about 20-30 calls per family, during the course of captivity,” said Cacdac.

The DMW relayed their advice to the seafarers through their families.

The DMW said the seafarers will be given assistance.

“First and foremost, the continuous payment of allotments will be doubled. In this case, all throughout the 428 days, financial assistance to families, and we will do so again under the Aksyon funds and third, medical assistance to families," said Cacdac.

The Department of Health said it will also offer medical and psychosocial assistance to the overseas workers.

“We heard some of them symptomatic po for some infections not serious but a lot of things happened in 428 days,” said Health spokesperson Albert Domingo.

“From the medical, inaalagaan natin yung ating [we are taking care of our] mental and psychosocial at ayaw natin na magkaroon sila ng [and we don’t want them to suffer from] post-traumatic disorder,” he added.

[Translation:From the medical side, we are taking care of our mental and psychosocial health, and we don’t want them to suffer from post-traumatic disorder]