For the Filipino community’s information, follows are the facts regarding the plight of the Aetea Sierra’s Filipino crew, and the Philippijne Embassy-Philippine Oversease Labor Office’s assistance to the Philippine seamen’s plight. We do hope this would clear the issue, debunk misinformation being spread on the case, and affirm the fact that the Embassy and the POLO have been doing all it can to assist the Filipino crewmen.

The supertanker Maran Centaurus and its 28-man crew, 16 of whom are Filipinos, were released by Somali pirates at 8:30 a.m. (Greece time) today 18 January and is now headed for Durban, South Africa, escorted by a Greek naval ship.
The Filipino crew released are as follows: Vincent M. Ombid; Marvin P. Montecillo; Movo T. Aragon; Allan Bayocboc; Salvador Quiocho; Paul Anthony Piraza; Ulysis T. Velasquez; Eric A. Castro; Fermin A. Panaligan, Jr.; Vincent C. Amante ; Lester C. Estrada ; Jessie B. Basalo; Ezemar Vlla Soreso ; Franscisco de Guzman ; Ronald F. Lecitivo; and Henry Suano.

Ambassador Rigoberto D. Tiglao reminded Filipinos in Greece and Athens that the overseas absentee voting will be held at the Athens Embassy from 10 April 2010 to 10 May 2010, from 9AM to 5 PM at the premises of the Philippine Embassy at 26 Antheon St., Paleo Psychico, Athens. ” I appeal to our kababayans registered as overseas voters at the Athens embassy to exercise this democratic right, and duty, and make sure that they will be in Athens during the month-long voting period,” the Ambassador said.

Hijacking of ships by Somali pirates had worsened in the last months of last year, and the Philippine Embassy and the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Athens in all cases involving Filipino seamen are in close contact with the ship owners, managers, and manning agencies involved as well as with Greek authorities in order to ensure the safety of Filipino seamen in such ships. There are 53 Filipino seamen still held by pirates on three Greek-owned ships, and 22 other Filipino sailors in three other ships hijacked by Somali gangs.

Eden Mae M. Castillo, college freshman, is the first awardee of the Philippine Ambassador’s scholarship under an agreement signed only two months ago by University of Indianapolis (Athens campus) Chancellor Vasilis Botopoulos and Ambassador Rigoberto Tiglao.
The Philippine Ambassador’s Scholarship provides for a 70% tuition assistance to a Filipino for an undergraduate college degree at the prestigious University of Indianapolis-Athens Campus.

The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) held a soft opening of its new state-of-the-art consular services building, located at the corner of Bradco and Macapagal Avenues in Aseana Business Park, Paranaque City, a few minutes away from the Mall of Asia. “Instead of sweltering heat, our consular clients will be greeted with cool air at the moment they enter our doors. Instead of monobloc chairs, they will wait their turn sitting on ergonomically-designed stainless steel benches. Instead of long queues, they can shorten their wait by accessing our online appointment system,” Secretary of Foreign Affairs Alberto G. Romulo said in his speech at the opening.

Philippine Ambassador’s scholarship program is now in place in the prestigious Athens Campus of the University of Indianapolis (UINDY-Athens).

Ambassador Rigoberto D. Tiglao entered recently into a Memorandum of Understanding providing for scholarships and tuition assistance for Filipinos at the university with Chancellor Vasilis Botopoulos of UINDY Athens

The troubled Aetea Sierra will be auctioned 17 February 2010 in order to pay the wages of Filipino sailors ordered by the court in its order of 21 December 2009 unless the ship owner, Aetea Sierra Maritime Company, Ltd, can raise the money to settle its debts to the seamen.

The 12 Filipino sailors altogether will be paid a minimum of US$189,000 to a maximum of US$466,600, according to their lawyers. In its order of 21 December, the Court of First Instance of Piraeus directed the immediate payment of 132,963.32 euros (about $190,000) to the 12 seamen, representing their unpaid salaries up to 9 November 2009.

Listing of Philippine and Greek holidays when the Embassy is closed. Consular services are also not undertaken every Wednesday in order for our staff to properly process consular documents.

The remains of six Fililpino sailors killed in a fire in a Greek-owned ship 25 December 2009 arrived in Manila at 6:45 p.m. 2 January 2010 via a chartered Boeing DC 8 flight which flew from Venezuela to Athens, and after unloading the remains of the three Greek sailors killed, went on to Manila, after however an eight-hour delay in Dubai because of unfavorable weather.The respective families of the Filipino seafarers patiently waited for many hours at the airport to receive the remains.