Seafarers’ ban should be on Nigeria, not Somalia - UFS

Seafarers’ ban should be on Nigeria, not Somalia - UFS
MARK JOSEPH H. UBALDE, GMANews.TV
05/22/2009 | 07:46 PM
MANILA, Philippines - A group of Filipino seafarers is urging the government to rethink its deployment ban to high-risk piracy zones near Somali waters and focus instead on banning seamen to the Nigerian delta.

The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) issued the statement on Friday after 11 Filipino seafarers were rescued from Nigerian insurgents early this week. Five more Filipinos on board the oil tanker MV Spirit remain with Nigerian bandits. [See: 2 more Pinoy seafarers rescued in Nigeria - DFA]

“Unlike the Gulf of Aden where the risk of piracy is sporadic, Nigeria is practically a war-torn country and the danger is quite imminent especially for seafarers who are working onboard vessels plying within the Nigerian coastal waters," said UFS president Nelson Ramirez.

The Philippines has stopped sending Filipino workers to the African country in 2007 due to kidnappings and civil unrest in the Niger delta. The ban, however, doesn’t cover seafarers passing through the important waterway in Nigeria.

Ramirez has been a staunch critic of the government’s deployment ban on Filipino seafarers to the Gulf of Aden, calling the policy risky and ridiculous. [See: 'Deployment ban to Gulf of Aden risky, ridiculous']

The UFS president receives reports that there are at least 13 commercial vessels are currently trapped in the Swari River as a result of the ongoing firefighting between military forces and members of the rebel group Movement for the Emancipation of Niger Delta (MEND).

“Those ships cannot proceed with their sailing schedule as they may be caught in the crossfire. As many of the vessels are manned by Filipino seafarers, they are actually confused on what to do next and would like to seek the assistance of the government," Ramirez said.

The UFS is the latest group to affirm the government’s deployment ban of Filipino workers to Nigeria since 2007. Several migrant groups in Manila and even in the Nigerian capital of Abuja are lobbying for the Philippines to lift the deployment ban citing better working conditions in the oil-rich country.

“We support the call of overseas Filipino workers (OFW) … that the government lift the ban on Nigeria," Center for Migrant Advocacy executive director Ellen Sana recently told GMANews.TV.

Sana also claimed that the Filipinos in Nigeria – most of whom are reportedly happily working and living there since the 1970s – are safe. - GMANews.TV