THE Department of Labor and Employment Saturday assured that the government is extending all necessary assistance to the survivors and the families of the missing Filipino crew members of the ill-fated cargo ship that sank off the coast of Japan.
Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello III gave the assurance as he identified the second survivor of the capsized Gulf Livestock 1.
“We are in touch with the next of kin of the crew and we are providing them all the help we can give, including the latest information on the search and rescue operation for our kababayans being done by Japanese authorities,” he said.
Bello identified the second survivor as Jay-Nel Rosales, 30, from Cebu. Rosales, a deck crew, was rescued by patrol boat Kaimon and is stable and able to walk on his own, according to a report from the Philippine Overseas Labor Office in Osaka.
He added Rosales, who was taken to the Kagoshima-ken Kenritsu Ooshima Hospital for a complete medical check-up, was already able to talk with his family in Cebu.
The first to be rescued was the ship’s chief officer Eduardo Sareno, from Oslob, Cebu. He remains at the hospital and will be brought to a hotel for his quarantine later this week. Sareno was also provided with a mobile phone to communicate with his family in the Philippines.
A separate body, believed to be that of another Filipino crew, was fished out of the waters. The identity of the dead body has yet to be ascertained, the same POLO report said “We are updating the relatives of our unfortunate Filipino crewmen every time we receive information from the Japanese Coast Guard who is on top of the search and rescue operation,” the labor chief said.
Bello said the POLO in Japan is on hand to provide the all needs of the rescued seafarers, including their personal requirements.
He added that considering that all crew members are active members of the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, they are entitled to all benefits and assistance due to distressed members.
The Gulf Livestock 1 was carrying 6,000 cows and 43 crew members when it went missing on Wednesday after being caught up in Typhoon Maysak.
