The first batch of Filipino crew members of the shipwrecked MV Costa Concordia arrived in Manila on Jan. 19 on board the Cathay Pacific and Thai Airways flights from Rome, Italy.
Philippine Ambassador to Italy Virgilio A. Reyes, Jr. personally sent off and assisted the 108 Filipino crew members as they boarded their flights at Fiumicino Airport in Rome on Jan. 18.
Foreign Affairs Executive Director for Migrant Workers Affairs Ricardo Endaya and Foreign Affairs Special Assistant Atty. Enrico Fos, together with representatives from the Office of the Vice President (OVP), the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), welcomed the Filipino crew members at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA).
The second and third batches of Filipino crew members to be repatriated are expected to arrive in Manila on January 20 and 21.
Costa Crociere S.p.A, the company which owns the cruise ship, assured the Embassy's Emergency Response Team that it will give full compensation to the Filipino crew members, refund their lost belongings, replace their lost cash, and issue a formal letter of undertaking detailing the company's firm commitment.
Along with the response team, a nerve center for operations was activated by the Embassy in Rome to coordinate actions of the response team and the feedback of the Costa Concordia officials and relevant managing agencies, and to ensure timely reporting/updating to the DFA.
(www.dfa.gov.ph)
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