Two Pinoy seamen killed in rescue ops to arrive in PHL

Remains of two Pinoy seamen killed in rescue ops to arrive in PHL Thursday

The remains of two Filipino seafarers who were killed when commandos tried to rescue them and their fellow crew members from pirates earlier this month are expected to arrive in the Philippines on Thursday morning.

Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) advocacy and social marketing division head Rey Tayag said the bodies of Zeron Monzon and Stephen Barbarona will arrive at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA) aboard a Qatar Airways flight, then brought to their home provinces.

Radio dzBB's Sam Nielsen said Monzon's remains will be brought to Quezon province while those of Barbarona will be brought to Tagbilaran in Bohol.

Tayag said the families of the two victims are entitled to death and burial benefits, scholarships, and livelihood assistance.

Monzon and Barbarona were killed in a rescue mission by Iranian navy commandos on the Bolivian-flagged MV Eglantine earlier this month.

They were among 10 Filipino crewmembers serving aboard the vessel. The eight other Filipinos had since returned home.

The 10 Filipino seamen were part of the 23-member crew of the Eglantine, which pirates seized in late March but which commandos stormed.

Barbarona suffocated from the heavy smoke in the engine room of the vessel where he hid during the encounter while Monzon died after he was shot in the head during the encounter.

Earlier reports showed pirates seized the Eglantine 305 nautical miles northwest of the Maldivian capital of Male in the early hours of March 26.

The 12-year-old bulker is owned by Andulena Corp of Teheran while her registered manager is the Tehran-based Rahbaran Omid Darya. - VVP, GMA News
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