Filipino crewmembers of the shipwrecked MV Costa Concordia hailed as the ‘sailing ambassadors’ by the Foreign Affairs Secretary
Filipino crewmembers of the shipwrecked MV Costa Concordia have arrived in the Philippines last week. The first batch of Filipino crewmembers arrived last Thursday January 19, 2012; the second batch arrived on January 20, 2012; while the third batch arrived on January 21, 2012.
Filipinos and other crewmembers stayed on the ship to help out passengers to evacuate, unlike the Italian captain who abandoned the ship.
Albert Del Rosario, Foreign Affairs Secretary, commended the Filipino crewmembers for their “competence, professionalism and humanity, even under extreme pressure.” He told that these Filipinos are men and women of courage, heroism and dedication. They were also commended for showing the world the best traits of the Filipino seafarers.
“In the words of President Benigno S. Aquino III, you are our ‘sailing ambassadors’,” Del Rosario said to the three batches who arrived in the Philippines since Thursday. He also told that the Philippine Embassy in Rome received positive feedbacks from the passengers and other crewmembers regarding the bravery of the Filipinos.
The Department of Foreign Affairs recognizes the full support of the Embassy in Rome, the Filipino community in Italy, the local residents of Giglio Island, and the relevant Italian authorities.
SOURCE: Inquirer Newspaper. January 21, 2012. DFA chief hails Filipino ‘sailing ambassadors’. Retrieved fromhttp://globalnation.inquirer.net/23503/dfa-chief-commends-filipino-%E2%80%98sailing-ambassadors%E2%80%99