Migrante International strongly condemned the death of two Filipino migrant seafarers and the wounding of 12 others caused by drone attacks in the worsening US-NATO proxy war in Ukraine. Another Filipino seafarer has been reported missing.

According to the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), nine vessels carrying Filipino seafarers were reportedly attacked in separate incidents while passing through the Black Sea.

“We mourn the death of our two Filipino seafarers and extend our deepest sympathies to their families,” Migrante International chairperson Joanna Concepcion said. She condemned the escalating conflict and imperialist wars from Europe to the Middle East, led by imperialist US. She said these wars directly endanger the lives and safety of migrant seafarers working in various ports, logistics hubs, and cargo, commercial, and oil-rig vessels.

Concepcion also assailed the Marcos regime for failing to protect Filipino seafarers and for supporting US wars of aggression. She said Marcos bears responsibility for the deaths of the seafarers and the grief of their families.

“While the Department of Migrant Workers has declared maritime corridors such as the Black Sea and the Strait of Hormuz as ‘War-like Operations Areas’ and released advisories to our seafarers on their right to refuse deployment, the death of our two seafarers prove that the PH government’s response remain inadequate,” Concepcion said. She added that it also fails to address the systemic problem of the lack of long-term jobs for Filipino seafarers at home and urgently prioritizing the building of our own national maritime industry.

Migrante is holding Marcos accountable for his subservience to the US at the expense of the people’s safety. The group said Marcos is surrendering Philippine sovereignty by allowing the US to use the entire country as a military base and launching pad for wars of aggression. He even promised to provide vast tracts of land under the Pax Silica initiative for weapons production, which will only worsen the global crisis and endanger countless innocent lives.

The group called on Filipino seafarers, together with all Filipino migrant workers around the world, to unite and express their outrage.

“Join collective protest actions to demand an end to all imperialist wars of aggression and resist US intervention in the Philippines that are causing suffering for the working class,” the group said.