A Filipino chief engineer who died from injuries sustained aboard the MT Gas Lisbon in the Black Sea received a final tribute from the Philippine government, which sent a delegation to Romania to honor his service and coordinate the return of his remains.
At Tulcea County Hospital, the delegation offered prayers in recognition of the seafarer’s dedication and sacrifice. Leading the Philippine group was Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac, joined by Philippine Ambassador to Romania Noel E. Servigon, OWWA Administrator Patricia Yvonne Caunan, OIC-Assistant Secretary for Sea-Based Concerns Augusto B. San Diego III, Labor Attaché Geraldine C. Mendez, and MWO Budapest Officer-in-Charge Charisse Mae Tiongson. The gesture, officials said, fulfilled President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr.’s standing directive to safeguard the welfare of every OFW and their family.
The vessel was affected while sailing the Black Sea on July 21, 2026. Romanian emergency responders evacuated the entire crew and brought three injured Filipino seafarers to the hospital. Two of them returned safely to the Philippines on August 3, 2026.
While international coordination continued, OWWA Regional Welfare Office V went directly to the seafarer’s family in Caramoan, Camarines Sur, to extend condolences in person. Because the chief engineer was an active OWWA member, his relatives were briefed on the benefits available to them, among them Death and Burial Benefits and the Education and Livelihood Assistance Program, alongside other applicable welfare services.
The DMW, OWWA, DFA, the Philippine Embassy in Bucharest, the MWO, and Romanian authorities are working together to expedite the dignified repatriation of the chief engineer’s remains and to ensure his family receives the assistance owed to them.
OWWA also acknowledged the seafarer’s hope of securing a good future for his five children through education. The agency said it would help the family carry forward the aspirations he left behind for them.
The delegation extended its gratitude to the doctors, nurses, emergency responders, Tulcea County Hospital, and Romanian authorities for their swift response and compassion toward the Filipino crew.
