ASEAN FOREIGN WORKERS-AFW: Dead Filipino sailor from sunken cattle ship to be repatriated from Japan

The body of the Filipino sailor who died after a cargo ship sank off Japan will be flown to the Philippines next week, the Department of Labor and Employment announced today.

The sailor has been identified as Joel Canete Linao, a native of South Cotabato, the Labor Department said. His corpse is expected to arrive in the country on Sept. 17. The government said benefits and financial assistance will be given to his family including college scholarships for his children or his next of kin.

On the other hand, the only remaining survivors of the Panamanian flagged Gulf Livestock 1, both of whom are Filipinos, will also fly home next week.

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“The two survivors, Jaynel Rosales and Eduardo Sareno, will most likely be repatriated together due to their mutual request tentatively next week,” the Labor Department said.

“They are in constant communication with their families in the Philippines,” the department said.

Gulf Livestock 1, which carried almost 6,000 live cattle, sunk off the island of Amami on Sept. 2 due to typhoon Maysak. It departed from New Zealand and was on its way to China when it encountered rough waters. The rest of its crew members remain missing: 36 Filipinos, 2 New Zealanders, 1 Australian, and 1 Singaporeans. The search and rescue operation for the crew members ended yesterday.

Experts believe that the ship’s sailors disregarded the threat of the typhoon which led to its sinking. The ship reportedly had numerous mechanical defects for the past two years.

According to The Economist, a quarter of the world’s ship crew members are Filipinos, making the Philippines the biggest source of mariners. Companies started hiring Filipinos in the 1970s when they could no longer afford to hire staff from Western countries.

This article, Dead Filipino sailor from sunken cattle ship to be repatriated from Japan, originally appeared on Coconuts, Asia’s leading alternative media company. Want more Coconuts? Sign up for our newsletters!