MANILA. Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac personally visited the Netherlands to check on the condition of 38 Filipino crew members of the vessel M/V Hondius, who are currently completing a 42-day quarantine following a hantavirus outbreak on the ship. The visit took place on May 22, 2026, when Cacdac met with Deputy Secretary General Hans Docter of the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs to discuss further collaboration on ensuring the health and welfare of the seafarers.
Collaboration with Dutch Authorities
In a social media post, Cacdac stated that they visited the Netherlands over the weekend to coordinate with Dutch counterparts on quarantine details. "We just visited the Netherlands to visit our quarantined Filipino seafarers from the M/V Hondius and Dutch government counterparts and shipowner to coordinate quarantine details," said Cacdac. He added that quarantine monitoring and preparations for the eventual release of the Filipino seafarers were also coordinated.
Medical Protocols and Gratitude
Cacdac assured that the visit was properly coordinated with Dutch authorities and that proper medical protocols have been observed. "The Philippine government expresses gratitude to the Netherlands' government for expeditiously extending precautionary medical care and welfare assistance to the Filipino crew members," said Cacdac. The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) earlier announced that the 38 crew members would undergo a 42-day quarantine as a safety measure following the hantavirus outbreak on the M/V Hondius before they are allowed to return home.
