WE join the overjoyed families and friends of the 17 Filipino seafarers who finally came home after their 429-day ordeal in the hands of Yemen rebels. This must feel like an extended Christmas holiday.

'It is with utmost joy that, after more than a year of captivity in Yemen, I announce the safe release of all seventeen Filipino seafarers, together with the rest of the crew members of MV Galaxy Leader,' President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. said in an official statement, adding that the seafarers were under the care of the Philippine Embassy in Muscat, Oman, waiting to be reunited with their families in the country.