BY IME SORNITO
ILOILO City – More than a month after M/V Tutor was attacked by Houthi rebels in the Red Sea on June 12, Nixon Asejo, a 54-year-old seafarer from Antique, remains missing.
The Greek-owned, Liberian-flagged ship was crewed by Asejo as the second marine engineer.
Despite extensive searches, neither his body nor any remains have been found to date.
Asejo, who was originally from Barangay Diclum, Tobias Fornier, Antique, and later moved to Metro Manila, is the only crew member still unaccounted for from the incident, as all his colleagues survived.
The prolonged disappearance and lack of updates from the national government have left the Asejo family to entrust everything to faith. They have organized a memorial tribute service for Nixon, scheduled for July 26 at Mt. Gerizim Community Christian Church in Maysilo, Malabon.
His daughter, Nickalyn Paghubasan Asejo, announced the service, inviting friends and relatives to commemorate her father’s life.
“Even though we do not have his physical body, I cannot let this moment pass without honoring my dad and remembering his wonderful life here on earth,” Nickalyn stated in her announcement.
Questions regarding why Nixon was the only crew member missing have been raised, with explanations linking back to an incident recounted by a fellow engineer, who considered Nixon a father figure.
This engineer reported that Nixon had sent him to check the upper decks of the ship, which led to his own safety while Nixon remained below during the attack.
“To our Daddy, kung saan ka man ngayon, sobrang proud ako sa ‘yo. Noong una awing-awa ako sa ‘yo dahil sa nangyari pero nang marinig ko sa mga kasamahan mo kung ano’ng totoong nangyari sobra akong namangha sa ‘yo. Yung dedication mo sa trabaho walang kapantay. Gumawa ka ng legacy mo, Daddy at alam ko na ginamit ka ng Diyos para maligtas din ang mga kasamahan mo,” according to Nickalyn.
On June 19, Melinda Asejo-Ting, Nixon’s sister, shared with DYRI RMN Iloilo that their brother had stayed to check the ship’s engines with other crew members and did not return to safety in time.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac has communicated with the Asejo family to assure government support following the attack.
Previously, the White House had announced that a Filipino sailor was among the casualties in a series of attacks by Yemen’s Iran-backed Houthi rebels, retaliating against the ongoing Israel-Hamas conflict.
US National Security Council spokesman John Kirby clarified that the Filipino seaman was aboard the M/V Tutor, which was targeted independently of the Gaza conflict. The ship suffered significant damage and was abandoned after a sea drone strike./PN
