The Diamond-Princess cruise ship. Photo: travelweekly.com he Filipino crew of the Diamond Princes received significant levels of exposures to the COVID-19 coronavirus while onboard that quarantined ship. Unlike passengers and the ship's officers, Filipinos—who worked mostly at the staff level—had to interact with passengers regularly. They delivered meals throughout the vessel and responded to customer queries and requests even as the ship itself was already under quarantine conditions. The fact that the Filipinos were interacting with large numbers of individuals each day put them in greater danger of catching the virus than any other group aboard ship. The statistics appear to bear this out. According to USA Today, "As of Friday morning, there were at least 634 confirmed cases of coronavirus that stemmed from the Diamond Princess, the most of any site outside of mainland China" according to the World Health Organization. CNN is also reporting that forty-seven of those are Filipinos from the Diamond Princes. The growing consensus among health authorities across the globe says that the ship's quarantine was a mistake. It turned the ship into a gigantic petri dish that allowed the virus to spread rapidly. As a consequence, the staff made up mostly of Filipinos who continued working on their jobs, now face life-threatening situations. The question is, what will this administration do about it? Foreign Affairs Secretary Teddy Boy Locsin profusely thanked the Japanese in a tweet, "They are so lucky to be in the care of Japanese health authorities. Thank you Japan. You didn't just anticipate the needs but went out of your way with exceeding care." After Locsin is done heaping praise on the Japanese, it might be a good idea for him and other Philippine government officials to start looking into whether Japanese officials did the right thing when they ordered everyone to remain on board. Furthermore, was there negligence on the part of the ship's management when it kept the crew working and interacting with passengers, instead of placing them under quarantine as well? The Philippine government should look further into these matters. They must advocate for the Filipino crew and find out if Japanese officials and Princess Cruises/Carnival Corporation officials should be held responsible for Filipino crew members infected with the virus. At the very least, all medical bills, and—God forbid—funeral expenses, should be shouldered by both of those entities. Overseas Filipino workers (OFWs) often have the toughest jobs. And let us not forget, their remittances are what keeps the county's economy afloat. This government must go out of its way to help and protect these Filipinos. Published 2/23/2020