Congress vows to improve quality of Pinoy seafarers

MANILA, Philippines – The House of Representatives will continue to pass legislation aimed at keeping Filipino seafarers the No. 1 choice of global shipping companies, through continued compliance with international standards and enhancement of training programs, leaders of the chamber said yesterday.

Speaker Feliciano Belmonte Jr. and Angkla party-list Rep. Jesulito Manalo, vice chairman of the committee on labor and employment, said a House bill enacted into law last year saved tens of thousands of Filipino seafarers from possible blacklisting by the European Union, and consolidated training and certification under the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina).

“We’re frequently holding dialogues with the Marina, shipping companies, other stakeholders and even (maritime) schools so that we’re constantly apprised of and attuned to the developments in the global shipping industry and be able to immediately enact legislation,” Manalo said following a meeting between industry leaders and lawmakers in Manila earlier this week.

He cited various threats and opportunities that should prompt the government and the industry to be on the lookout, including declining remittances from overseas Filipino workers (OFWs), increased competition as well as expansion of the global shipping industry.

The lawmaker said Filipino seafarers comprise around five percent of the total OFW deployment but account for over 20 percent of the total annual dollar remittances.

Manalo said seafarers’ incomes are not as sensitive as those of land-based OFWs, whose employment depend on the prevailing economic conditions of their host countries.

Belmonte said the Philippines provides the most number of seafarers in the world – about 400,000 out of the 1.2 million total seafarers – and the country must maintain the lead even as it works on increasing deployment.

Marina administrator Maximo Mejia said an estimated 6,000 new ships and other vessels are expected for deployment until 2018, opening tremendous opportunities for Filipino seafarers.

“It’s really providential that we’re having for the first time this kind of alignment of the legislative and executive plus very strong supporters in the sector so that we can make training and certification effortless, but at the same time maintaining our commitment to standards in accordance with international conventions,” Mejia said.

The Marina chief was referring to the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watch-keeping.