CEBU, Philippines — Cebu Governor Gwendolyn Garcia yesterday expressed gratitude to outgoing Maritime Industry Authority (Marina)-7 Director Emmanuel Carpio, who is leaving Central Visayas for a central office assignment effective next week.
“We express our deep-seated gratitude, RD (Regional Director, for all you’ve done for Cebu,” she told Carpio during his exit call at the Capitol last Wednesday, as reported by the Cebu Provincial Government’s Sugbo News.
Among Carpio’s major accomplishments during his 16-month-and-8-day stint in Central Visayas was the establishment of Marina satellite offices in San Remigio in northern Cebu and Moalboal in southern Cebu.
Located in the Senior Citizen's Building at the Tulay Wharf area, Poblacion East, Marina’s Moalboal Satellite Office was meant to serve as a central hub for maritime affairs in southern Cebu, just like its San Remigio counterpart.
Carpio was also very instrumental in last year’s staging of the first-ever Cebu Maritime Expo, which was a first of its kind in the Visayas and Mindanao.
Meanwhile, MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan yesterday revealed the 10-point agenda for maritime advancement in the country.
The agenda’s key focus areas include digitalization of Marina’s frontline services; enhancement of maritime safety by addressing the causes of incidents: engagement with industry stakeholders through regular fora, public consultations, and dialogues; effective implementation of the updated Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) 2028.
It also aims to strength Marina’s organizational structure and institutional capacity; as well as the “assessment of the effectiveness of existing policies, with a commitment to repeal those found obsolete” and prepare the country for greenhouse gas emissions reduction of ships. — (FREEMAN)