Philippine agencies trying to fix deficiencies in seaman training
THE PHILIPPINES’ Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday said it would work with other agencies to come up with a plan to address deficiencies in the country’s seafarer training programs.
It would meet with the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) on Tuesday to discuss the issue and recommendations of the European Commission (EC), Migrant Workers Secretary Maria Susana V. Ople told an online news briefing.
This comes after the European Commission decision to continue recognizing certificates issued by the Philippines to Filipino seafarers, citing the country’s efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers. It said there were still problems with the country’s system.
Ms. Ople said her agency expects both chambers of Congress to pass a bill that would improve protection of Filipino seamen.
Last month, the House of Representatives approved on third and final reading a bill that seeks to protect the rights of Filipino seafarers. A counterpart Senate bill is pending at the committee level.
She said her agency plans to organize an international conference with maritime experts in June to discuss plans to bolster support for the industry.
“We need an integrated roadmap to help our Filipino seafarers,” the migrant workers chief said.
Last year, the EC said almost 50,000 Filipino seafarers working in European vessels could lose their jobs if the Philippines does not address its deficiencies.
The European Maritime Safety Agency raised issues about the country’s compliance with European Union standards after an inspection in March 2020.
A year later, the EC warned the Philippine government it would withdraw recognition of Filipino seafarers’ certificates if it did not address deficiencies in training Filipino seafarers.
In a statement on Sunday, the presidential palace said the decision showed the country had complied with international standards of training seafarers.
At the same briefing, Francesco Gargiulo, chief executive officer of the International Maritime Employers Council (IMEC), said it is crucial for the Philippines to help more seafaring graduates get jobs in the maritime industry.
“The Philippines is not uniform when it comes to the provision of education since out of 30,000 yearly graduates, only 3,000 get a job in the industry,” he said, citing government data.
IMEC is an international employers’ organization whose members operate more than 11,200 vessels and employ more than 290,000 seafarers in more than 60 countries, according to its website.
“The industry is hungry for new talent, and I am very confident that we will see a resurgence of Filipino seafarers if reforms such as a Magna Carta law for seafarers are implemented,” he added. — John Victor D. Ordoñez
