PRESIDENT Rodrigo R. Duterte has issued an executive order (EO) creating a council to oversee the Philippines’ compliance with the policies of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) ahead of a 2021 audit.
Mr. Duterte signed on July 2 EO No. 84, “Creation of an inter-agency council on the international organization member state audit scheme (IMSAS).” The Palace released to reporters copies of the document on Thursday.
The IMO Assembly conducts audits to determine how “obligations and responsibilities” are being carried out by the organization’s member states. The Philippines will undergo IMSAS in “2021 and every seven years thereafter.”
The audit covers six areas: “safety of life at sea; prevention of pollution from ships; standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers; load lines; measurement of ships; and regulations for preventing collisions at sea.”
The EO noted that there is a need to “ensure strict and full compliance with the commitments and obligations” of the country as a member state of the IMO” by carefully “planning, managing, directing, coordinating and monitoring the corresponding efforts of relevance government agencies and instrumentalities.”
The inter-agency council will be composed of the Secretary of the Department of Transportation (DoTr) as Chairperson and the Administrator of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as Vice Chairperson, and representatives from the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), Philippine Ports Authority (PPA) and Cebu Port Authority (CPA), as members.
The council will ensure that the government agencies implement and comply with all the policies, laws and issuances pertaining to the implementation of the IMO instruments in an “integrated manner.”
The council will also review, approve, and implement a National Work Programme (NWP) and adopt mechanisms to “ensure that international obligations and responsibilities of the Philippines as a flag, port, and coastal state are fully satisfied.”
The EO designated the Overseas Shipping Service of MARINA as the Secretariat of the Council, which will “coordinate with relevant agencies on the status of the council’s plans and programs, and provide updates to the council on the implementation of the NWP.”
The Palace also directed all other government offices and agencies to render prompt and necessary assistance, “consistent with their respective mandates, to fully implement the provisions of this Order.”
Funding for the council is to be “charged against sources to be identified by the Department of Budget and Management (DBM).” — Arjay L. Balinbin
