Editorial (Panay News): Our seafarers need protection

Our seafarers need protection
Panay News -September 30, 2018 https://www.panaynews.net/our-seafarers-need-protection/

TODAY the nation is marking the 23rd National Seafarers Day. According to our columnist Atty. Dennis Gorecho in his piece which came out yesterday (“Pinoy Seafarers’ Rights”), the Philippines is a major supplier of maritime labor globally. There is one Filipino seafarer for every four to five complements on board a vessel at any time.

Western Visayas is a major supplier of competent and able seafarers. We have lots of maritime schools that produce Ilonggo seafarers. Generally, however, the Filipino seafarers’ welfare has been given inadequate attention. Despite incidents of abduction, unjust compensation and on-board accidents, no legislation has been passed to protect and uphold their rights. Most of the policies and programs catering to the needs of migrant workers are designed for land-based workers only.

Due to the sheer number of Filipino seafarers that help keep our economy afloat with their dollar remittances, it is but proper that we institutionalize mechanisms that provide better protection of their rights and welfare.

Various policies to protect the welfare of our seafarers are scattered in numerous existing laws. This indicates a need for a more comprehensive legislation that will cover all these provisions, while at the same time complying with international maritime standards.

We don’t even have a magna carta for seafarers yet that would guarantee their right to humane working conditions and just compensation through ensuring that manning and crewing agencies provide adequate information about onboard conditions as well as local and international laws that apply to Filipino seafarers.

It also helps to have a centralized government agency that will provide the necessary services, supervision, regulation and guidance which our Filipino seafarers need.

Filipino maritime workers are important human resources. We have to understand that the seafaring profession has unique demands and conditions, thus, we must guarantee that they are given equal attention and protection.