Gov’t urged to make Filipinos the ‘seafarers of choice’

Gov’t urged to make Filipinos the ‘seafarers of choice’
Charissa Luci-Atienza May 1, 2019 https://news.mb.com.ph/2019/05/01/govt-urged-to-make-filipinos-the-seafa...

The chairman of the House Committee on Migrant Workers’ Affairs has urged the Philippine government to continue producing more global maritime professionals by closely keeping an eye on the country’s maritime education, training, examination, and assessment system.

ANGKLA partylist Rep. Jesulito Manalo cited the need for the government to create more maritime officers, citing its socio-economic benefits for the country.

“When you look at seafarers, close to 480,000 seafarers, only about 50,000 are officers [with] per capita income of 15,000 dollars income annually. If we double our officers to 100,000, meaning yung $6 billion [remittance] magiging $10 billion so we need to create more officers,” he said.

He was referring to the $6.14 billion wired home by Filipino sailors in 2018, marking a 4.5 percent increase from $5.87 billion in 2017.

Manalo, whose father is a ship captain and the first harbor pilot in the Middle East, noted that a seafarer officer has income level ranging from $6,000 to $12,000.

“Low volume, high return, we create more officers, higher income, higher quality. That’s the thrust, that is how we should be. We should be a country of maritime officers, only the best and brightest that can actually compete,” he said.

“It is not job that is for all. The job for the sea is not for all. My father is a captain, I understand what this means. He rose from the ranks, he is a third mate, second mate, chief mate and captain and eventually the first harbor pilot in the Middle East,” he cited.

Manalo urged the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) to ensure that the country is fully compliant with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) to make Filipino sailors “the seafarer of choice.”

“We should strive for more officers. More career. Kaya ang tawag ko when ANGKLA was launched, I called our seafarers the global maritime professionals, so may dignity ka pag Filipino seafarer ka, global maritime professionals, the seafarer of choice. That is what ANGKLA has been pushing,” he said.

MARINA earlier said the Philippines remains in the “White List” of nations deemed fully compliant with the STCW. It assured that the country would continuously land on the “White List” of the International Maritime Organization (IMO)–which means that all IMO member-countries should accept as valid the certificates possessed by Filipino sailors and issued by Philippine authorities.