Philippines hosts MRET summit 2025 to future-proof Filipino seafarers

Philippines hosts MRET summit 2025 to future-proof Filipino seafarers
Liz Lagniton October 2, 2025 https://maritimefairtrade.org/philippines-hosts-mret-summit-2025-to-futu...

Amid a rapidly evolving global maritime landscape, the Philippines’ National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) successfully convened the Maritime Research, Education, and Training (MRET) Summit 2025, on September 25 to 26, at the Manila Hotel.

Held during National Maritime Week and the Maritime and Archipelagic Nation Awareness Month, the summit brought together maritime leaders, shipowners, crewing agencies, training institutions, government officials, and international organizations under the theme “Securing Maritime Excellence: Future-Proofing the Filipino Seafarers”.

The summit served as a strategic platform to address the most pressing issues confronting the maritime industry — from digitalization, decarbonization, and growing skills shortage, to mental health and welfare concerns of Filipino seafarers.

Also highlighted was the importance of protecting and supporting seafarers’ mental health, in line with the provisions of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.

With the Philippines supplying over 25 percent of the world’s seafarers, the need for holistic and forward-looking responses has never been more critical.

“This is a venue that we talk about the feature of our seafarers, bringing all the maritime stakeholders together so that we can discuss issues that is concerning our seafarers,” said Mayla Macadawan, deputy executive director of NMP.

The event opened with a compelling message from NMP’s executive director Victor A Del Rosario, who emphasized the summit’s role in aligning the entire maritime sector to tackle systemic and emerging challenges.

The summit also featured presentations from local and international experts. A key highlight was the rapid assessment report presented by Elena Santos, chief of NMP’s Research Division. The study provided data-driven insights on current challenges facing Filipino seafarers, serving as a foundation for discussions.

Other speakers tackled a range of topics including:

Technological advancements and their implications for maritime training
Gender disparity and inclusion in shipboard roles
Seafarer reintegration programs
Welfare and mental health issues
Implementation strategies for the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers

Strengthening global maritime ties

The summit was also attended by the Norwegian ambassador to the Philippines, Christian Halaas Lyster, who was the guest of honor. Norway and the Philippines have long-standing maritime relations, with many Norwegian-owned ships manned by Filipino seafarers.

In his keynote speech, the ambassador emphasized the indispensable role of maritime workers in the global economy and praised the professionalism and resilience of Filipino seafarers. His participation signaled continued international support for Philippine maritime development.

From dialogue to action

The second day of the summit transitioned from presentations to intensive workshops. Stakeholders worked in groups to craft actionable strategies based on the insights and data shared the previous day.

According to organizers, these workshops culminated in a consolidated document that captured proposed policies, training innovations, and cross-sectoral partnerships. This document will be distributed to participating agencies and submitted to relevant government and industry bodies for formal adoption.

To demonstrate unity and shared commitment, summit participants capped the event with a pledge of support for collaborative actions that aim to sustain the Philippines’ reputation as the world’s top source of competent seafarers.

In a separate interview with Maritime Fairtrade, Del Rosario discussed the vision behind the summit and its anticipated next steps.

“We gather maritime industry leaders, policy makers, and Filipino seafarers to identify issues and collectively come up with possible solutions and interventions,” he said. “We’ve drafted an indicative plan, but that’s only the beginning. We will conduct consultations with stakeholders from both the government and labor sectors to finalize a tangible, actionable framework.”

Mental health and welfare at forefront

Del Rosario also revealed NMP’s recent efforts in seafarer welfare, particularly in addressing mental health challenges.

“We conducted studies on mental health and translated them into a training program. We’ve started integrating a Mental Health Awareness Module into our basic training curriculum at NMP,” he said.

“We hope to share this module with maritime higher education institutions (MHEIs), and we hope MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) adopts it as a national standard.”

A major pillar of the summit’s discourse was the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, a landmark legislation signed earlier this year aimed at ensuring the welfare, protection, and development of the country’s maritime workers.

“This is the directive of our President Bongbong Marcos — the full implementation of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers,” Del Rosario emphasized. “It’s not just the government that must act on this. The participation of the private sector is also crucial to ensure its full enforcement.”

The Magna Carta enshrines seafarers’ rights to decent work, protection from exploitation and harassment, access to mental health services, reintegration support, and equal opportunities, particularly for women and marginalized groups in the maritime industry.

Advancing gender equality

While the maritime sector remains predominantly male, NMP is actively working to address this imbalance.

“We encourage Filipino women to engage in this profession by giving them opportunities,” Del Rosario said. “We offer training, scholarships, and support to women who aspire to be seafarers.”

This commitment aligns with international efforts to promote gender inclusivity in the maritime workforce, especially in leadership and shipboard positions.

Philippines is the largest supplier of maritime labor globally, with over 500,000 Filipino seafarers deployed annually. The maritime sector contributes significantly to the national economy, with billions in remittances each year.

As the industry faces global shifts such as automation, decarbonization mandates, and digital transformation, initiatives like the MRET Summit are crucial in keeping the Filipino maritime workforce resilient and globally competitive.