Filipino seafarers still prone to exploitation, CBCP laments

MANILA, Philippines - Despite government claims to help them, Filipino seafarers remain prone to exploitation both abroad and at home, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines lamented Sunday.

CBCP Episcopal Commission on Migrant and Itinerant People executive secretary Fr. Edwin Corros said poverty forces 1.077 million Filipinos to work as seafarers every year.

"One would not leave the comfort of his home to work abroad if there are jobs with decent wages in the country," Corros said in an interview on Church-run Radio Veritas.

"Ill-prepared cadets are prone to exploitation and shady arrangements," veteran seafarer Capt. Remigio Zamora added.

Corros said the Catholic Church is aware of the problems faced by migrants.

He lamented reports new graduates have enrolled in seminars and skills upgrading which cost thousands of pesos only to end up spending borrowed money to pay their way to employment.

He called on the Catholic faithful to join this year's 13th National Seafarers Day at the Quirino Grandstand, Luneta on Sunday, Sept. 28.

Excerpts of the interview were posted on the CBCP website Sunday.

But Zamora said his Norwegian partners remain optimistic Filipino nautical and marine engineering graduates would still man their ships, mostly inter-ocean chemical tankers.

"They have launched scholarship programs to get the best among high school seniors for college education at Daniel B. Lacson Maritime College in Bacolod City where college students have no other obligation but to study well," Zamora said.

He added they extend allowances and stipends during their academic and apprenticeship along with cash incentives should they excel during their formal training.

But Zamora said of the many applicants who see him at his office very few are taken in. "Of almost a hundred applicants, you'd be lucky to find one or two good applicants," he added.

"Exploitation is not only happening abroad because it also happens in the Philippines," Zamora added.

Captain Michael Cuanzon, a former consultant of CHED and PRC on maritime education, and a seafarer since 1949, said today's maritime schools could not provide facilities for apprenticeship.

He said maritime cadets have to pay just to be accommodated in the country's shipping companies such as Sulpicio Lines and SuperFerry.

Also, he said there are 9,000 graduates yearly from the country's maritime schools but not all can find jobs because of stiff competition.

Zamora and Cuanzon said Filipino seafarers ought to be aware of their rights so as not to be subjected to exploitation by unscrupulous employers.

Both attested Norwegians have been the best partners to Filipinos in inter-ocean tankers and cargo ships. - with Sophia Dedace, GMANews.TV

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