Senate, House OK bills seeking to secure jobs of Pinoy seafarers

(Updated 12:45 p.m., Feb. 11) Both houses of Congress on Monday approved bills seeking to avert the possible blacklisting of some 80,000 Filipino seafarers from vessels from the European Union (EU).

In the Senate, 21 senators voted to approve Senate Bill (S.B.) 2043, which designates the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as the sole agency in charge of training and issuing certificates to over 400,000 Filipino seafarers.

In a statement, Senate President Franklin Drilon, principal author of the measure, said the bill will make the Philippines compliant with the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers, or the STCW Convention, which was amended in 2010.

“With the passage of the bill, we can now say that our country is taking broad efforts to maintain our compliance with the STCW Convention, thus averting any need for the EU to proceed with their ban on our workers,” Drilon said.

The House of Representatives, meanwhile, approved a counterpart bill, House Bill 3766, on the same day.

“This [bill] is of global import, as it re-affirms the commitment of the Philippines, to the International Maritime Organization (IMO), a United Nations specialized agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping, effectively serving as the overall governing body for world maritime affairs.” said Rep. Jesulito Manalo of ANGKLA, the party-list group that represents Filipino seafarers in Congres.

The STCW Convention requires member-governments to designate a “maritime administration” which will be in charge of ensuring that certification and training requirements are met by its seafarers.

Under S.B. 2043, the MARINA is designated as “the single and central maritime administration for all purposes relating to our compliance with the STCW Convention.”

At present, training and certification of Filipino seafarers are handled by different government agencies, including the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Department of Health (DOH), and National Telecommunications Commission (NTC).

Drilon, an administration ally, added that he expects President Benigno Aquino III to sign the MARINA bill into law before the end of the month. — Andreo Calonzo/KBK, GMA News

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