Palace dismisses calls to sack MARINA chief



Malacañang on Wednesday defended Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) head Maximo Mejia, who is being asked to resign due to alleged incompetence.

“That’s not true. We disagree with that," presidential spokesperson Edwin Lacierda said during a press conference.

He was reacting to the statement of the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) saying Mejia should resign or be replaced for his alleged failure to address the problems of the seafaring industry.

Lacierda, however, said MARINA has been instituting a lot of reforms lately. He did not elaborate.

In a March 20 statement, UFS president Ramon Ramirez said long lines, long processing times, and a sub-par replacement of an international standard foreshadows a “bleak future” for the shipping industry under Mejia's administration.

“The Filipino seafarers are disgusted... over the lack of foresight of MARINA to confront problems and provide solutions and worried that if such incompetence continues, we will end up with no jobs,” he said. — Kimberly Jane Tan/KBK, GMA News

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