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MANILA – The mandatory shipboard training under the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers is not a new requirement and will be institutionalized to ensure full compliance by Maritime Higher Education Institutions (MHEIs), a House leader said on Friday.
House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs chairperson Ron Salo said the existing requirement is aligned with the findings of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), which emphasizes the need for comprehensive reforms in Philippine maritime education.
In response to the concerns raised by the Philippine Association of Maritime Institutions (PAMI), Salo said the shipboard training provision of the bill does not seek to undermine the interests of MHEIs, but would give them the flexibility to ensure that they have various avenues to fulfill the training requirements.
The proposal would encourage collaboration by providing multiple compliance mechanisms such as having their own training ships, utilizing simulators or similar technologies, or entering into agreements with reputable shipping entities, he noted.
"It is imperative to address the existing gap where a considerable number of maritime degree graduates lack essential shipboard training necessary for them to work as seafarers in international ships, as mandated by the International Maritime Organization," he said.
He cited data from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) showing that despite the existence of this requirement, only around 36 percent of maritime students successfully secure shipboard training.
"This stark reality necessitates stronger resolve to ensure that our maritime students are not left to find their own source of shipboard training, or worse, be left hanging with a theoretical maritime education that would not allow them to pursue their dreams of working in international vessels," he said.
He also thumbed down the proposal offered by PAMI of removing the training requirement and making the four-year curriculum of maritime education into purely academics or theoretical discussions.
He cited that 64 percent of the country's maritime students are unable to become "full-fledged seafarers" because the MHEIs are unable to provide cadetship programs despite being an existing requirement.
"The provision was crafted with the best interests of students and their families in mind. Completion of academic requirements should not leave students stranded when it comes to shipboard training. The Magna Carta envisions a scenario where students, upon finishing their theoretical coursework, have clear pathways to fulfill the necessary shipboard training," he said.
President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. has certified as urgent the enactment of the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which will specify the rights and ensure the welfare of Filipino seafarers, including the reintegration program, grievance system, and social welfare benefits.
President Marcos said the bill guarantees to the international community that the Philippines will comply with its obligations of ensuring that Filipino seafarers’ training, facilities, and equipment are at par with the international standards and those set by relevant international conventions.
The bill has been ratified by both Houses of Congress. (PNA)
