SONA 2015 and Filipino seafarers

  

President Benigno S. Aquino III used his last State of the Nation Address (SONA) on Monday (July 27) to outline the priority legislation he wants Congress to pass until the end of his term, blame much of his problems on the legacy of his predecessor, and thank his Cabinet for their good work in helping him fulfill the promises of Daang Matuwid the past five years.

As expected, the president discussed the mistakes of the past administration and the achievements of his. He also tackled his administration’s anti-corruption reforms and the economic gains of his 'Daang Matuwid' platform.

Aquino also boasted that his administration's creation of jobs had cushioned the impact of the declining number of overseas Filipino workers, which had gone down from 9.51 million to 9.07 million in December 2014. He said it was likely that the 400,000 former OFWs "returned to the country and found jobs."

And he made reference (for the first time perhaps since the 2010 SONA?)   to the seafaring industry in the following manner: 

Tagalog version: 

"Sa seafaring: 2006 pa lang po, kinuwestiyon na ng European Maritime Safety Agency o EMSA ang ating pagsunod sa Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. Dahil dito, nagkaroon ng bantang hindi kilalanin ng EU ang ating maritime education certificates. Kung hindi tayo umaksiyon, may potensiyal na mawalan ng trabaho ang tinatayang 80,000 marinong Pilipinong naglalayag sa mga barkong Europeo.  Agad na kumilos ang MARINA at DOTC para iayon ito sa mga pandaigdigang pamantayan. Hanggang ngayon, kinikilala pa rin ng EU ang ating mga sertipikasyon. Sa susunod na audit ng EMSA na magsisimula ngayong Oktubre, ang garantiya ng MARINA sa atin: Tiyak, papasa na po tayo."

English translation:

"In seafaring: in 2006, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) was already questioning our compliance to the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention . Because of this, there was a threat that the EU would no longer recognize our maritime education certificates. If we did not act, there would have been the chance that an estimated 80,000 Filipino seafarers working on European boats would be out of jobs. MARINA and the DOTC went to work quickly in order to match our maritime education certificates to global standards. To this day, the EU continues to recognize our certifications. Come EMSA’s next audit, which will begin in October, MARINA guarantees: We will definitely pass." [Applause]

      The EMSA audit of the Philippines’ compliance to the 1978 International Convention on STCW dates back in 2006. The result of the EMSA audit will be the basis of the European Commission in deciding whether or not to continue recognition of Filipino seafarers’ STCW certificates. 

     What is at stake at the EMSA audit findings is the Filipinos’ opportunities to work for European shipping lines. Based on government records, at least 80,000 Filipino seafarers are currently working under European Union-flagged vessels, aside from some 14,000 Filipino officers.A non-favorable EMSA audit could put at least 100,000 Filipino seafarers out of work and could likewise leave European ships with serious crew shortage.

         MARINA is now  designated as the single maritime administrative agency empowered to enforce the STCW Convention and to carry out an effective regulatory framework conducive to the efficiency, transparency, and competitiveness of the Philippine seafaring industry.    Such functions had been previously exercised by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC), Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), National Telecommunications Commission (NTC), and the Department of Health (DOH).

      MARINA has released early this year a list that identified schools with recognized merchant marine programs in a bid to guide students on where to enroll to obtain quality education.Only 23 out of 90 schools across the country were accredited for their Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering program for school year 2015-2016 as well as 23 out of 90 schools nationwide for their Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation program.

         The Philippines is considered as the major supplier of maritime labor globally as there is an estimated one Filipino seafarer for every four complements  on board a vessel.  Recent  Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) data showed that there are 367,166  Filipino seafarers with POEA approved contract deployed in 2013. In 2014, the deployed seafarers  brought in US$5,575,722,000 as dollar remittances. The seabased sector’s remittance comprise at least 22% of the total dollar remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs). Remittances help spur domestic consumption in the Philippines and a key ingredient in the country’s drive to achieve higher but sustainable growth.

Given the vast Philippine coast line (twice the size of the United States and nearly three times more than China ), Filipinos have natural maritime instincts that place them at an advantage over other nationalities. Foreign shipowners are known to prefer Filipino seafarers for equally important qualities: dedication and discipline, industry, flexibility, loyalty, English language fluency, adaptability, positive work attitude, law-abiding, and problem-solving capability.

Ironically, the Philippines almost lost its slot on the historical first thirty ratifying countries of the Maritime Labour Convention of 2006 (MLC2006).  It took the Philippines six years to ratify MLC2006 on August 13, 2012 after it became a signatory of the so called international magna carta for seafarers rights. The convention sets out minimum standards and fair working conditions for seafarers worldwide. Philippines is the thirtieth (30^th) country to ratify MLC 2006 out of the 314 signatories and one of the first thirty ratifying countries required for the convention to take effect.