On Seafarers’ Day
today, June 25, a full-page advertisement came out in several Philippine
broadsheets extolling Filipino seamen for their US$5.6 billion remittances in
2014 and for being a “pillar of financial stability for the country.” The
ad also commended “our Filipino seafarers whose efficiency, resilience and
competency continually make them the seafarer of choice worldwide. Indeed they
are the our country’s source of pride...”
Nice words, but
they’re just words at the end of the day, especially with the thousands of jobs
of Filipino seafarers aboard European-flagged vessels in danger of being lost
because of training certification issues raised by the maritime authorities of
the European Union.
What Filipino
seafarers and the cadets who would follow their footsteps really need is for
the government to crack the whip hard on substandard maritime schools that have
sprouted like mushrooms all over the country. A number of these diploma mills
had already been shut down but still many others remain in operation, along
with test and certification centers that issue certificates even to
underperforming cadets in exchange for hefty bribes.
Likewise, the government should join
forces with the private sector in providing more training vessels for cadets to
get much-needed on-board training that would provide them with the experience
and skills necessary to be considered for employment by shipping companies.
Lastly, manning agencies should
really take care of the seafarers they deploy even without the threat of being
charged with violations over the non-compliance of their principals to the
contracts signed by our seafarers. Yes, Filipino seafarers are very much in
demand for their dedication and resiliency. That they are sought after by
ship owners is despite the fact that many get a raw deal from the training
afforded them by local maritime schools.
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Image by Wiki
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