Filipino seafarer numbers jump despite problems

The number of Filipino seafarers sailing on foreign ships has jumped to 400,000 in 2011 despite the global economic slowdown and the Eurozone crisis, a report in that country says. This figure represents a 15% jump from numbers earlier projected by the POEA- the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration- that had said that 347,000 Filipinos would be working abroad at sea this year.  Similar growth figures for last year were around 5%.

The POEA credits its seamen, the private sector and the government for the improved numbers. POEA Administrator Carlos Cao, Jr. said that Filipino seamen had an excellent reputation and that the government had done its best to rectify deficiencies detected by the EMSA- European Commission on Maritime Safety Agency- in the country’s maritime training and education. "The government and other maritime industry stakeholders have shown their unity in correcting the problems and that the Philippines submission of the measures to correct the deficiency to the EMSA, well before June deadline, gave the country much credibility in the international seafaring community", he said.

It may be recalled that, after the EMSA audit findings, the Philippines had shut down the country's oldest and biggest maritime college amidst a crackdown on institutes in the country. The move had resulted in protests from the college and students alike.  Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz has said recently that the government was committed to making sure that all maritime educational institutions in the country fully met STCW Manila requirements.  

The country produces 280,000 graduates every year and 229,000 Filipinos are said to be serving on ships at any given time; it is unclear whether this figure includes the many who work on cruise ships in the hospitality sector.

 

Eduardo U. Manese, Joint Manning Group (JMG) Chairman said that the new numbers indicated that Filipino seamen would send home about US$ 4 billion next year. JMG represents overseas crew management in the Philippines and works with DOLE to promote the country's seafarers abroad.

‘Magna Carta’ for Filipino seafarers

Recent statistics confirming a significant increase in overseas remittances from Filipino mariners have rejuvenated calls in that country for greater concern about their welfare. The Philippine Senate and the House of Representatives is believed to be pushing through a bill dubbed ‘The Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers’ through the country’s legislative process.


Senator Loren Legarda, who filed the bill in the Philippines’ Senate, said, "Seafarers make up a significant 25.83 percent of the country's migrant work force yet most of the policies and programs catering to the needs of migrant workers are designed for the conditions and situation of land-based workers. We need to establish the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, which would address the specific needs of our seafarers. We welcome any move that would support such efforts, and I encourage my fellow legislators in the two Houses of Congress to push for the immediate passage of the measures filed for the benefit of our sea-based workers”.

Filipino sea-based workers remitted a total of US$ 4,339,407,000 for the first three months of 2010. On a Year-on-Year basis, there is an 11.31 percent increase in remittances from sea-based overseas Filipino workers between January to August this year; these remittances are growing twice as fast as those from land-based workers.

Under the bill, seafarers will be guaranteed their right to humane working conditions and just compensation. Manning and crewing agencies will be required to provide, by law, adequate information about on-board conditions as well as local and international laws that apply to the Filipino seafarer. Senator Legarda says that “their (sea-based workers’) contribution to the country is worthy of recognition and it is a must that the State protect and uphold the rights of the Filipino seafarers and address their specific needs”. The bill provides for access to affordable and quality education to ensure that Filipinos maintain an edge over others; it also seeks to ensure ‘retraining or reintegration’ of the seafarer after his sea-service. The bill also establishes added services for the families of maritime workers.

"The Filipino seafarers are one of our country's important human resources. They should be given attention and protection for their continued growth and development which will translate to the improvement of our country's socio economic conditions," Legarda said. The bill also addresses issues of illegal recruitment and bars government employees of maritime organisations or their relatives from the mariner recruitment business. It seeks to lay down conditions of employment of seafarers in detail, including social welfare and benefits, besides detailing mechanisms for settlement of disputes.

Senator Angara, who authored the ‘Magna Carta’, feels that a comprehensive and definitive legislation to address mariner issues is long overdue. “To maximise the potential of this industry, we must prioritise the development and training of our seafarers," said Angara. "We must push for the development and implementation of a strong, consistent legislative agenda for Filipino seafarers. We need to create a new system to recognise and advance their issues and concerns, through reforms in our maritime industry."

The Filipino political system is clearly light years ahead of its Indian counterpart when it comes to seafarer issues. Although critics in that country say that the ‘Magna Carta of Filipino seafarers’ has been in the pipeline for far too long, the fact is that the initiative now being pushed recognises the seafaring industry as different, critical and one that requires to be uniquely addressed. If their legislative process passes this bill, it will be a victory for thousands of Filipino seafarers and will boost the profile, in that country, of a career at sea.
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