Mr. President, ten (10) years after the Maritime Labor Convention 2006 entered into force on August 20, 2013 with the Philippines as the 30th member state to ratify the same, we still fail to pass an enabling law to protect the rights and welfare of our seafarers.
This representation filed the bill on Magna Carta of Filipino seafarers way back in the 16th Congress and was then the chairperson of the Committee on Labor, we conducted hearings on the measures and reported them out for plenary debates. Unfortunately, its timely passage was overtaken by events, and so we are here once more to push for the enactment of the same.
Noong 16th Congress, ako po ang unang naghain ng panukalang batas na ito. Ngayong 19th Congress ay ako pong muli ang unang naghain nito bilang Senate Bill No. 46 at kasama po ito sa top ten (10) priority bills ng inyong lingkod.
With this representation’s unwavering commitment to the passage of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, it will be an honor to be a co-sponsor of Senate Bill No. 2221 under Committee Report No. 69 reported out by the Committee on Migrant Workers under the able leadership of its chairperson, Senator Raffy T. Tulfo.
According to the estimates of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), “about 30% to 40% of seafarers and cruise personnel in ships are Filipinos.”[1] in fact, the Philippines is reconized by the European Commission as “one of the world’s largest maritime labor supply countries.”[2]
This is confirmed by the Seafarers Workforce Report of the International Chamber of Shipping (ICS) and the Baltic and International Maritime Council (BIMCO) for the year 2021 which revealed that the Philippines “provided the largest number of seafarers for the world’s merchant fleet, despite the ongoing global Covid-19 pandemic, having 252,392 Filipino seafarers working onboard ships, out of a total 1,892,120 seafarer workforce.”.[3]
In the year 2022, the Philippines maintained its stature as the largest maritime labor supplier in the world when it deployed 345,000 seafarers during the said year, who contributed around 6.7 billion us dollars or around 341 billion pesos in remittances.[4]
Ang malaking bilang ng mga Pilipinong marino ay patunay na kailangan talaga nating isabatas ang Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers sa lalong madaling panahon upang siguruhin ang proteksiyon ng kanilang karapatan at kapakanan.
Hindi kaila sa atin ang mga isyu na kinakakaharap ng ating mga marino. Nitong mga nakaraang taon ay nanganib ang humigit-kumulang na limampung libong Pilipinong marino na nagtatrabaho sa European Union-flagged ships dahil sa findings ng European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) ng European Commission (EC) na hindi nagagampanan ng ating mga awtoridad ang requirements sa ilalim ng international convention on standards of training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers (STCW).
Fortunately, this year, the European Commission announced its decision to “continue recognizing the safety certificatons issued by the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA).”[5]
Sa pamamagitan ng panukalang batas na ito, inaasahan nating maiiwasan ang ganitong mga problema, at sa halip ay lalo pang maiangat ang kalidad ng serbisyo ng ating mga marino na siyang batayan ng respeto, paghanga para sa kanila at pati na rin ng mataas na demand para sa kanila sa international maritime industry.
Among others, the One-Stop-Shop Center for Seafarers (OSSCS) that will be established in major crew-change ports will be very helpful to our seafarers for the convenient and speedy processing of their documentary requirements. This will allow them to spend more time with their families and friends during their vacation from work, and find respite in their care, comfort, and company, before returning to work.
The proposed measure also ensures the clear and coordinated fulfillment of mandates of the concerned government agencies. This will improve the services given by the government to our seafarers and facilitate the proper implementation of this law.
In the 16th congress, the Committee on Labor shepherded the enactment of Republic Act No. 10706, otherwise known as the “Seafarers Protection Act” which prohibited ambulance chasing and imposed penalties to the violators. Ang batas na ito ay isang mahalagang instrumento upang bigyan ng proteksiyon ang ating mga kababayang marino. Inaasahan natin na maipapasa din ng Kongreso ngayon ang mas komprehensibong panukalang batas para sa kanilang kapakanan.
Mr. President, the passage of the Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers is long overdue. Once enacted into law, it will be another landmark legislation that will benefit our kababayans – the seafarers and their families – and our economy as a whole. Ang inyong lingkod ay masugid na nagbibigay ng suporta para sa pagsasabatas nito.
Maraming Salamat po.
[1] Powerpoint presentation of the Department of Migrant Workers in the Organizational Meeting and Briefing of the Committee on Migrant Workers on August 31, 2022
[2] Crisis averted: 50,000 Philippine seafarers keep jobs | Philstar.com
[3] Position paper of the Associated Marine Officers’ and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP – PTGWO – ITF) dated September 15, 2022
[4] Crisis averted: 50,000 Philippine seafarers keep jobs | Philstar.com
[5] Crisis averted: 50,000 Philippine seafarers keep jobs | Philstar.com