JOBS IN THE HIGH SEAS | Seafarers processing their employment documents gather at the Seafarer鈥檚 Shed on T.M. Kalaw Street in Ermita, Manila, on Monday, Dec. 12, 2022. (Photo by GRIG C. MONTEGRANDE / Philippine Daily Inquirer)
BRUSSELS 鈥� President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Sunday night said the government was doing everything it could for the Philippines to pass the European Maritime Safety Agency鈥檚 (Emsa) evaluation, which the country has failed since 2006, to avert possible job losses for some 50,000 Filipino seafarers deployed on European Union (EU)-flagged vessels.
Speaking to reporters onboard PR001 en route to Belgium, the President said he would raise the issue with EU leaders during his participation in a three-day summit here.
The President is here to attend the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-EU Commemorative Summit where he is expected to raise maritime cooperation in his meetings with officials.
Early this year, the EU flagged the Philippines for deficiencies in local seafarer training and education, warning the government of possible nondeployment of Filipino maritime workers for lack of Emsa-certified licenses.
鈥淵ou have to understand that the accreditation that we are trying to get is dependent upon us,鈥� he told reporters.
鈥淚t鈥檚 not something you can debate about. You comply. We鈥檒l have to comply so that we will be accredited. No, it鈥檚 not discretionary,鈥� he said.
Mr. Marcos assured Filipino seafarers that government agencies involved in the maritime industry in the country were 鈥渨orking very hard鈥� to comply with EU standards.
鈥淎nd this is our last chance, so we have to really get it done,鈥� he said.
鈥淭he whole industry is working to make it happen,鈥� he added, noting that the government would not want to put thousands of Filipino seafarers in a 鈥渂ad place.鈥�
Collective effort
Jerome Pampolina, assistant secretary for sea-based services at the Department of Migrant Workers, told a House hearing in October that this would be the final year for the Philippines to adopt corrective measures and comply with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers being implemented by Emsa.
鈥淚 think they鈥檝e changed their approach now to the accreditation. And I think we鈥檒l be all right,鈥� the President said.
Data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas showed that Filipino seafarers send home about $6 billion (P330 billion) every year.
Pampolina said 鈥渢his amount of remittances is also at risk should the country fail to meet the minimum global standards of maritime education, training and certification.鈥�
According to Foreign Undersecretary for Migrant Workers Affairs Eduardo Jose de Vega, one in every five foreign seafarers on EU-flagged ships is from the Philippines.
In his pre-departure speech on Sunday in Manila, President Marcos assured Filipinos that he would push for Philippine priorities during his meetings with EU leaders here, including maritime cooperation.
Last month, Marcos already ordered a collective effort involving several government agencies to ensure that the country鈥檚 training program and accreditation system for seafarers would finally hurdle EU standards, Migrant Workers Secretary Susan Ople said.
Increased deployment
According to Ople, tasked to come up with an 鈥渋mplementation plan鈥� were the departments of migrant workers, transportation, foreign affairs, and labor and employment, as well as the Commission on Higher Education.
On a positive note, Ople said the Philippines was 鈥渁lmost back to the prepandemic level of deployment of seafarers since the cruise ships have returned,鈥� referring to the increased hiring since border controls caused by the COVID-19 pandemic were relaxed.
As a consequence of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Ople said EU shipping companies have turned to Filipino seafarers to make up for the shortfall since Ukraine could not supply seafarers anymore.
Before Russia鈥檚 invasion in February this year, Ukraine was the world鈥檚 sixth biggest supplier of seafarers.
鈥淲ith Ukraine (seafarers) gone, EU shipping companies went looking and there鈥檚 a preference for Filipino seafarers,鈥� Ople said.
According to the 2021 maritime transport report of the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development, the Philippines was the top provider of seafarers globally, followed by Indonesia, China, and India.