President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. has certified a proposed measure crafting a Magna Carta for seafarers as urgent to address shortcomings in the education and certification of Filipino mariners.
Marcos emphasized the need for the swift passage of Senate Bill 2221 titled “An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers”, saying that the measure seeks to address “recurring deficiencies in the domestic laws” on the training and accreditation of Filipino seafarers that jeopardize their opportunities for employment in the European market as well as the broader international maritime industry.
Since 2006, the European Union has flagged the Philippines’ compliance with international standards for maritime workers, which came to a head in 2021 when the European Commission warned that it would withdraw its recognition of Filipino seafarers’ certificates unless Philippine authorities took serious measures.
The European Commission in March decided to continue recognizing certificates for seafarers issued by the Philippines after the government vowed to improve its maritime programs.
With Filipino mariners comprising more than 25 percent of the 1.5 million sea-based workers worldwide, the most in any country, it is imperative that their own government do more to protect and advance their interests.
Migrants workers’ coalition Migrante International has expressed its opposition to the “watered down version” of the seafarers’ Magna Carta in the lower chamber. It warned that the proposed legislation would delay the release of monetary awards to seafarers who win a labor case, placing mariners at a disadvantage compared to other workers from other industries.
It also criticized the bill for excluding fisherfolk from the protections that apply to seafarers, arguing that fisherfolk are already entitled to the same rights as seafarers under the guidelines of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration. The group stressed that fisherfolk have faced significant exploitation and abuse.
It is inconceivable that despite being the most numerous in the planet, the situation is such that Filipino seafarers are still facing difficulty with international certifications due to deficiencies in training and accreditation, along with still being at a disadvantage compared to workers from other industries or nationalities. Hopefully the passage of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers will rectify this decade-old situation and make the future brighter for the millions of seafarers and their families who are dependent on their means of livelihood.*
