Marcos signs Magna Carta for Seafarers into law
President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr. on Monday signed into law the Magna Carta for Seafarers, which would help improve the country’s compliance with the Standards for Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).
The bill was to be signed in February but was postponed as other groups called for its review.
According to Marcos, the law will “strengthen our legal framework to ensure that Filipino seafarers receive adequate training, secure contracts, just wages, and fair benefits.”
“By creating a more robust certification process, we ensure that our seafarers are not just compliant but exceptional and equipped to meet the demands of an evolving maritime industry,” Marcos said in a speech.
“Clear protocols for grievances and disputes are also enforced to help resolve issues and concerns of our seafarers,” he added.
Back in December 2022, Marcos met with European shipowners and maritime at a summit in Brussels where he said the government was trying to address certification issues of Filipino sailors so they would comply with the STCW convention.
During the summit, he also ordered the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) to create an advisory board composed of shipowners, employers, government agencies, and other stakeholders in the maritime industry in Europe to address concerns of Filipino seafarers.
The country is one of the top suppliers of sailors. In its 2023 preliminary report, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) reported it has deployed 578,626 seafarers abroad.
Marcos said the government is also establishing mechanisms to protect seafarers from unfair labor practices.
Around 50,000 Filipino seafarers were about to be banned from European vessels after a European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) assessment in 2021 found that the Philippines did not comply with STCW rules.
In April 2023, the EMSA decided that it will keep recognizing the STCW certificates released by Philippine-based training centers after Marcos made moves to address problems in seafarer training systems.
“By prohibiting the imposition of recruitment, placement, visa or other related fees, we hope to alleviate some of the financial struggles that our seafarers have to go through even before they board a vessel to set sail in international waters,” he said.
Marcos also said the law takes into account the issues in modern seafaring including digitalization and automation.
In an ambush interview, Marina Director for Planning and Policy Service/ Public Affairs and Digital Media Office Luisito Delos Santos said the Magna Carta for Seafarers law has been long overdue.
Delos Santos admitted that they may face challenges in implementing the new law.
“There are many challenges, but we will work to be able to overcome them,” he said. Jaspearl Tan/DMS
