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THREATENED by the efforts of other countries to develop
their export of seamen, the Maritime Industry Authority
(Marina) announced an integrated manpower-development
plan aimed at strengthening the country’s position as
one of the top sources of seafarers in the world.
“This
plan will integrate all efforts and programs for the
development of the maritime industry and profession. It
will provide a blueprint for the development program for
the maritime industry and link all players and their
commitments to the development of the sector,” said
Marina administrator Vicente T. Suazo Jr.
He
included the report in his speech at Friday’s graduation
rites at the Midway Maritime Foundation in
Cabanatuan
City,
where he also indicated the plan is also meant to
buttress
Marina’s
capability to take on more responsibility in the
deployment of seafarers.
Marina
is the country’s shipping regulator, but it has a very
minimal role on seafarers, and is only limited to the
issuance of the seafarers’ identification record book.
“It is
proposed that this plan be implemented by the agency
tasked with the development of the maritime industry—the
Maritime Industry Authority—the recognized maritime
administration,” said Suazo.
For
starters, the agency has embarked on a competency-based
development program for marine deck officers via
distance learning, which will provide an alternative
mode of delivery of the management-level course (MLC)
for working officers.
“The
development of this program, with the assistance of the
Norwegian government, will enable seafarers to comply
with the MLC requirement at a pace and in a place they
can determine as suitable and acceptable to them,” he
said.
The
Professional Regulation Commission is tasked to
implement MLC with its licensing duties.
With the
move,
Marina is seen as having started efforts to wrest control some of
the powers of some agencies of the Department of Labor
and Employment.
Undersecretary Maria Elena Bautista of the Department of
Transportation and Communications earlier proposed to
abolish the Maritime Training Council (MTC), an agency
that mainly accredits training centers, and transfer its
powers to various agencies, but mainly to
Marina.
“Since
the MTC has ad hoc in nature for the past 24 years and
with the issuance of EO 366 [on rationalization of
government agencies’ functions], we are rationalizing
the functions that are inherent to the existing
agencies,” said Bautista.
Suazo
had pointed out that when a sea mishap occurs and
involves Filipino seafarers, they are the first ones
informed by the shipowners or the foreign ship
authority, and not the Labor department.
Both
MTC and Marina accredit training centers, but the former
has a much bigger role as it takes care of the courses
meant for oceangoing vessels, which include the programs
offered for the management-level course.
Marina,
along with the Office of Transportation Security, takes
care of accrediting training centers for the
International Ship and Port Facility Security Code. |
