|
A
NEWLY-created maritime office, subsumed under the labor
department, should undertake programs beneficial to
Filipino sailors, instead of simply being a coordinating
body among other government agencies.
During
the inauguration of the new Maritime Office Wednesday,
crewing agencies—companies which provide sailors to run
ships—suggested that seafarers’ documentation
requirements should be simplified and harmonized among
agencies.
Before
sailors can work in international vessels, they are
required to deal with 15 government agencies for his
documentation requirements. Among these agencies include
the Professional Regulations Commission (PRC) for their
licenses and the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration
(OWWA), the Philippine Overseas and Employment Agency (POEA),
and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) for the
seafarers’ identification record book.
Meanwhile, it has yet to be determined which agency will
issue the Seafarers’ ID, a new document that all sailors
should carry while onboard.
Although
officials admitted that the Department of Labor and
Employment (DOLE) needs to synchronize the requirements
for these documents, the new office should also resolve
issues between the
Marina,
which regulates the local shipping industry, and the
Department of Foreign Affairs, which has a special
branch for Filipino seafarers.
Eustacio
Nimrod P. Enriquez, which heads the new office placed
under the Office of the Secretary, said that the new
office intends to coordinate 14 agencies within the
labor department alone which deal with the sailors.
“That is
much easier to do because we are just one agency,” said
Enriquez, who is also a Lieutenant Commander of the
Philippine Coast Guard.
Among
those agencies under the labor department include
Maritime Training Council, National Maritime
Polytechnic, Professional Regulation Commission,
Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, Philippine
Overseas Employment Administration.
Enriquez
said that the new office will also work together with
the Commission on Higher Education to entice high-school
graduates to take up either a degree of maritime
transportation or maritime engineering in light of the
slowdown of enrollments in such courses.
“We must
glorify the seafaring profession,” he said.
Enriquez
also said that the agency will come up with a “final
list” of issues concerning seafarers, including its
encroachment on the responsibilities of other agencies.
Last
week, Marina administrator Vicente T. Suazo Jr. said
that he will seek clarification regarding the role of
the new office as it might encroach on
Marina’s
duties. |
