The European Commission is now undertaking a six-month formal process of assessment to determine whether to extend or terminate the recognition of the Philippines’ education, training, and certification system for Filipino seafarers sailing under the flags of European Union (EU) member states.
This came after the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) furnished the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) a copy of its report of the inspection conducted in March 2020.
The report was based on EMSA’s final audit to determine the competence of maritime higher education and institutions (MHEIs) in the Philippines and its compliance with the standards of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention and the International Convention on the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW).
Following the March 2020 inspection, EU Delegation Ambassador Luc Véron said EMSA prepared a draft report where Philippine authorities were allowed to communicate their respective factual observations in January 2021. EMSA then conveyed the final report to the European Commission, MARINA, and CHED on March 1, 2021.
Véron said the six-month assessment would be concluded by an EU decision on extending or terminating the recognition in consultation with the EU Member States.
As EU’s executive body, the European Commission is tasked to regularly assess the compliance of the Philippines vis-à-vis the relevant international standards while it relies on the technical assistance of the EMSA to carry out site inspections.
Should the Commission opt to adopt a negative decision, Véron said a note will be sent to Philippine authorities informing them about the withdrawal of the recognition of their certificates. However, the Philippines will still have a two-month window to present compliance with the STCW requirements. It is only then when the Commission would make a final assessment of evidence demonstrating the measures taken.
More than 30,000 Filipino ship officers bearing certificates of recognition from European shipowners stand to lose their job should the Philippines fail to pass the EMSA assessment.
Véron recalled that the EU initially recognized the Philippines’ education, training, and certification system for seafarers in 2002, allowing EU member states to hire Filipino seafarers under their flags.
“EMSA report is factual and does not contain recommendations. Now is the time for analyses between EMSA and European Commission experts to conclude with an assessment report and the final decision. Any possible judgments and recommendations are to be presented in the assessment report prepared by the Commission after having received the EMSA inspection final report,” Véron explained.
In last year’s inspection, a team from EMSA evaluated three assessment centers and nine maritime schools in Manila, Zambales, Cebu, Tagbilaran, and Iloilo. These areas were chosen as a “representative sample” of about 100 maritime schools throughout the Philippines.
When asked whether a recommendation has been made to close down schools that are not compliant with international seafaring standards, Véron said the oversight of the maritime schools was the sole prerogative of the Philippines “in compliance with its international obligations”.
While the European Commission-led reassessment procedure should normally last for not more than 36 months, the case of the Philippines has not yet been finalized after 15 years and eight EMSA on-site inspections in 2006, 2010, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2017, and the latest in March 2020.
On Tuesday, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. accused MARINA of "dropping the ball" on the issue of closing down incompetent maritime schools in the Philippines for the last 16 years.
Locsin said the EU brought the maritime education and training institution competency issue to his attention a week after he assumed as secretary of foreign affairs and passed it on to MARINA.
“EU also alerted me in my first week in office to focus on fixing the accreditation of Filipino mariners by the EU-and guided me on how to keep their accreditation by closing incompetent maritime schools. I passed the ball to Marina who dropped the ball. Been dropping it for 16 years,” Locsin said.