Balanga Bishop Ruperto C. Santos expressed support for seafarers in the country as he offered prayers following the latest findings of the European Maritime Safety Agency on the training and certification of Filipino seafarers.

“The latest European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) report has pointed out that the training and certification in Philippines maritime education institutions fell short of the guidelines mandated by the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW),” said Santos who serves as the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines Bishop-Promoter for Stella Maris Philippines.

“The coming months are very crucial and important for our hardworking seafarers. At stake are not only their jobs, nor the remittances but our identity as our dominant roles in global maritime industry. They look up to us as credible, competent and committed maritime regulator and partners. But if we fail to faithfully and fully actualize the observations, findings and recommendations of the European Maritime Safety Agency, the European Commission may not recognize the country’s issuance of Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping,” the church leader said.

“We, at Stella Maris Philippines, stand and support the Department of Migrant Workers, the Department of Transportation, Department of Foreign Affairs, the Department of Labor and Employment, and the Commission on Higher Education to join hands to ensure that the Philippines will finally pass the standards for seafaring set by the European Union,” said Santos.

“The EMSA officials may take a final decision by the third quarter of 2023. Some issues have been raised since 2006 and they require an appropriate and efficient answer as the world looks up to Filipino seafarers as the seafarers of choice,” he said.

Santos said he is offering prayers and holy masses for the results to favor the country’s seafarers.

“We pray and offer our Holy Masses that the European Commission would decide favorably and recognize the Philippine-issued STCW certificate. May our Blessed Mother Mary whom we lovingly invoke as Star of the Seas take us under maternal protection and turn everything for the best, blessed and to our benefits,” the bishop said. (Christina Hermoso)