Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte (Facebook)

The European Commission's (EC) decision to extend its recognition of seafarers' certificates issued in the Philippines should prod the Senate to consider the passage of the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.

Thus, said Camarines Sur 2nd district Rep. LRay Villafuerte, who also noted the forecast of Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan Ople that they would be a surge in demand for Filipino mariners not only in the European Union (EU) but in other parts of the world.

The House of Representatives has already approved the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers--embodied in House Bill (HB) No.7325--on third and final reading. It is now up to the Senate to pass a counterpart measure for the magna carta to eventually become a law.

Villafuerte, a proponent of HB No.7325, said the bill seeks to provide “full protection” to Filipino sailors before, during and after their employment, especially in cases of maritime accidents, epidemics or pandemics, and natural or man-made crises.

It also aims to further sharpen the global competitiveness of sought-after Filipino mariners by levelling up the country’s maritime education, training, certification, and licensing system.

“Our country is recognized as the world’s largest source of seafarers, with an estimated 700,000 working foreign-flagged or locally-registered seagoing vessels. In 2019, it was recorded that there were 380,000 Filipino seafarers overseas,” said the veteran solon, who is the majority leader of the powerful Commission on Appointments (CA).

Ople has said that the EU decision is a "vote of confidence in the Philippines and in the quality of training, education and certification of our seafarers".

Villafuerte hailed Filipino seafarers for their contribution to the domestic economy through their remittances, which totalled $12.8 billion from 2019 to 2020.

“Unlike other OFWs (overseas Filipino workers), overseas-based Filipino seafarers face unique challenges attached to their movement from international waters to different ports of call in various countries. Thus, the laws protecting them can be vague and elusive, making them highly vulnerable to illegal recruitment and other forms of work-related abuses,” he said.

To ensure the full protection of our mariners, Villafuerte said HB No.7325 requires shipowners to forge standard employment contracts (SECs) with their hired Filipino sailors. It also mandates the prior review and approval by the DMW of such SECs to ensure that the contract stipulations adhere to all the seafarers’ rights.

The bill provides that the DMW secretary, or his or her duly authorized representative, shall have access to both foreign-registered ships and Philippine-registered vessels operating internationally, for the purpose of “conducting inspection to ensure compliance with working and living standards of seafarers as provided under this Act".

Villafuerte explained that the DMW’s enforcement and compliance monitoring activities may be coordinated and conducted by this department with the relevant government agencies, including the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) and the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG), in conjunction with their schedules for inspection and certification.

Recognized organizations may be authorized by the DMW Secretary to conduct the inspection of ship premises and issue the Maritime Labor Certificate or the Certificate of Compliance, as appropriate, in accordance with the provisions of this Act and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), he said.