A lawmaker on Tuesday, April 8, has addressed concerns regarding the allotment provision under the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, saying it is "not new" and has been part of seafarers' contract.

"The Magna Carta simply reiterated it to ensure its continued enforcement and to avoid any misinterpretation. If omitted, there could have been confusion that it had been repealed," Kabayan Party-list Rep. Ron Salo said.

Section 6 of the Implementing Rules of Regulation (IRR) of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers requires seafarers to make an allotment which shall be payable once a month to the seafarer'sdesignated allottee in the Philippines through any authorized Philippine bank.

But Salo said that the allotment will apply to 80 percent of the basic wage, plus fixed overtime; and not to the 80 percent nor even a 100 percent of the total income.

"This provision only covers the predictable and fixed components of a seafarer’s salary. It does not include bonuses, incentive pay, or other variable earnings of the seafarer," he said.

He also said that the allottee can be the seafarer themselves. And contrary to some claims, he said, the allottee does not have to be only a family member.

Also, the provision encourages savings for the seafarer’s future.

"By remitting a portion of their salary regularly, seafarers create a form of 'forced savings' that can serve as a financial buffer for retirement, emergencies, or reintegration once they return home," he said.

Salo also stressed that the remittance is for the seafarer and their family, and not for the government. It is not a tax, and no part of the allotment goes to the government.

He said the Magna Carta does not peg an exchange rate, "but what is most favorable to the seafarers at the time of their remittance".

So he called on legitimate stakeholders "to educate and inform our seafarers and their families so they won’t fall prey to purveyors of fake news".

"Seafarers need to listen to proper sources of information, and not to those who exploit their vulnerabilities and whose illegal activities are affected by the protections afforded to them by the Magna Carta," he said.