PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday signed into law the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers which aims to protect the fundamental rights of seafarers like on fair wages and safe working conditions.

The President, during the signing of Republic Act 10221 (“An Act Providing for the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers”), said the Magna Carta is also a tribute to the sacrifices of the Filipino seafarers and their significant contributions to the country’s economic growth.

“Specifically, the Magna Carta will strengthen our legal framework to ensure that Filipino seafarers receive adequate training, secure contracts, just wages, and fair benefits,” he also said.

Speaker Martin Romualdez said the signing of the law is timely as the world is celebrating Maritime Day 2024 on Thursday.

He also said new law “will ensure the protection and continuous employment of our Filipino sailors, most of whom are employed by foreign shipping companies.”

“They will be able to continue to support their families back home,” said the Speaker. “With this measure, we hope we can remain to be the largest supplier of seafarers in the world.”

Senate President Francis Escudero said Filipino seafarers are “indispensable part of the operations of the international maritime industry” as they represent a quarter of all the officers and crew aboard the world’s ships.

“The law ensures that no Filipino seafarer will be left out of their legal or medical needs once unforeseen events occur while performing their jobs),” Escudero said in Filipino. “They keep the world’s fleet of ships afloat. It is only proper that they are accorded all the rights and protection under the law.”

Data from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration showed that as of November 2023, there were about 600,000 Filipinos working in the maritime industry with around 400,000 seafarers deployed to different countries and international ships.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), citing data from the Baltic and International Maritime Council and the International Chamber of Shipping, said the Philippines is the leading supplier of seafarers in the world and the top provider for officers and rating or skilled seafarers.

In 2021, the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development named the Philippines as among the top source of seafarers in the world.

Among Marcos’ priorities after assuming office in 2022 is ensuring that the Philippines complies with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) after it flagged the country for not aligning with international maritime safety standards and marine education particularly with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) which put thousands of seafarers’ jobs at risk.

In March 2023, the European Commission extended the recognition of the Philippine-issued seafarers’ certificate, saying that the country has made “serious efforts” to address deficiencies in monitoring, supervision, and evaluation of training and assessment.

This affected over 50,000 Filipino seafarers whose jobs had been placed at risk by EMSA’s initial assessment.

STANDARDS

Marcos, during signing ceremonies in Malacañang, said the Magna Carta also ensures that all procedures, training and practices in the country are aligned with the STCW and the accepted global maritime labor laws.

“By creating a more robust certification process, we ensure that our seafarers are not just compliant but exceptional and equipped to meet the demands of an evolving maritime industry. Clear protocols for grievances and disputes are also enforced to help resolve issues and concerns of our seafarers,” he said.

The President said the Magna Carta will also strengthen the role of the Philippines’ maritime institutions and stakeholders by setting the standards for the quality of accommodation, food, medical care, and other services for seafarers.

“To protect our seafarers from unfair labor practices, we are also setting up mechanisms so that a Filipino seafarer is not just any other worker but a valued professional whose rights are protected by our laws,” Marcos said.

“By prohibiting the imposition of recruitment, placement, visa or other related fees, we hope to alleviate some of the financial struggles that our seafarers even — that they have to go through even before they board a vessel to set sail in international waters,” he added.

The Magna Carta also provides closer collaboration among the stakeholders such as shipowners, maritime higher education institutions (MHEIs), and recruitment and crewing entities to ensure the protection and empowerment of Filipino seafarers.

It also aims to improve education, training, and cadetship programs to improve seafarer’s skills by harmonizing the policies among the Commission on Higher Education, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Health, Department of Labor and Employment, Department of Migrant Workers, Maritime Authority, Philippine Coast Guard, Public Attorney’s Office, and the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority and MARINA and ensuring an optimal whole-of-nation approach.

EDUCATION

The Magna Carta also placed maritime education under MARINA which now has the “powers to accredit, regulate, and monitor education and training institutions offering maritime degree programs and technical courses.”

Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista and House majority leader Manuel Jose Dalipe, in separate interviews after the signing of the law, welcomed the passage of the Magna Carta.

Sen. Raffy Tulfo, chair of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, and principal sponsor and one of the authors of the measure at the Senate, said the new law institutionalizes rights that will protect the Filipino seafarers.

Camarines Sur Rep. Luis Raymond Villafuerte, author of the bill at the House, said the new law is timely in ensuring “full protection” for Filipino sailors in either foreign-flagged ships or Philippine-registered vessels operating internationally, at this time of a surging global demand for Filipino mariners.

Villafuerte said the critical importance of having the new law “has been demonstrated in recent incidents in which our seafarers have been put under great risks, including the capture last April by Iranian authorities in the Strait of Hormuz in the Middle East of the Portuguese vessel MSC Aries, which had four Filipino seafarers on board that ship.”

He recalled that 23 Filipino seafarers were on board an oil tanker that was hit last March by a drone attack after sailing close to a port in the city of Hodeida in Yemen and 13 Filipinos were among the crew members of a bulk carrier that were attacked with missiles launched, also by Yemen-based Houthi rebels, last May.

“This Magna Carta of Seafarers ensures greater protection for our maritime professionals, whether on land or at sea, and better support for their families, especially in crisis periods,” he said. “This law aims to further sharpen the global competitiveness of our sought-after mariners by levelling up the country’s maritime education, training, certification and licensing system.”

Rep. Jude Acide (PL, Tingog), chair of the House committee on overseas workers affairs, said the law sufficiently addresses the concerns of foreign employers on the education, training and competency of Filipino seafarers.

“We hope our sailors will not face the same threats of being blacklisted made in the past by some shipping companies in Europe due to these concerns,” he said. “Our law conforms with international legislation and standards, which means that foreign companies will mostly likely continue employing our sailors.”

Rep. Ron Salo (PL, Kabayan), a principal author of the bill which the House approved last May, said the signing of the new law “is not just a win for our maritime workforce — it is a victory for the entire maritime industry.”

“The law provides the legal foundation to safeguard the rights, enhance working conditions, and secure the futures of our seafarers. Filipino seafarers are the lifeblood of global shipping, and they deserve nothing less than robust legal protection as they navigate the seas,” he said.

Salo highlighted the law’s provision for improving maritime education by addressing the long-standing issue of insufficient training vessels for maritime cadets. – With Wendell Vigilia and Raymond Africa