PRESIDENT Marcos Jr. yesterday committed his administration’s support to rebuild the country’s maritime industry into a level that the world would look upon and admire and eventually sustain its substantial contribution to the country’s economic growth.
“Given that the Philippines is a maritime nation, I believe that it is time for us to make the maritime industry once again a top priority. While we already hold a dominant position in the world of global shipping, I certainly believe that we can do more, especially here at home,” the President said during the Philippine Maritime Industry Summit 2023 at the Manila Hotel.
Marcos said one way of doing it is by harnessing the knowledge and talents of Filipino seafarers, making use of their experiences and localizing local industries to build an even stronger domestic maritime industry for the benefit of the people.
He said as of December 2022, there were around 16,000 registered domestic ships plying the nearly 1,300 inter-island shipping routes across the country, and almost a hundred Philippine registered overseas ships which yielded P30.75 million pesos in tax collections last year.
There are also around 16 Maritime Industry Authority (Marina)-registered local shipbuilding and ship repair firms.
He said the Philippines is one of the world’s primary sources of maritime manpower, constituting 25 percent of the global seafarers that contributed $6.71 billion in remittances in 2022.
The President also ordered a whole-of-government approach in implementing the maritime industry program, the Maritime Industry Development Plan (MIDP) 2028 developed by Marina, the Department of Transportation and industry stakeholders, which aims to ensure the development and expansion of the Philippine merchant fleet; and ensure the advancement of a future- ready maritime human capital.
“This plan covers eight priority programs ranging from enhancing maritime transport safety and security; promoting environmental sustainability; implementing digitalization; modernizing, upgrading and expanding domestic and overseas shipping industries– including the local shipbuilding and ship repair industry; promoting a highly skilled and competitive maritime workforce; and adopting an effective and efficient maritime administration governance system,” Marcos said.
He said it also establishes a system that lessens the detrimental impacts of both natural and man-made calamities and prepares for future contingencies that may affect the sector.
The President urged all government institutions and key stakeholders to continue their collaboration and cooperation to ensure the continued growth and development of the maritime sector.
Marcos also asked them to continue communicating with member-states of the International Maritime Organization and the European Union-Committee on Safe Seas to sustain efforts in ensuring the standards of the country’s fleets and seafarers remain at par with the world.
