source: PNA
A lawmaker on Thursday urged the
Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA) and the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) to adopt a measure to improve the skills training and certification for Filipino seamen.
Rep. Julieta Cortuna (Party-list, A Teacher), author of House Resolution 2743, asked Marina and POEA to discuss the matter with local training centers and maritime schools to address the problems facing the industry.
Cortuna said the
local training centers and maritime schools have failed to satisfy international maritime standards set by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
"The failing mark given by the European Maritime Safety Agency automatically poses a threat on whether or not European manning agencies will prefer to board Filipino seafarers and whether or not European ports will be permitted to receive Filipino-owned and manned ships as a result of the assessment," Cortuna said.
Cortuna also urged the House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs to assess the threat to the
employment of Filipino seamen abroad due to the failure of the local training centers and maritime schools to satisfy standards set by EMSA.
"The Philippines is supposedly one of the main sources of manpower of the international maritime industry. Despite the global economic crisis and Filipino seamen enjoy worldwide preference for seafaring jobs," Cortuna said.
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