Magna carta for PH seafarers aprub na sa House panel

Magna carta for PH seafarers aprub na sa House panel

February 10, 2023 @ 8:44 AM 2 months ago


MANILA, Philippines – Aprubado na ng House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs ang panukalang Magna Carta para sa Filipino Seafarers.

Bago maaprubahan ay gumawa pa ng last minute na mga pagbabago ang miyembro ng komite sa consolidated substitute bill, kasabay ng pag-apruba ng committee report.

Kabilang sa mga idinagdag ay ang pagsasama ng women seafarers sa declarasyon ng polisiya, five- year mandatory review sa implementasyon
nito ng congressional oversight, pagsama sa Department of Labor and Employment sa pagbuo ng implementing rules and regulations, paglalagay ng period for validation at payment of seafarers, pagbuo ng “tambayan” para sa mga seafarers ng Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, kabilang ang Department of Migrant Workers bilang regular na miyembro ng MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority) Board, at ang pagdidiin ng exemptions para sa lehitimong mga labor organization.

Sakop ng panukalang batas ang mga marinong Pinoy na nagtatrabaho sa foreign-registered ships at Philippine-registered ships.

Mayroon din na probisyon ang proposed magna carta para sa karapatan ng mga seafarer, duties of seafarers; medical certificate; medical care on board ships and ashore; settlement of disputes; at women in the maritime industry.

Binibigyan mandato rin ng panukala ang DMW at MARINA na tutukan ang
registry ng lahat ng seafarers sa bansa.

“This is the culmination of our hard work over the past few months, listening with various stakeholders to create a bill that is holistic and responsive to the needs of our seafarers and concerns of the maritime sector,” sinabi ni House Committee on Overseas Workers Affairs chair at Kabayan Partylist Representative Ron Salo.

“The substitute bill addresses the perennial problem of the maritime higher educational institutions’ (MHEI) lack of training ships and the difficulty of our cadets to complete their shipboard training by requiring registered shipowners to accept cadets, and for MHEIs to enter into an agreement with the shipowners for the shipboard training of our cadets,” paliwanag pa niya.

“This will also address the recent findings of the European Maritime Safety Association (EMSA) on our country’s compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW Convention),” pagpapatuloy nito.

“Further, the magna carta adopts measures to ensure that our maritime education curriculum follows international standards.”

Nagbibigay regulasyon din ang panukalang batas na ito sa pagsingil ng training fees sa mga kadete.

“To provide for more domestic employment opportunities, Section 61 of the substitute Magna Carta also provides the establishment of non-degree courses on maritime education and training, and allows such non-degree holders to undergo shipboard training, for purposes of employment in the domestic seafaring industry,” dagdag pa ni Salo.

“This Magna Carta will go a long way in solving a myriad of issues with the Philippine maritime sector. I would like to congratulate all the authors, committee members, government agencies, and all stakeholders for their active participation and support. And of course to the House leadership, Speaker Martin Romualdez, for making this bill a priority, ” aniya.

“With everyone’s support, especially the vital inputs and recommendations in fine-tuning the provisions of the bill, we are confident that we have a well-crafted and balanced Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers that our seafarers and the whole maritime sector will be proud of,” pagtatapos ni Salo.

Pinuri naman ni Gabriela Party List Rep. Arlene Brosas ang panukalang ito, sa kabila ng napuna niya sa isang probisyon.

“Mr. Chair, we take note of the efforts to include the application of pertinent provisions such as seafarers’ rights for domestic seafarers, the mandating of minimum hiring of cadets in passenger and cargo ships, and the regulation of fees by maritime schools. We had hoped that the final version would have also included the application of standards of employment for domestic seafarers, except the fixed employment contracts. Nevertheless, this measure is a step forward,” ani Brosas.

“Except for Section 50, Mr. Chair, regarding the depositing of the contested amount in escrow is a big red-flag. This overturns the hard-fought battle of seafarers for their claims. Kawawa ang mga marino natin nito, Mr. Chair. The ruling of the NLRC commissioners should suffice for the awarding of benefits and claims. Why should we let seafarers suffer for any potential error in judgment by the commissioners?” dagdag niya.

Ipinasa na sa plenary session ang naturang panukala upang busisiin ng buong Kamara. RNT/JGC