tinig ng marino magazine

1TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012 p32

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SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012 http:www.ufs.com.ph PHP 20.00 Vol. XVIII No.5

Philippines ratifi es

The 2nd Philippine Seafarer Congress

St 3

Maritime Labour Maritime Labour ConventionConvention

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Danita Danita PanerPanerAlternative Alternative PrincessPrincess

2 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012

3TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012

The Philippines ratifi ed last Au-gust 20 the landmark Maritime La-bour Convention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) which seeks to upgrade the working conditions and terms of employ-ment for the nearly 1.2 million of the world’s seafarers, about 700,000 of whom are Filipinos engaged in both international and domestic shipping.

With the country’s action to ratify the Convention, the minimum requirement of 30-member states concurring was met, paving the way for its entry into force as bind-ing international law on August 20, 2013. Another requirement, setting the share of the ratifying countries’ gross tonnage to at least 33% of the world’s total, was met much earlier in 2009.

In a statement, the Internation-al Labour Organization (ILO) said:

“The registration of this rati-fi cation marks a global milestone. The Philippines is the 30th Member to have its ratifi cation registered and join the group of the “fi rst 30” ILO countries to demonstrate their com-mitment to ensuring decent work for seafarers and a level playing fi eld for quality shipowners.

“The Philippines is the largest source of the world’s seafarers, with nearly 700,000, nearly half of which work overseas. The Philippines is the largest source of the world’s seafar-ing workforce and the home of nearly one third – 30 per cent – of seafar-ers working on foreign fl ag ships. It also has a large domestic fl eet, with nearly as many seafarers working on Philippines fl agged ships.”

“This is good news for Fili-pino seafarers,” remarked Maritime Industry Administration (MARINA) Offi cer-in-Charge Nicasio Conti, “be-cause the provisions include medical and other social protection.”

With MLC, 2006, the sea-based workforce can look forward to enjoying the benefi ts of safe and secure workplace, fair terms of em-ployment, decent working and living conditions on board ships, health protection, medical care, welfare measures and other forms of social protection.

For her part, Department of Labor and Employment Secretary

Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz, stated: “Our country’s ratifi cation of

the MLC, 2006 highlights over a de-cade of involvement of the Philippine government, through the DOLE, in global maritime affairs that contrib-uted to the adoption of the Conven-tion in 2006. With the Convention, our aim to achieve both decent work

Maritime Labour ConventionMaritime Labour ConventionPact to benefi t Filipino seafarers

By: James S. Mante

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Banner Year for the Filipino SeafarerEDITORIALEDITORIAL

SOUNDING LEADCAPT. REYNOLD ‘BURT’ M. SABAY

MARINO IN MARINA?

Tinig ng Marino (Voice of the Seafarer) is published by the United Filipino Seafarers, a duly registered Philippine maritime union. Editorial of-fi ce: 4th/F Room 402, Gedis-

co Terraces Bldg., 1148 Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila, Philippines; Telephone nos.: (632) 524-4888; 525-5806; Fax (632) 524-2336; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.ufs.com.ph. Materials published in this paper may be reprinted provided proper acknowledgment to Tinig ng Marino and the author, if indicated, is made.

Nelson P. RamirezExecutive Editor

Arianne R. RodriguezManaging Editor

Myrna F. VirtudazoJames S. ManteAssistant EditorsAndy Dalisay

Editorial Consultant

Kenneth M. Estrellado Neil Brian Zozobrado

ArtistsSapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offi ces

Legal Consultants Emil Jerald N. JacintoJohn Michael C. Vela

Production Staff

Fr. James KolinNew York Bureau

Engr. Samson TormisGreece Bureau

Corry Llamas-KoningsPhilip RamirezBob Ramirez

Rotterdam BureauMinabelle SiasonBelgium Bureau

Capt. Arturo CañozaJapan Bureau

Eric Z. Vicente Lay-out Artist

The signing of the Exec-utive Order 75 entitled DESIGNATING THE

DEPARTMENT OF TRANS-PORTATION AND COM-MUNICATIONS (DOTC), THROUGH THE MARITIME INDUSTRY AUTHORITY (MARINA), AS THE SINGLE ADMINISTRATION IN THE PHILIPPINES RESPON-SIBLE FOR OVERSIGHT IN THE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE 1978 INTERNA-TIONAL CONVENTION ON STANDARDS OF TRAIN-ING, CERTIFICATION AND WATCHKEEPING FOR SEAFARERS, AS AMEND-ED brought highs on many stake holders in the seafar-ing industry, at least at the time of signing. As far as the European Union countries, EO 75 made waves, small waves!

For a while, many thought this was the solu-tion, or was it? After the ex-citement of getting an offi cial copy and counting the days

of publication in the Offi cial Gazette or newspapers of major circulation, the waiting was NOT over. At the time of this writing, all concerned are waiting for the offi cial release of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR). The latest heard from the street parliamentarians is that now we have to wait for the Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) between MARINA and respective government agencies responsible in one way or another in the training and certifi cation of Filipino Seafarers.

Typical? Intentional? Logical? Legal? Moral? Responsible? What is the real issue with EO 75? First and foremost, EO 75 is dealing with a culture of indifference and/or blame, and/or turf war , and/or “iwas pusoy”, and/or non-accountability and/or irresponsibility. Are the con-cerned government offi cials indifferent to the seafaring industry? NO because they

are always around making pronouncements, promising pronouncements. Are they blaming others? Maybe! Are they fi ghting a turf war? Very visible! Are they the type of “iwas pusoy”? Apparently! Are they accountable? Yet to be demonstrated! Are they responsible? At least the MARINA OIC declared with conviction that they are re-sponsible for EO 75 hence-forth!

So, what was burning then? The cogon? If it was, it must have been very quick! Normally, a job is not done until the paper work is com-pleted. In this case it was the other way around, the paper work is completed but the job is NOT done yet!

At the time when ev-erybody talks about compe-tency based standards, it is best that the new Administra-tion for STCW to be the fi rst to demonstrate such. We heard about courts of com-

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Thanks in no small measure to two vital actions taken by the government this year, just months apart from each other, the future of the Filipino seafarer as the “seafarer

of choice” and the vast prospects of the local maritime industry remain bright. President Benigno Simeon Aquino III’s issuance at mid-year of Executive Order No. 75 designating the Department of Transportation and Communication (DOTC), through the Mari-time Industry Administration (MARINA) as the “single maritime administration,” holds the key to averting the grim scenario of the European Union (EU) refusing to recognize the Standards for Certifi cation, Training and Watchkeeping (SCTW) Certifi -cates issued by the Philippines, and the negative suggestion such a turn of events would bring–that Filipino seafarers are poorly-trained and ill-equipped to perform their jobs at sea. Being the biggest supplier of seafarers for the world’s shipping industry, the specter of legions of Filipino seamen sud-denly fi nding themselves out of jobs and the incalculable social and economic fallout that would come in its wake simply bog-gles the mind. This is the prospect staring us in the face should we fail to satisfy the requirements of the SCTW Convention and Code, as amended, based on the fi ndings of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the agency organized by the European Commission (EC) to ensure that vessels making calls on European ports comply with the Convention. EMSA was due to send its third inspection mission to the country in October this year, following earlier visits in 2006 and 2010. This has reportedly been moved to early next year. Just as well. We need the breathing space to quickly set up the institutional undergirdings for the “single maritime administra-tion” structure envisioned by EO 75 and make it immediately functional in making the country SCTW compliant. Towards this end, the DOTC-MARINA , together with other government agencies, have so far been working together, feverishly, with industry stakeholders following the EO’s issuance. It can only be hoped that the renewed sense of team-work and momentum generated thus far among industry play-ers would facilitate the accomplishment of the most urgent task at hand: that of ensuring that adequate and compliant mea-sures are put in place–or satisfactory explanations are readied–to address the defi ciency areas which surfaced during the 2010 EMSA inspection. Even before the euphoria and fl urry of activities that attended the issuance of EO 75 could die down, another posi-tive development came to the fore in the form of the Philippine Senate’s recent ratifi cation of the Maritime Labour Convention,

Smooth SailingSmooth Sailing

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2012 Maritime Week Calendar of ActivitiesSeptember 24, 2012 (Monday)

Kick off CeremonyHuman Anchor and Motorcade

Venue: Quirino Grandstand8:00 A.M

Nationwide simultaneous blowingOf Ship’s horn for two (2) minutes

8:00 AM

Maritime Security ForumVenue: Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard

8:00 A.M - 12:00 NNMARINA Website Launch

1:00 PMNational Seafarer’s Day Mass

Venue: F. Huertas Seafarer’s Dormitory 6:00 P.M

September 25, 2012 (Tuesday)

UFS-MMAP Invitational Golf TournamentVenue: Intramuros

6:00 A.M

Medical and Dental MissionVenue: Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard

8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

NMP Maritime Education and Training CongressVenue: St. Benilde8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

September 26, 2012 (Wednesday)

Donate a Blood, Save a LifeVenue: Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard

8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

NSD Art Contest for Maritime StudentsVenue: PHILAMLIFE8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

NMP National Congress on Maritime Education and TrainingVenue: St. Benilde8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

Nationwide Lecture on Maritime Environmental Potection and Maritime Safety Affairs

Venue: Schools within AOR of Coast Guard Districts9:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

Seafarer’s Boodle FightVenue: LUSWELF

10:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

Launch of 2012 Search for Outstanding Filipino Seafarers and Mari-time Workers and awarding of winners of the Logo Design Contest

8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

September 27, 2012 (Thursday)

Nationwide Scubasurero and Coastal Clean-upVenue: Identifi ed sites of concern area of responsibilities of coast guard

districts9:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

2nd Philippine Seafarer CongressVenue: AMOSUP Convention Hall

8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

Mass, feast day of Mary Star of the SeaVenue: Apostle of the Sea-SMCS

8:30 A.M

NSD Oratorical ContestVenue: PHILAMLIFE8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

Awarding of Western Union’s 10 Most Outstanding Students and MYNEWSIM Win Challenge winners

Venue: LUSWELF8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

September 28, 2012 (Friday)

2nd Philippine Seafarer CongressVenue: AMOSUP Convention Hall

8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

NSD Sponsor afternoon entertainmentVenue: LUSWEF

1:00 P.M

Health SymposiumVenue: LUSWELF

8:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

September 29, 2012 (Saturday)

Search and rescue and Maritime Pollution ExerciseVenue: Manila Bay

7:00 A.M - 12:00 NN

PCG Symphonic Band OrchestraVenue: Luneta Park Open Auditorium

6:30 P.M

September 30, 2012 (Sunday)

Grand ParadeVenue: LUSWELF to Pier 13

6:00 A.M

Mass and memorial rites at sea and awarding ceromonyVenue: Pier 15, South Harbor Manila

8:00 A.M - 11:00 A.M

Other Activities

Nationwide hanging of standard size streamersAll ports / buildings, all agencies concerned

1 week before Sept. 24 and 1 week after Sept. 30

National dressing of ships1 week before Sept. 24 and 1 week afer Sept. 30

Tara! Tara! TaraI na sa Corregidor!Venue: Corrigedor Island

September 29, 2012 / 8:00 A.M

Annual Fun Run (FAME)Venue: IMAX Open parking area, SM Mall of Asia

September 2, 2012 / 5:00 A.M

Press Conference for media practitioners in maritime industryVenue: Conference room Headquarters Philippine Coast Guard

September 21, 2012 / 9:00 A.M

Mass, Silent drill, Wreath layingVenue: Seafarers Monument, Roxas Blvd.

September 23, 2012 / 7:00 A.M

Maritime ExhibitVenue: LUSWELF

September 24 - 30, 2012 / 8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

NSD Photo Contest Exhibit (Maritime Students and Seafarer’s)Venue: PHILAMLIFE

September 24, 2012 / 8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M

NSD KaraokeVenue: LUSWELF Luneta, Manila

September 24 - 30, 2012 / 8:00 A.M - 5:00 P.M


Inspired by the classy and com-fortable business lounges on interna-tional airports, OSM Group Chairman Bjorn Tore Larsen, a frequent travel-ler and a pilot himself, conceptualized the idea of making a waiting lounge for their valued seafarers comparative to the airport business lounges.

A company is akin to a ship. It is mainly composed of people who run the everyday op-

eration and work routine to make a smooth sailing voyage. Even though most of the vessels are automatically

operated by machines and comput-ers nowadays, people still manage and control them. Obviously, they still need supervision of human brain to have them function effi ciently. This proves that people are indeed the captain of the ship. They decide. They navigate. They lead.

Similarly, OSM Maritime Ser-vices, Inc. has envisioned the above idea for its people. It considers them the navigator and captain of its great destination─success. OSM has been appreciative of its people’s effort for more than 20 years now. As proof,

it has taken the lead in the maritime manning industry in giving a higher service to its seafarers once again. This time, OSM brings comfort not only to its seamen but also to their families.

Opening of OSM Seaman’s Lounge

OSM Maritime Services, Inc. launched its enormous and elegant seaman’s lounge last August 22, 2012 at VNP Building on Pedro Gil St. Ermita, Manila.The Lounge has a comfy, edgy, stylish design that is so

functional and inviting for all guests to appreciate.

Leading the opening ceremony were Mr. Bjorn Tore Larsen, Chair-man, OSM Group Management, Mr. Shun On Lam, President, OSM Asia; Mr. Allan Falkenberg Christensen, Managing Director, OSM ROHQ Ma-nila, and; RADM Adonis B. Donato, President, OSM Maritime Services, Inc. who gathered the guests to show-case this one-of-a-kind crew lounge for its seafarers and their families. Shortly after, Mr. Knut-Are Okstad, Counsellor, Royal Norwegian Embas-

OSM SEAMAN’s LOUNGE It’s All about People

Mr. Knut Are Okstad, Counsellor of Royal Norwegian Embassy in Manila, and Ms. Liberty T. Casco, POEA Deputy Administrator gracefully cut the ribbon of OSM Seaman’s Lounge

OSM Main Entrance Waiting Lounge Snack Bar


sy in Manila and Ms. Liberty Casco, Deputy Administrator, POEA ,did the ribbon-cutting to start the celebration.

Fr. Bong Aguillon offi ciated at the holy ceremony in the 598-square-meter space. After the blessing, a tour within the new seaman’s lounge was led by RADM Adonis Donato who guided the guests as he was de-scribing the function of each room. To give a more welcoming atmosphere, a short program was hosted by Mr. Carlos B. Mendoza of OSM Welfare Department and Ms. Cheri Marie D. Villasin of OSM Academy. The event would not be more celebratory without the presence of the following guests: Ms. Liberty T. Casco, POEA deputy administrator, Capt. Erik Freberg Blom, managing director, Norwegian Training Center-Manila, Mr. Raphael G. Joaquin, general manager, Con-solidated Training Systems Inc. and Mr. Nelson Ramirez (president, Unit-ed Filipino Seafarers, and executive editor of Tinig ng Marino magazine). Also present were the OSM Seafarers Family Club-Manila Chapter whose outgoing offi cers were given plaques of appreciation.

Features and Facilities

The fi rst stop upon entering the seaman’s lounge is the mini bar at the center. This hotel-inspired bar is de-signed to serve and please coffee lov-ers. It also serves guests who would like to have some delicious snacks while waiting for their appointment. Free pastries are served graciously to guests and crew by the OSM canteen staff while they enjoy watching TV programs.

On its right side is the informa-tion desk where the crew can transact business with the receptionist regard-ing their scheduled meeting with his

crewing manager. After arranging an appointment, one can access the In-ternet through the Internet kiosk, a stylish Internet cafe-inspired nook ac-centuated with blue light fi xtures on its wall that give it a cool effect. Mov-ing forward is the kiddie room. Here, the crew’s children in tow may play with the colourful educational toys while their parents are enjoying play-ing sports in the billiard room.

On the left side, one can relax on the comfortable and well-designed couches and seating areas that have a seating capacity of 200 seafarers. They can watch Cable TV programs on wide and fl at screen monitors which are installed on the walls and posts. From its splendid fl ooring up to its granite walls on the elevator fa-cade and soft lightings, one can truly say that it is an absolutely comfortable and classy place to wait in

A toast for the success of the launching of the Seaman’s Lounge capped the end of the ceremony!

On an impromptu TV interview after the opening program, POEA Deputy Administrator Liberty Casco said that indeed OSM has become a role model in providing better facilities to its seafarers and hope that the oth-er manning companies would follow suit in coming up with similar project like OSM Seaman’s Lounge.

OSM to its People

OSM Maritime Services, Inc. has always been giving its best to value the sacrifi ces of its seafarers - from handing over a simple plaque of loyalty to sharing out fi nancial aid or benefi ts to them, and now a cozy lounge. OSM never ceases to prac-tice its vision not only to its clients but also to its hardworking seamen. OSM is indeed always all about people.

RADM Adonis Donato reads the oath as the new offi cers pledge to their duties and responsibilities during the Induction of Seafarers Family Club Offi cers

Photo above: Counsellor Knut Are Okstad of Royal Norwegian Embassy (left) raises his glass together with RADM Adonis B. Donato (right) as they salute for the successful inauguration of OSM Seaman’s Lounge; Bottom photo: Mr. Bjorn Torre Larsen, OSM Chairman, delivers his speech on the humble beginning of OSM Maritime Services, Inc. and its care for the people since its foundation

OSM SEAMAN’s LOUNGE It’s All about People

Internet Counter Kiddie Room Entertainment Room


MANILA Philippines - Posh Fleet Services Pte Ltd con-ducted its 7th Seastaff Semi-

nar last July 25-27, 2012 at Traders Hotel, Roxas Boulevard. The annual seminar which aims to improve the competency of Filipino seafarers was participated by 63 offi cers and crews from various shipping companies in the Philippines. The resource speak-ers belong to Posh’s best, Mr. Sim Hee Ping, Mr. Chan Joo Huat, Capt. Priyadarshan Pandey, Capt. Sunil Kamath, Mr. Lee Keng Lin, Mr. Khin Maung Thein and Mr. Daniel Boon.

Posh is known for its prefer-ence in employing Filipino seafarers in its fl eet services because of their English profi ciency, skills and hard work. Posh Fleet Services Pte Ltd is a subsidiary of Posh Semco, one of Asia’s leading providers of maritime services.

Posh is very confi dent in its offshore support businesses like in the Philippines despite the decline in the container business operations. International shipping providers are

currently suffering from big losses because of the rapidly growing glob-al economic crisis. In addition, big-ger container ships are also entering the market making the industry more competitive than ever. The tanker business and bulk carriers are re-ported to be also not doing well.

Despite these challenges, Mr. Sim Hee Ping, Division Director, is

positive in it offshore operation and is expecting another profi table year. POSH is expecting this year to be more productive because they have acquired two shipyards enabling them to build their own ships. The company also plans to expand, op-erate in new areas, and develop new joint ventures especially in the com-petitive world market. Investment-

wise they are still growing their as-sets.

The seminar is Posh’s way to implement its capacity building pro-gram. It also encourages new sea-farers as trainees by including them as part of their crews. The training includes safety standards and prac-tices, new policies and even include physical activities such as self-de-fence. The seminar aims to deviate from the usual 8-hour seminars that seafarers undergo leaving partici-pants drained. Posh aims to incor-porate more relevant topics such as corporate social responsibility. It also encourages friendship among participants. The closeness of the leaders go way back from their years working together for another ship-ping company. Thus, as a team they believe in training and empowering their people by providing them the necessary skills to be more effi cient seafarers; passing on their knowl-edge not only to each other as col-

HON. EMMELINE Y. AGLIPAYRepresentative, DIWA Partylist Congress of the [email protected]

WORKERS’ VANGUARDRCa

Magandang Balita

ANILA Phili i P h tl ff i f bi l iti i it ff h ti d i th till

7th Sea Staff Seminar: “An enterprise of excellence”

Participants during the annual seminar of Posh Fleet Services Pte. Ltd. which aims to improve the competency of Filipino seafarers TURN TO PAGE 17

Masaya pong balita na ratipikado na ng Senado ang Maritime La-bor Convention (MLC). Pinag-

botohan nila ito noong Agosto 13, 2012 at ibinigay na natin ang instrumento para sa ratipikasyon sa International Labor Organization noong Agosto 20, 2012. Matagal na po nating hinihintay na mara-tipika ang MLC ng ating Senado dahil ito po ang instrumentong makapagbibigay ng proteksyon sa ating mga marinong Pilipino at sa lahat ng mga marino sa buong mundo. Sa ating pagratipika ng MLC tayo’y naninindigan na mabigyan ng mapitagang trabaho ang mga marino at may pagkakapantay-pantay ang mga may-ari ng barko.

Makasaysayan pa ang pagra-tipika ng Pilipinas sa MLC dahil tayo ang ika-30 na bansang nakapagrehistro ng ating ratipikasyon. Tatlumpo ang kinakai-langang ratipikasyon para maging epek-tibo ang MLC. Ito’y magiging epektibo sa susunod na taon, Agosto 20, 2013. Ang isa pa pong kundisyon upang maging epektibo ang MLC ay ang mga bansang nagratipika ay kumakatawan sa 33%

ng gross shipping tonnage ng buong mundo. Ang kondisyong ito’y natupad na noong 2009. At ngayon na 30 na ang bansang rumatipika ay bumubuo sa 60% ng shipping tonnage ng buong mundo. Dahil dito mas malaki pa sa kalahati ng internasyonal na shipping ang nasasak-law ng mga nagratipika.

Ang MLC ay nagtatakda ng mga pinakamababang pangangailangan para sa lahat ng aspeto ng mga kundisyon ng pagtatrabaho ng mga marino kasama na ang mga kundisyon ng pagtanggap sa kanila bilang empleyado, oras ng pagtatrabaho at pahinga, ang kanilang tirahan, mga pasilidad para sa kanilang libangan at pahinga, pagkain, kalusugan at medikal na pangangailangan at social security protection.

Lahat ng mga barko ng mga ban-sang nagratipika ay kinakailangang tu-gunan ang mga pangangailangang na-katakda sa MLC at mapaniguradong ang mga barko nila ay sumusunod sa mga pangangailangan ng mga kundisyon ng pagtatrabaho para sa mga marino. Ang mga Pilipinong marino ay bu-

mubuo sa 30% ng mga marino sa buong mundo. Noong 2011, 343,587 ang na-kaistasyon sa mga banyagang barko at 700,000 ang mga marinong Pilipino kung bibilangin ang mga nagtatrabaho sa mga Pilipino at banyagang barko. Dahil dito’y lubos tayong makikinabang sa pagig-ing epektibo ng MLC.

Ang recruitment at placement ng ating mga marino ay mareregularisa ng ayon sa MLC. At ito ay tumutugon sa malawak na pangangailangan at responsibilidad ng mga may-ari ng barko kasama na ang pagreregularisa ng mga kontrata. Mayroon ding pangangaila-ngan ang mga barko na panatilihin ang isang deklarasyon ng Maritime Labor Compliance. Importanteng ipinatutupad ng estado sa pamamagitan ng mahusay na administrasyon ang pagbibigay ng Maritime Labor Compliance Certifi cate matapos ang masusing inspeksyon.

Kinakailangan ng Pilipinas na kumpletuhin ang lahat ng mga kaila-ngang gawin upang maipatupad ang MLC at upang paniguraduhin na prope-syonal at kwalipikado ang mga marinong

isinusuplay natin sa buong mundo. Dahil dito, kinakailangan ng ating lehislatura na umakda ng mga batas upang mapa-niguradong tumutupad tayo sa MLC.

Ang Magna Carta for Filipino Sea-farers na inakda ng DIWA Party-list ay isa sa mga kinakailangan upang tumu-pad sa mga responsibilidad natin bilang estadong rumatipika sa MLC. Ang mga kundisyon ng pagtratrabaho ng mga marino, ang oras ng kanilang pagtatra-baho, ang kanilang tirahan, pagkain, kalusugan at iba pang mga kailangang sundin sa ilalim ng MLC ay binibigyang atensyon ng Magna Carta for Seafarers at oras na ngayon upang tutukan ang pagsasabatas nito sa Kongreso pati na din sa Senado.

Huwag po kayong mag-aalala da-hil patuloy pong ipaglalaban ng DIWA party-list ang karapatan ng mga mari-nong Pilipino at sa nakatakdang pag-dinig sa komite ng Overseas Workers Af-fairs sa Kongreso ay makatitiyak po kayo na naroon po tayo at maipagtatanggol po natin ang mga marino at pagsasabatas ng Magna Carta. Makakaasa po kayo.





Who has jurisdiction over a case involving the interpretation or implementation of the collec-

tive bargaining agreement: the labor arbiter or the voluntary arbitrator? The recent case of “Estate of Nelson R. Dulay represented by his wife Merridy Jane P. Dulay vs. Aboitiz Jebsen Maritime, Inc. & General Char-terers, Inc.” (G.R. No. 172642) decided by the Supreme Court on June 13, 2012 answered the above question by hold-ing that the voluntary arbitrator should take cognizance of such an issue. In the said Dulay case, a vet-eran seafarer, after completion of his employment contract, and while still a bona fi de member of a union which was the collective bargaining agent of his employer, died of acute renal failure secondary to septicemia. The widow claimed for death benefi ts through the grievance procedure of the collective

bargaining agreement (CBA) between the seafarer’s union and his employer but the procedure was declared dead-locked. Pursuant to a provision in the CBA, the widow then fi led a claim against the employer for death and medical benefi ts and damages amount-ing to US$90,000.00 before the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC)-Arbitration Board. A few days later, the deceased seafarer’s brother received P20,000.00 from the employer pursuant to a different and separate provision of the same CBA and released the union from further liability. The employer in-sisted that the NLRC has no jurisdic-tion over the widow’s claim due to the absence of an employer-employee re-lationship at the time of the seafarer’s death and the fact that the seafarer’s contract was already completed prior to his demise. The labor arbiter and the NLRC both recognized the claim and

ruled in favor of the widow, ordering the employer to pay. On appeal, the Court of Ap-peals (CA) reversed the decision of the NLRC and referred the claim to the Na-tional Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) for the designation of the vol-untary arbitrator or constitution of a panel of voluntary arbitrators for appro-priate resolution on the applicable CBA provision to be applied insofar as death benefi ts due to the heirs of the seafarer are concerned. The Supreme Court affi rmed the CA ruling, fi nding that Republic Act (RA) No. 8042, the special law govern-ing overseas Filipino workers, does not provide for any provision regarding ju-risdiction over disputes or unresolved grievances on the interpretation or im-plementation of a CBA. Section 10 of RA 8042 simply speaks in general of claims arising out of an employer-em-

ployee relationship or by virtue of any law or contract involving Filipino work-ers for overseas deployment including claims for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of damages. On the other hand, Articles 217 (c) and 261 of the La-bor Code, a general statute, are clear and particular in expressing that volun-tary arbitrators have jurisdiction over cases arising from the interpretation or implementation of CBAs. As such, the specifi c or special provisions of the La-bor Code govern and not those of RA 8042. The High Court, upon review of the CBA which the seafarer’s widow considers to be the law between the parties, likewise concluded that the par-ties really intended to bring to concilia-tion or voluntary arbitration any dispute or confl ict in the interpretation or appli-cation of the provisions of their CBA. It noted that Section 7 of the Omnibus Rules and Regulations, as amended by RA 10022, promulgated by the De-partment of Labor and Employment and the Department of Foreign Affairs, which implement RA 8042, so provides that for overseas Filipino workers with CBAs, the case shall be submitted for voluntary arbitration following Articles 261 and 262 of the Labor Code. Such is the same idea invoked in Section 29 of the POEA Standard Employment con-tract. The Court made it clear that with respect to disputes involving claims of Filipino seafarers where the parties are covered by a CBA, the dispute or claim should be submitted to the jurisdiction of a voluntary arbitrator or panel of ar-bitrators. In the absence of a CBA, the parties may opt to submit the dispute to either to the NLRC or to voluntary arbi-tration. This position is consistent with the policy of the state and Section 3, Article 13 of the Constitution to promote voluntary arbitration as a mode of set-tling labor disputes.

[Atty. Augusto ‘Tito’ Bundang is a gradu-ate of the Ateneo de Manila University, a Board Member of the Maritime Law As-sociation of the Philippines (MARLAW), and a lecturer at the De La Salle Univer-sity. He is a Partner of the Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan (SVBB) Law Offi ce and currently, heads its Litigation and Seafarers’ Department. SVBB is located at the 11th Floor, Security Bank Centre, 6776 Ayala Avenue, Makati City with telephone nos. 8911316 to 19.]

ATTY. AUGUSTO R. BUNDANGHead, Litigation and Seafarers DepartmentSapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices

SAILOR’S CORNER

Authority of the voluntaryarbitrator


SOUNDING LEAD

petent jurisdiction, we heard about MLC 2006 requirements for compe-tent authority, STCW for competent assessors, competent seafarers, about time to hear and see a com-petent Administrator, at least for the STCW!

There is no other perfect and opportune time than now to allow somebody that has the ‘knowledge of the trade’ of the seafarers to be responsible as the ‘Deputy Admin-istrator for STCW,’ a new position allegedly being created to pave the way for the full roll out of EO 75.

The current MARINA OIC Ad-ministrator is passionate to move on. Despite EO 75 and marching orders from the President, his hands and feet are tied NOT by the king of all knots (bowline knot is a seafaring practice) but by legalities (laws creat-ed by lawmakers). The competence of our lawmakers to appreciate the seafaring industry notwithstanding the letters and spirit of STCW may be wanting. Probably they did NOT

even know!Marino in MARINA! Is this the

solution? It is better to have tried and failed than to have never tried at all. Failures are for losers who never tried at all! There are more than a hundred thousand Masters and Chief Marine Engineer Offi cers as per records of PRC. There must be a few good men who will qualify as COMPETENT and as responsible for a job in MARINA!

Basic qualifi cations such as: fully conversant with the STCW, ac-ceptable by industry standards, have understanding of the applicable laws (NOT only the letter but their spirit and intent), competent educator, competent trainer, responsible, hon-est, reputable, strong leadership qualities, an excellent manager, in-telligent, assertive, gutsy and cou-rageous, excellent communications skills, incorruptible, youthful, etc… are NOT diffi cult to fi nd.

As a matter of fact, the seafar-ing industry knows so many possible candidates for that MARINO in MA-RINA!

FROM PAGE 4


for seafarers and security in their economic inter-est in fair competition of quality ship owners is within reach. This, in itself, is a major contribution to global economic growth.”

“With the deposit of the Philippine ratifi -cation instrument of the MLC 2006, the labor de-partment shall immediately call stakeholders to a series of meetings to fi nalize regulations and pro-pose legislation to fulfi ll the promise of seafarer protection and competitiveness.”

This move comes as follow-through to the

series of extensive consultations, tripartite semi-nars, data-gathering, and legal review conducted earlier among industry stakeholders, coordinated by the department and MARINA with the support of the local ILO offi ce, to prepare the local mari-time industry for the eventual international MLC, 2006 regime.

Calling the MLC, 2006 as the new interna-tional labour standard—a “seafarers’ bill of rights” — ILO Director General Juan Somavia said that the newly-ratifi ed treaty replaces 37 Conventions and related Recommendations covering the glob-

al maritime industry since 1920.It is expected, as well, to raise the demand

for quality shipping, seen as crucial to the global economy that depends on the industry to move as much as 90% of total world trade.

Sen. Loren Legarda, chair of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations and sponsor of Senate Resolution 829, or the Resolution Concur-ring on the Ratifi cation of Maritime Labour Con-vention, 2006, expressed the hope that the “unfair conditions of seafarers including exploitation, ex-cessive working hours, ill-treatment, contract sub-stitution and underpayment of wages and other benefi ts will be abolished through this Conven-tion.”

“There is an urgent need for government to effectively enforce its regulatory role in ensuring safer and secure shipping, in preventing marine pollution, and in ensuring decent work for seafar-ers. We must give them the just treatment that they deserve, underscoring their sacrifi ces and contributions to the global economy. I believe that the MLC, 2006 will make a signifi cant difference in the lives of all seafarers around the world,” Legar-da concluded.

MLC 2006, will be the “fourth pillar” of the international regulatory environment covering quality shipping. The other “three pillars” are: the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea (SOLAS); the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certifi cation and Watch-keeping (SCTCW), and; the International Con-vention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL).

It is expected to benefi t about 60% of the world’s seafarers manning all ships engaged in commercial activities, except for fi shing vessels and traditional ships such as dhows and junks.

FROM PAGE 3

Maritime Labour ConventionMaritime Labour ConventionPact to benefi t Filipino seafarers


Palagi kong naririnig ang salitang sana magkaisa tayong lahat. Ngunit paulit-ulit ko na ring si-

nabi na ang salitang sana, kamuntik at wala ay pareho lang. Nagkaiba lang sa spelling. Ang problema kasi sa mga taong palagi lang nagrereklamo na da-pat magkaisa tayo, wala ding ginagawa para sa pangkalahatang kapakanan. Katulad noong panahon na nahihirapan tayo sa pagkuha ng seaman’s book, panay ang angal habang nakapila ngunit nang inumpisahan ko na ang protes-ta, bigla namang nagtago. Ganoon din ang nangyari noong ipinaglaban natin ang walk-in examination sa PRC. Halos mga kadete lang ang sumama sa akin. Sabagay, naiintindihan ko naman kung bakit ayaw nilang sumali sa aking mga kilos protesta. Naduduwag na sila ka-pag nandiyan na sa aktuwal na labanan. Kung ganoon, sana, tumahimik na lang

kung natatakot namang ipaglaban ang kanilang karapatan.

***************************Nagbunyi ang buong industriya

maritima ng bansa nang maratipikahan na ang Maritime Labour Convention. Ito ay isang pagpapatunay na kinikilala natin ang kabayanihan ng ating ma-rino kaya nararapat lang na mabigyan sila ng angkop na proteksiyon. Ang na-kalulungkot lang, may mga grupo na ipinagmamayabang na adhikain nilang makatulong sa mga marino kaya gusto nilang pumunta sa kongreso dahil doon nila gustong ipaglaban ang ating mga marino sa pamamagitan ng paggawa ng batas. Nakalulungkot din, hindi ko sila nakikita sa mga panahong naghahanap ang ating mga marino ng masasanda-lan. May ibang tao nga diyan na ipinag-mamalaki na bagamat hindi sila marino, ang puso nila ay tumitibok para sa ating

mga kawawang marino. Kaya hayun, tumakbo sila sa party list upang mapa-ngalagaan daw nila ang kapakanan ng ating mga marino. Naalala ko tuloy ang isang kongresista na iniwan ang kan-yang distrito dahil gustong kumatawan sa mga maralitang magbabalut. Kahit hindi naman daw siya isang lehitimong magbabalut, kumakain din naman siya ng balut.

***************************Marami nang nakabimbing panu-

kalang batas sa kongreso para sa in-dustriya maritima na kumakain lang ng alikabok kaya hindi na kailangang mag-karooon pa tayo ng isang marino na ga-gastos ng milyones para lang sumali sa party list election upang magsulat kuno ng isang panukalang batas para sa mga marino. Ang dapat nilang gawin ay su-mama na lang sila sa grupo ng mga taga industriya ng maritima na palaging

kasali sa Technical Working Group sa pinag-uusapang mga panukalang ba-tas at sa mga nagla-lobby sa kongreso. Uulitin ko ang aking payo sa ating mga kabaro na may balak tumakbo sa darat-ing na eleksiyon. Maghunos dili kayo. Huwag ninyong sayangin ang inyong pagod at pera dahil hindi naman kayo mananalo.

***************************Ito ang kailangan nating gawin.

Kailangan nating palakasin ang ating fl ag registry katulad ng Panama at Liberia na may libu-libong barko na nakarehistro sa kanilang bansa. Kinakailangan din na mapalakas ang ating transhipment of cargo katulad ng bansang Singapore at Hongkong. Bagamat mas maliit pa ang bansang Singapore at Hongkong kaysa Mindanao, higit na matatag ang kanil-ang ekonomiya dahil sa transhipment of

UGONG NG MAKINA AT IKOT NG ELISIENGR. NELSON P. RAMIREZMost Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1996Most Outstanding Student, ZNSAT, 1970Outstanding Achiever of the Year, Province of Zamboanga del Norte, 2006

Ito ang kailangan nating gawin

TURN TO PAGE 43

MMMMOO


Twenty-fi ve cadets who completed Hanjin Ocean Manila, Inc.’s Offi cer Cadetship Program are now the proud owners of Certifi cates of Appointment

handed to them personally by Hanjin Ship Manage-ment, Inc.’s Vice President Jong-Tae Kim at the 2012 Welcome Ceremony for Junior Top Leaders held at the Pan Pacifi c Hotel in Malate, Manila recently. The cer-tifi cates signify their holders’ deployment as junior of-fi cers in the vast commercial fl eet operated by Hanjin Ship Management, Co. Ltd.

“Please note that Hanjin Shipping will continue to grow in the shipping market,” Jong-Tae Kim told the new junior offi cers in his inspirational speech. “We now have 117 vessels under operation and over 3,000 Filipi-nos in our Philippine shipyard, plus 400 working world-wide in ocean and continental vessels,” he added.

Jong-Tae Kim imparted some important pieces of fatherly advice for the young junior offi cers as they embark soon on their seafaring careers.

He urged them to always observe safety in the workplace, noting that at the Hanjin shipyard opera-tion, this is the group’s “paramount case in the ship-ping business.” He emphasized the value of maintain-ing good relationships and effective communications as important elements in having bon voyage. Finally, he reminded them to keep on learning and to continue to develop themselves, not only for their career growth

in the company, but also for their future life.While expressing the hope that the new junior

offi cers would fi nd value and take pride in their employ-ment with the Korean shipping giant, he provided them a glimpse of what’s in store for them in the future and what it would take to get there.

“I hope you will take pride in being members of the Hanjin Shipping Group and do your best to become top ocean leaders. On the strength of your teamwork, open mind, open communication, patience and profes-sionalism, you will eventually be the masterminds of Hanjin Shipping Group who will help us reach our goal of becoming the most competitive shipping company in the world,” the Hanjin executive emphasized.

“The program is the Hanjin Shipping Group’s response to the need to fastrack the development of shipboard offi cers, given the increasing global de-mand for them,” said Capt. Rudolfo Peralta, Training Manager of Hanjin Ocean Manila, Inc., a spin-off from Korpil Ship Management, Inc., and which will now be handling the group’s manning business. “Graduates of the program are hired immediately as junior offi cers for their entry positions, bypassing the usual rating posi-tions seafarers take in the early stage of their career,” he added.

According to C/Engr. Meliton Paragas, Han-jin Ocean Manila’s General Manager, the company

has entered into memoranda of agreements with two highly-reputable maritime institutions which deliver the program based on a curriculum structure prescribed by Hanjin. These institutions are the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University in Iloilo City and the University of Cebu in Cebu City.

Program intake each year number 25 cadets, while another 25 are fi nishing theirs, for a total of 50 cadets in the program at any one year.

Following the ceremony was a sumptuous buffet lunch after which a short program got underway, fea-turing cadets in training and the new junior offi cers as performers. The audience, particularly the VIPs, were seen thoroughly enjoying themselves as they watched the entertainment numbers that included drag dancing and macho-dancing, songs and even magic tricks.

One got the feeling while watching the perfor-mances that there will be no dull moments onboard vessels where these new offi cers will fi nd themselves assigned.

Aside from Jong-Tae Kim, other VIPs from the Hanjin Shipping Group who witnessed the ceremony included: Jong-Ill Lee and Chae-Pil Yu, President and Director, respectively, Korpil Ship Management; Jeong Kwan Lee, Ph. D. and Hyon-jong Kim, Training Director and Manager, respectively, Hanjin Ship Management; and, Kyu-Ha Lee, of Hanjin Shipping. Also present at the ceremony was Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez, President of the United Filipino Seafarers and Tinig ng Marino Publisher and Executive Editor.

The new junior offi cers are: Deck Department—Churchill E. Baclayon, Benjamin S. Baduya, Matthew Bernard L. Benitez, Neal Andrew A. Buscar, Eric E. Costimiano, Jerick G. Diongson, Jay-y T. Flores, Johndel L. Gallego, Ronel Victor C. Hisoler, Jeremia T. Javellana, Dhanrose Raymund O. Llianto, and Ian Cris D. Vega. Engine Department—Ariel E. Damasco, Alkai Cris M. Dumalaos, Elmar O. Enero, Jemar T. Figuracion, Mark Vincent V. Forrosuello, Alfred Ley A. Genovesa, Jayson N. Libo-on, Rico Kenneth T. Locsin, Jaymel O. Lorezo, Rayjamel G. Malcontento, Rolly G. Morillo, and Robenson B. Talledo.

Ms. Ehm Sagun, a rare lady third mate in the predominantly man’s world of seafaring, was the mas-ter of ceremonies.

Hanjin Appoints New Junior Offi cers

VIP of Hanjin, K.H Lee (Hanjin Shipping VIP), J.P Yu (Korpil Consultant), J.I Lee (Korpil President), J.T Kim (Vice President, Hanjin Ship Management), J.K Lee (HSM Training Center Director), H.J Kim (H. Ocean Manila - HSM owner’s representative)

Right Photo: Hanjin Shipmanagement VIP’s with the staff headed by C/E Meliton Paragas & Capt. Rodolfo Peralta.

The newly appointed Junior Offi cers of Hanjin Shipma-nagement.

James Mante, Nelson P. Ramirez, Capt.Rodolfo Peralta and Chief Engr. Meliton Paragas.

Vice President Jong-Tae Kim presents the Certifi cate of Appointment to one of the junior offi cers.


leagues but to the new crews.Posh believes in pushing for

higher standards but there are still unavoidable circumstances that arise during operations attributed to human error, such as disregard in using protective gears. This is why a seminar like this was created to avoid accidents on and offshore from happening. “In the offi ce we regu-larly have a meeting once a month also. We review and gauge the per-formance of people at sea. We want to identify weakness in the system. That is why we put in new seminars, presentations and materials. A lot of it from experience we’ve seen, what they should or shouldn’t do, and we put them in the seminar,” Sim said.

As much as possible, Posh would like to present real scenarios of negligence at sea and invite peo-ple who have experienced the actual incident to make the seafarers aware of the problems they would encoun-ter and prevent them from happen-ing. POSH spends a considerable amount to fund its seminars but the knowledge and skills they impart to seafarers are worth every cent. Ac-

cording to Mr. Sim, the money they spend is outweighed by the lives they save and the accidents they prevent at sea. The fi nancial impact of the accident and the lives lost dur-ing accidents cannot be equated to the money they invest on their semi-nars.

“It is diffi cult to measure the output after the training but I believe that if you don’t conduct trainings, lives could be lost and it outweighs whatever money you spent (for it). If they don’t do the right things, the ship hits another vessel. If they don’t ask the questions. The loss, the fi -nancial impact of the accident or the lives lost is worthy of this invest-ment,” Sim added.

“This is why we enforce the stop work policy if our crew fi nd the con-dition at sea to be too dangerous to continue. We give them full authority to stop work. And fi nancially it might not be good for us and our clients whose operations would get affected but ultimately, it is better for our crew to stop before accidents happen and people die. This is something we emphasize to our people.”

7th Sea Staff Seminar: “An enterprise of excellence”FROM PAGE 8

By: Floyd Buenavente


Outstanding Seafarer of the Year, NSD, 1998Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1999 Technical Superintendent, SWAN Shipping Corporation

C/ENGR. RODOLFO B. VIRTUDAZO

VAST HORIZON

Humility Is A Great Virtue

TURN TO PAGE 20

Because our culture believes humility serves only to help people accept themselves as fail-ures, we avoid it as we do anything associated

with failure. I am privileged to share the lessons I have learned from this book, “So I’m Not Perfect: A Psychol-ogy of Humility” by Robert Furey.

I learned that humility is sometimes associ-ated with negativism. People often mistake humility for something that will hold them down because they have to face the fact that they have fl aws and that knowing it will not get them far. With that way of think-ing, they tend to neglect the value of humility.

Many people get too absorbed with how much they have achieved and accomplished that they do not get to grasp the essence of their very being. They get so caught up with fame, fortune and other worldly things making it harder for them to regain confi dence when they lose what they have-when they fail.

We need humility because it helps us acknowl-edge that we have certain limitations. It helps us un-derstand that having limitations is not failure it is nor-mal to fail.

Human development and education have virtu-ally ignored humility. It is quite uncommon to fi nd a dis-cussion on living with life’s limitations because most textbooks concentrate on developing potentials.

It is only through humility that we can truly nur-

ture our spiritual being. Humility is the bridge between our psychological and spiritual dimensions. If in our psychological aspect humility means the acceptance of our imperfection, in our spiritual aspect humility de-scribes an acceptance of our place in the universe.

Without humbling ourselves, we won’t recognize that there is a higher being—that God exists. Humility does not point us to God, it allows us to receive God. There is more to scientifi c fi ndings in the universe and that we should not feel intimidated or frightened at the existence of God. It guides from our psychological or-bit to our spiritual region.

Imagine your life without humility; without it you will demand to reach for chimerical set of goals. While there is nothing wrong with being ambitious, it is unhealthy to prescribe ourselves with unrealistic de-mands.

Frustrations and disappointments will certainly sink in. One will feel he is a huge letdown if he failed to live up to his dreams. We all struggle to accept things about ourselves which we do not want to accept. Our fl aws will not be much harder to deal with thanks to humility.

We become aware that some things about us will not change—our biological parents, our past, etc. We however also become aware that we can change our negative perception in life to a more positive one.

If I become blind and doctors said there is nothing they can do about it then that becomes one of my physical limitations. I accept that I will never be able to see the beauty of the world again but that will not stop me from developing myself into being a creative person. I can still hear; I can become a musician. I can still feel; I can become a sculptor.

Pride is a positive characteristic which can eas-ily become destructive. The proud yet humble man feels good about himself for who he is. He does not need to elevate himself on the failures of others be-cause he is also aware of his limitations, he retains a feeling of admiration for humanity. His humility allows him to have pride in others. This is the feeling of “I’m damn good at such and such, but all I know I’m no bet-ter than anyone else.”

Pride is actually a healthy feeling. There used to be a tinge of guilt whenever I become proud of myself. I believe it is because I have developed this mentality that pride—in whatever shape and size, is a sin. For is it not one of the seven capital sins?

The thing about too much pride is it makes a person arrogant, conceited and egomaniacal. Tak-ing pride upon oneself is actually a motivation but it can destroy you if it gets to your head. The feeling is never a problem; how it is communicated to others can be. That is when humility breaks in, it keeps a person grounded. It reminds us to be thankful of our blessings. It prompts us when our pride begins to hurt other people. Confucius said that: “The superior man is modest in his speech, but exceeds in his actions.”

The difference between the healthy and the un-healthy pride is that a person with healthy pride can, by his own volition, step out of the competitive arena. People with unhealthy pride extremely triumph over their victories and wallow in their defeat. They are never contented, never satisfi ed. They become bitter and persist in making themselves appear fi ne. What they do not know is that they have inferiority complex making them seem to be perpetually in battle.

Feelings of inferiority develop on the basis of how we interpret our life experiences. Sometimes we are afraid to open up to each other because we feel in-ferior. We feel inferior because of our humiliating expe-riences. We felt humiliated because we were laughed at. Humiliation leads to feelings of inferiority which, in turn, often leads to more anti-social behavior.

Humiliation and humility are not connected with each other. Inferiority results from repeated hu-miliations. Humility, on the other hand, results from the acceptance of our imperfection. We encounter our limitations and learn to accept them through humbling experiences.

Once a person is able to accept his limitations, he will fi nd out that he is not different from the oth-ers. People are all the same because everyone has limitations. A humbling experience can also hurt us at


Virjen Shipping Corporation, one of the pillars of the local maritime and manning industry, marked its

40th anniversary last August 17 with a dinner-program held at the historic Manila Hotel attended by government offi cials, representatives of its foreign principals, company offi cers, industry stakeholders, friends and relatives.

Among the guests were POEA Ad-ministrator Hans Cacdac; MARINA Offi -cer-in-Charge Nicasio Conti; JX Shipping President Masao Miyakawa; Kambara Kisen Company Ltd. President Akio Jo; Taiyo Nippon Kisen Company Ltd. Direc-tor Shinsei Nakanishi; AMOSUP Presi-dent Dr. Conrado Oca, and; United Fili-pino Seafarers (UFS) President and Tinig ng Marino Executive Editor Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez.

Earlier, on August 15, the company received the distinction as one of the 12 companies accorded with the “Polaris Star Maritime Award” by the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and the PMMA Alumni Association headed by Capt. Jess Morales.

According to Virjen Shipping Presi-dent Ericson “Eric” Marquez, they have been very blessed with the kind of growth they have achieved in the last 40 years.

“In truth,” he said, “we’re not just Virjen Shipping anymore. We have grown to be a group of companies consisting of fi ve fi rms focusing on the shipping busi-ness and one on real estate development

and management.” Those engaged in manning, ship

management and related services are: Virjen Shipping Corporation, Mercury Shipping Corporation, Veritas Maritime Corporation, Pilipinas Crown Maritime, Inc., and Caravel Philippine Navigation, Inc. Marc Properties, Inc. is the 6th mem-ber of the group.

The Virjen Shipping group fi elds some 3,000 offi cers and crew aboard 120 ships owned largely by Japanese prin-cipals. Ninety percent of the ships are manned by a full Filipino complement of offi cers and ratings, with the VLCC’s be-ing the exception. They have around 150 land-based staff complement.

The real-estate company manag-es the 19-storey Marc 2000 Tower in San Andres, where the different fi rms in the group hold their offi ces, and the mid-sized commercial building beside it that used to house their offi ces when the group was much smaller in size.

Outside the “core” group is yet an-other manning company, Phoenix Mari-time, managed by Marquez’ two sons-in-law operating in Makati, and an array of joint venture companies with various partners holding interests in logistics, tug boat operations, shipyard operations, port operations and a 7-storey dormitory for seafarers.

Indeed, not a modest “business empire” for a 40-year old business! Yet, the setting up of Virjen Shipping in 1972,

with manning as its core business, was a step Marquez described as a “sliding down” from their earlier experience in ship ownership and management. Might they be planning of “sliding up” in the future?

Succeeding as a second generation

“Apart from the size and growth achieved by Virjen Shipping, what makes us most proud about reaching this impor-tant milestone in our corporate history is that we have succeeded as a second gen-eration,” Marquez, who is also the past president of the Filipino Association for Mariners’ Employment (FAME), empha-sized.

Marquez was the product of the mentorship in the shipping business from no less than his own father, Virjen Shipping founder Ponciano Marquez. A prominent fi gure in post-war Philippine shipping, the elder Marquez rose to be a trusted professional manager at Madrigal Shipping, from the time of Don Vicente Madrigal himself, and later on, with sons Don Jose and Don Antonio.

He also had stints as Managing Director and industrial partner at Victoria Shipping (later on to be known as Baliwag Shipping) and as industrial partner at MM Shipping, the fi rst ship owning fi rm he es-tablished.

Ponciano Marquez was a remark-able man. He was not a seafarer nor did he have training in any maritime discipline, which also holds true for the younger Marquez. And while he circulated among the richest names in Philippine society, he was not to the manor born. In fact, he was a poor boy “with an impossible dream it seemed, that someday he would over-come poverty.” Growing up, he would wake up early in the morning by the shores of Barrio Dongalo in Paranaque, so he could help returning fi sherman carry their catch in exchange for a “share of the fi sh for his fam-ily’s meal.”

Ponciano Marquez was very intelligent, however, par-laying this into a high school diploma at the top of his class and a college business degree on scholarship, despite the handicap of being a working student. Prior to his joining Mad-rigal Shipping where he honed

his management and shipping skills, he worked with the defunct newspaper, The Philippines Herald and got wired in to the journalistic orbits of three of the most prominent men of letters of the Philip-pines in that era, namely: Gen. Carlos P. Romulo, Salvador P. Lopez (under whom he served as secretary), and Modesto Farolan. (Incidentally, all three would later on serve as the country’s top diplomat as secretary of foreign affairs.)

It was these obviously big pair of shoes that Eric Marquez was to fi ll when his father decided to turn over the stew-ardship of the company to him in the late 1980s, less than 20 years after its found-ing. But he had been mentored well and, obviously, learned his lessons well, too. He stayed close to his father’s legacy and vision for the company and man-aged to lead it to greater heights during his watch.

Founder’s legacyEric Marquez shares his father’s

strong belief that the Filipino can be the best seafarers in the world. The story is told that on its fi rst vessel, the MV Sin-gapura Pertama, the elder Marquez in-sisted on a full Filipino crew when the ship owner wanted only the ratings, with the following words: “If you cannot trust our offi cers, I cannot give you our ratings.” He got his way that fi rst time. And it has stayed that way ever since. This approach earned for Nissho Shipping, their princi-pal, the distinction of being the “Pioneer Shipowner Employing Full Filipino Crew”

Virjen Shipping Marks 40th Year

TURN TO PAGE 38

From left: Richard Marquez, Eric Marquez, Virginia Marquez, Ferdinand Marquez and Dijen Gallidon.

The 40th anniversary celebration shows off world-class presentations.Mr. Akio Jo, president of Kambara Kisen, and Mr. Eric Marquez, president of Virjen Shipping Corporation.

By: James S. Mante

Above photo shows Masao Miyakawa, the president of JX Shipping.


fi rst but in the end, it gives us the will to recognize who we really are.

People who feel inferior usually counteract their low self-esteem with feelings of superiority. They feel they are not good enough so they begin to form a “mission;” to be better than everyone else. What they fail to realize is that the more they want to become su-perior, the more they become alone. People who feel superior to others distance themselves from everyone else.

When I was in high school, I was intimidated by the other boys in my class. They looked intelligent and classy. Some kids in my block were writers and po-ets. They had wider vocabularies than me. Their ideas were comparable to a smooth-sailing ship whereas I would always hesitate and test the water fi rst. I also noticed that some of my friends had good oral skills. I believe I am good in that, too but when caught off guard, I sometimes stammered. I would be at a loss for words. They however could handle those impec-cably. They gave great ad-lib performances like ac-complished extemporaneous speakers.

Little did I realize that the more I compared my-self to them, the more I felt like shrinking, making me insecure. Whenever they did something great, I took it as a way of discouragement. I felt inferior.

I decided I had to beat them. I didn’t want to lose. I didn’t want to accept that even if I have a talent in this and that, some people were better than me. I wanted to be greater than them… I wanted to be su-perior. I, however, would seem to always fail each time I attempted to unleash my “powers.” It was like trying to reach the top of a cliff and falling when I wasn’t even

midway yet. My feelings of inferiority and superiority would alternate, it was a vicious cycle.

I was only able to get out of it when I thought that “shit happens” but seriously, we could always convert any negative thought and action into something good and positive. A cousin of mine taught me that there are times when our expectations will not be met, times when we will fail. All I needed was to accept it. If I can’t beat them, I can join them.

I laughed. It was so simple! How come I wasn’t able to perceive them earlier? So all I needed was a pep talk. What I did next? Well, since I was not as developed as them, I asked them if they could give me a few pointers. I set aside my pride and I was able to relate with them more. We were all able to make our bond stronger because we were able to accept ourselves and each other.

Humor can also reverse a humiliation. We can’t be laughed at by others if we are laughing along with them. Along with not putting on false identities, being able to inject humor in our lives is another key to a healthy relationship. It is because humor directed at ourselves communicates humility. Being able to laugh at ourselves is also a way to accept our mistakes. It actually eases our feelings when we get humiliated.

Children are not aware of their limitations. Nev-ertheless, I must state that adults will develop humility based on how they grew up, how they were raised. Children feel inferior, too not because of their capa-bilities but because of their lack of “power.” The child develops self-esteem primarily on the basis of how parents and authorities act toward them.

I hark back to the time when my youngest sister,

told me, “It’s not good to be the youngest in the fam-ily after all.” When I asked her why, she told me she doesn’t like it because she was always bossed around by my other sisters and brothers. She wanted to grow up so that no one can boss her around. I made her understand that being the youngest is not that bad. In fact, being the youngest has a lot of benefi ts. And with a sheepish grin, I told her that she has the right not to obey if she thinks that she is being enslaved by them. Of course, I might have taught her something mean but the point is: She was tired of being the youngest, tired of being a child.

If many parents were to be evaluated, I believe that many tend to hold their children with a leash on their neck. Grown-ups love to be in control because being in control is a façade to their weaknesses. Who else can parents control but their children?

Jealousy represents the projection of our disap-pointment in us. A person who cannot accept that he has imperfections becomes jealous of others. A jeal-ous person lives a miserable life because he has low self-esteem. He covets people who appear better be-cause they make him look worse. Jealousy is a result of falling short of humility. Humility teaches us how to accept our shortcomings. The amount of humility we possess is indirectly proportional to our jealousy.

The feeling of sincere gratitude is an important humbling experience. There are times when a person fi nds it diffi cult to say thank you. Perhaps it is because he doesn’t want to be indebted to the one who helped him. If that is the case, the person lacks humility. Sin-cere gratitude is not about following a protocol. Saying “thank you” is admitting we need help from others. It means we are honest enough to say that there are some things we cannot do by ourselves. If we refuse to admit the need for others, we become arrogant. Without feelings of gratitude and appreciation, we may become incapable of love.

I believe this is somehow similar with asking for forgiveness. Many of us do not know how to say “sorry” simply because we don’t want to acknowledge the fact that we have erred. If we have come to terms with our shortcomings, apologizing will seem to be like a Herculean task.

If I can accept who I am, in spite of my imperfec-tion, I am ready to present myself to God. Humility is the best travel companion as we journey through life in trying to get closer to God. I don’t think we could ever acknowledge that there is indeed a Higher Be-ing without humility. For without it, we can only rely on what our physical body perceives.

To see is to believe, as the cliché goes. But this applies more to scientifi c approaches in life. God is beyond that. For some, acknowledging the presence of God makes them lower. They doubt whether God exists or not. Their presumptions only make them ar-rogant and fearful. It is because they feel God is a threat to them. It is different for people with healthy spirituality. They are able to mature spiritually because they humble themselves to God. They are able to ac-cept not only their imperfection but also those around them. Mother Teresa is an example of a person who has the heartfelt humility.

There is no greater limitation to our being than death. Death limits our lives and the lives of our loved ones. The denial of death starts in our childhood. Some parents get extremely alarmed when their children ask them about death. They are also afraid to tackle the

FROM PAGE 18Humility Is A Great Virtue

VAST HORIZON

TURN TO PAGE 34


Kamakailan lang, mababasa sa isang business newspaper ang isang artikulong naglan-

tad ng nakababahalang resulta ng isang pananaliksik tungkol sa pag-iipon. Ibabahagi ko ang ilang bahagi ng artikulong iyon. Ibabahagi ko rin sa inyo ang pananaw at kumento ng CFE team sa susunod na artikulo.

“Mas kaunti ang ipon ang mga pamilyang Pilipino kahit na tumataas ang kanilang kita. Nakababahala ito lalo na’t ang mga pamilyang hindi nag-iipon ay naghihigpit na rin pati sa mga mahahalagang gastusin gaya ng edukasyon.

Gamit ang impormasyon na nakalap ng Family Income and Ex-penditure Survey (FIES) na isina-sagawa kada tatlong taon, sinabi ng National Statistical Coordination Board (NSCB) na bumaba ang to-toong halagang naiipon ng isang ma-mayang Pilipino kada taon. Lumiit din ang bahagi ng kita na isinasantabi bi-lang ipon ng bawat pamilya: 16.4% noong 2003, 14.8% noong 2006, at 14.9% noong 2009.

Ibig sabihin nito, sa kada Php100 na kita, Php15-16 ang napunta sa ipon. Ito ang sinabi ni NSCB Secretary General Romulo L. Virola sa website ng agensya: “Hindi pantay-pantay ang kita ng mga pa-milya sa buong bansa. Kung gayon, marami sa atin ay walang ipon o kaya’y mas mababa pa sa 15% ng kita ang naipon.”

Dalawa sa tatlong pamilya ang nakakapag-ipon ng Php23-25 sa kada Php100 na kita. Ang gas-tos ng mga hindi nakakapag-ipon ay tumaas nang 14-15% kaysa sa kanilang kita noong 2003-2009. Mas malaking bahagi nito ang napunta sa pagkain. “Katulad nito ang mga nakaraang analisis na mas malak-ing bahagi ng kita ng mga mahihirap ang napupunta sa pagkain kaysa sa mga hindi mahihirap,” ayon pa kay Ginoong Viola.

Mas malaki ang ginagastos sa alak at sigarilyo ng mga mga hindi nag-iipon. Isinasangtabi na rin ang

edukasyon dahil ‘hindi na nila kay-ang pag-aralin ang mga anak’ o dahil ‘hindi na masyadong pinapahalaga-han ang edukasyon gaya ng dati.’ Sa mga hindi nag-iipon, ang bahagi ng kita na nilalaan para sa edukasyon ay bumaba sa 2.62% noong 2009 mula sa 2.67% noong 2006. Nang

tanungin si Peter Lee U, ekonomista ng University of Asia and the Pacifi c, sinabi niya na nakababahala ang im-pormasyon na ito. Kailangan din daw imbestigahan pa ang balitang isina-santabi na ng mga hindi nag-iipon ang edukasyon.

Ayon sa pananaliksik, mas reg-

ular ang pag-iipon ng mga tahanang pinamumunuan ng mga kababaihan kaysa sa mga tahanang pinamumu-nuan ng kalalakihan. Kapag babae ang namumuno, mas kaunti ang gina-gastos sa pagkain, mga kagamitang

FRANCISCO J. COLAYCOChairman, Colayco Foundation for EducationEntrepreneur, Venture Developer and Financial Advisor

PISOBILITIES

Nakakabahalang Impormasyon Tungkol sa Pag-iipon

TURN TO PAGE 23


Rogelio Santos (not his real name) was a Chief Cook for a reputable manning agency for

years.A year after his wife passed

away, Rogelio himself was diagnosed with a heart condition and had to have a major surgery abroad.

It was in one of his check-ups in a hospital here in Manila when he was approached by a fellow who told him he could get more than what his company could offer him and at a faster way...to fi le a case against his company.

He was then brought to an of-fi ce owned by Capt. Hook (not his real name) and introduced to his lawyer Atty. Slim Shady (not his real name).

Looking back C/C Santos says, “Hindi ko rin po alam kung ano yung iniisip ko noong panahong iyon. Si-yempre maraming bagay ang naglaro sa utak ko. Kamamatay lamang ng asawa ko at nagbabayad pa ako sa na-gastos namin. Tapos nandiyan pa ang tatlo kong mga anak. Pwede pa na-man po sana akong sumakay uli pero natakot din po ako kasing pumirma ng waiver sa kompanya ko. May kaibigan po kasi ako dati na naputol yung daliri,

naibalik naman po at pagkatapos noon ay pumirma siya ng waiver at sumakay uli. Habang nasa barko siya, namaga ang kaniyang daliri matapos ang tat-long buwan kaya nauwi rin sa wala.”

Aside from his personal rea-sons, Capt. Hook and Atty. Slim Shady really knew the right things to say to Santos who admits to not being very well-versed in law.

“Magaling din po talaga silang magsalita. Kapag nagpakita ako ng pagdadalawang-isip ay kaya nila uli akong kumbinsihin.”

The plan was for him to fi le a total disability claim, with his lawyer getting 20% from the amount Santos would be getting. During that time, the “company” allowed C/C Santos cash advances for his needs.

Santos who admitted to having a very good manning agency and ship-ping company said he regretted fi ling a case against his agency and at one point he talked to his lawyer about withdrawing it.

“Nagsisi talaga ako at sinabi ko sa kanila (the fi rm) na iaatras ko na ang kaso. Nabigla lang naman din kasi talaga ako eh. Ayaw ko na tala-

gang magdemanda. Yung may-ari ng agency na pinagtrabahuan ko mabait naman, yung may-ari ng barko, naging kaibigan ko rin naman kaya talagang hiyang-hiya ako.”

When Santos voiced it out how-ever, Atty. Slim Shady said that it was already impossible to back out. Ac-cording to the lawyer, once a case has been fi led in court the complainant cannot withdraw it anymore whatever happens.

When the money was fi nally granted, his lawyer took 10% from the $70,000 given to Santos. However to Santos’ surprise, he took another 20% after the money was converted into our currency.

“Nagulat din talaga ako kasi hin-di naman yun ang usapan pero hindi na lang din ako nagsalita.”

While Santos is not someone who can be described as meek, he said that every time he would try to complain, the right-hand-guy/body-guard of Atty. Slim Shady would indi-rectly threaten him. Even Capt. Hook once put his gun on a table while talk-ing to Santos when the latter talked about withdrawing the case.

“Kapag nagreklamo po ako ipa-pakita sa akin yung baril. Hindi naman po tinututok, ipapakita lang gaya ng minsan eh ilalapag sa mesa sa hara-pan ko.”

As subtle as the threat was it was still a threat and Santos who af-ter his wife’s demise is a single par-ent to three kids, one of them barely a year old resorted to keeping his mouth shut.

All in all what was supposed to be P3.4M disability pay for Santos became P1.8 and then Santos had another unpleasant surprise when he was asked to pay P600,000.00 for his cash advances.

According to Santos, “Yun tala-ga nagtaka ako kasi nililista ko naman yung mga cash advances ko. Pati mga resibo tinago ko kaya alam ko na mga P130,000.00 lang ang na-advance ko. Wala naman din po kaming usapang may interes iyon.”

After all his “bills” were settled, Santos said the bodyguard and driver of Atty. Slim Shady would even contact him asking him for “balato.”

After they got their money the group even tried to lure Santos into “convincing” other seafarers to fi le cases against their agencies. When he declined they just totally disappeared from Santos’ life.

“Siyempre hindi rin kaya ng konsensya ko na gawin sa mga tulad kong marino yung ginawa nila sa akin kaya talagang humindi ako sa kanila. Pagkatapos noon, nawala na sila. Ako nag-move on na lang din.”

Right now Santos can say he

has fully moved on from what hap-pened. With what’s left of the money granted to him, Santos bought a van which he would rent out to his clients. Aside from that, his experience as a cook helped him in managing his own carinderia. He also has a small carin-deria. His two older sons who are both seafarers also help out with their ex-penses.

“Tanggap ko nang hindi ko na makukuha pang muli yung nakuha nila sa akin pero sana wala na rin po si-lang mabiktimang iba. Alam ko po kung gaano kahirap ang trabaho ng mga marino.”

Santos is not the fi rst seafarer victimized by these “ambulance-chas-ers,” neither will he be the last. His own sister-in-law was victimized by another group.

“Marami po talaga sila. Siguro may mga dalawa pang grupong lu-mapit sa akin. Hindi ko na po maku-kuha kung ano yung dapat ay sa akin. Wala na yun. Ang akin lang ay sana wala na si-lang iba pang mabiktima.”

According to Atty. Geraldine Rullan-Borromeo “One should always remember that every lawyer is bound by the Code of Professional Respon-sibility and any action that violates the Canons of this Code makes that lawyer unfi t for the practice of law and subject to sanction.”

In the case of overseas workers who are medically repatriated to the Philippines, the illness of the repatri-ated workers merits from lawyers an even more sensitive and stringent ap-plication of the Code.

Complainant (Santos), versus his manning agency, and/or shipping company and/or owner of the man-ning agency, fi led in the national labor Relations Commission (NLRC). In this case, after the case was settled, the Complainant and Respondents both

TURN TO PAGE 26

Ambulance chasers, runners, arbiters, insurance et al mafi a b l h bit i t l fiUnholy Alliance Part 3


hindi pangmatagalan, damit, at sapa-tos. Samantalang kung lalaki ang na-mumuno, mas maliit ang ginagastos sa libangan, espesyal na okasyon, at mga kontribusyon. Sa mga ta-hanang hindi nag-iipon, mas malaki ang ginagastos sa personal care at kontribusyon kapag babae ang na-mumuno, at mas malaki naman ang ginagastos sa alak, sigarilyo, at mga kagamitang pangmatagalan kung la-laki naman ang namumuno.

Pareho lang ang resultang na-kita kung ikukumpara ang pag-iipon ng mga may-asawa at mga walang asawa. Pero mas kaunti ang gastos ng mga binata/dalaga sa pagkain, gas, kuryente, tubig, edukasyon, mga kagamitan, at pananatili ng ba-hay. Mas kaunti naman ang ginagas-tos ng may asawa sa libangan, alak, regalo, at mga kontribusyon.

Kapag walang asawa ang na-mumuno sa tahanan na hindi nag-iipon, 15% lang ang kakulangan sa budget. Samantalang 16% ang kaka-pusan ng mga tahanang hindi nag-iipon at mag-asawa ang namumuno.

Ayon kay Mr. Virola, isang dahilan ito kung bakit mas kaunti ngayon ang nagpapakasal. ‘Maliwanag na ang hamon sa ating mga simpleng tao na wala sa Forbes List ay kung paano gagamitin nang mas maayos ang pera natin. Kailangang higpitan ang paggastos sa mga hindi kailangan upang magkaroon ng sapat para sa mga mas mahaga,’ sabi niya.

Ito ang aming kumento sa Co-layco Foundation sa mga nakababa-halang Pananaliksik tungkol sa pag-iipon.Guita T. Gopalan, Managing Direc-tor:

“Sa maraming taon na isinusu-long ng Colayco Foundation ang edukasyong pinansyal at kalayaang pinansiyal, napansin namin na ang problema ng pag-iipon sa lahat ng uri ng tao – mula sa mga kumikita ng daan-daang libo hanggang sa mga tagawalis ng kalsada.

Salamat sa kagandahang loob ng aming mga kasosyo, kami sa Co-layco Foundation ay nakakapagturo sa mga taong maliit lang ang kita gaya ng mga trabahador sa factory, drayber ng traysikel, tagapaglinis,

at iba pa. Lagi naming napapansin na kahit gaano kaliit ang kita, lag-ing gumagastos ang mga pamilya para sa libangan. Sa maraming kaso, nakasalamuha namin ang maraming pamilya na lubog sa utang pero ginagastusan pa rin ang luho. Kahit na mas maliit ang ginagastos nila sa mga luho kumpara sa mga pangangailangan, ang ganoong uga-li ang dahilan kung bakit hindi sila makalaya sa pauli-ulit na utang at kakapusan.

Nakababahalang isipin na ang paraan ng paggastos ng mga mahi-hirap ay kagaya ng mga may-kaya at mayayaman. Hindi na nga nag-iipon, mayroon pang malaking utang, kung kaya’t walang yaman na lumalago ang karamihan sa mga Pilipino.”Armand Bengco, Executive Direc-tor:

“Matatawag na habit ang pag-iipon – isang paulit-ulit na gawain. Mahirap itong simulan katulad ng ibang magandang habit gaya ng pag-eehersisyo, pagkain ng tama, paghinto sa paninigarilyo at iba pa. Bakit kaya ganoon? Dahil mararam-daman ang magandang epekto nito

matapos pa ang ilang taon. Saman-talang buhay na buhay ang ilusyon ng biglang pagyaman. Hindi nag-iipon ang Pilipino dahil iniisip nyang pinagkakaitan niya ang sarili tuwing nag-iipon siya. Malaki ang pinagkaiba kung gumastos na lang sa libangan at pagsho-shopping na nagbibigay agad ng kasiyahan na mabilis din na-mang nawawala.

Natatandaan ko ang aking sariling pagsusumikap na ayusin ang aking mga problemang pinansi-yal siyam na taon na ang nakalipas: lubog ako sa utang, maliit lang ang kita ko, at apat kaming kapamilya na sinusuportahan. Nakumbinse at ginanahan akong mag-ipon noong sinabihan ako ni Mr . Colayco, ‘Kung hindi mo kayang gawin lahat, bakit pipiliin mong wala na lang gawin? Magsimula ka kahit sa maliit!’ Tu-magos talaga sa akin iyon. Pwede akong magsimula sa maliit at unti-unting lakihan ang ipon kapag kaya na. Maaaring hindi pa ako mayaman, pero unti-unti ko iyong nakakamit. Ito ang pag-iisip at ugali na gusto kong ibahagi sa bawat isa.

PISOBILITIES

FROM PAGE 21

Nakakabahalang Impormasyon Tungkol sa Pag-iipon

To be continued next issue


On June 26, 2012, the offi cers and staff of Southeast Asia Ship-ping Corp. led by its president Atty. Romeo Dalusong and United Filipino Seafarers volunteer staff led by Engr. Nelson P.

Ramirez planted a thousand mangroove seedlings to rehabilitate the last coastal frontier of Metro Manila in Long Island, Parañaque as part of their marine environmental protection project. The island has eight different species of mangrooves and several bird species.

Long island and Freedom island are considered as eco tourism site and sanctuary for migratory birds like Siberian ruby throat, little and great egrets, chime egrets, king fi sher and and common fi sher.

Mangrove trees Mangrove trees for tomorrow for tomorrow

2006 (MLC, 2006). (See banner story.) We were the 30th International Labour Or-ganization (ILO) member state to do so, thus setting the stage for the enforceability of MLC, 2006 as part of international law by August 20, 2013, or about a year from now. MLC, 2006 is good news for seafarers because it guarantees them decent and safe working conditions and living quarters, fair terms of employment and so-cial protection, including health, medical care and welfare. It seeks to do away with exploitative and abusive practices of some shipowners, including contract substitu-tion, underpayment of wages and benefi ts, inhuman living quarters, ill-treatment and excessive working hours. It is also good news for shipowners because it clarifi es for them the stan-dards, the terms and conditions to be observed in engaging the services of seafar-ers. It also serves to level the playing fi eld by making it diffi cult for abusive shipown-ers to benefi t economically from practices that bring their operating costs down by the simple expedient of short-changing their seafarers. Thus, 2012 may yet prove to be a banner year for the Filipino seafarer. With the “single maritime administration” fashioned under EO 75, we bring ourselves closer to aligning our certifi cation, training and watchkeeping practices to those required by SCTW, as amended; in the process, we increase the assurance of continuing welcome by EU countries, and our long-term viability world-wide. With our ratifi cation of MLC, 2006, on the other hand, we keep in step with the Filipino seafarer in reaching for the ILO ideal of “decent work for all” and usher in a regime of a truly fair, caring, protective, safe, rewarding and enjoyable on-board engagement. It can’t get any better than that.

t ) W thEDITORIALEDITORIALFROM PAGE 4


Pirate attacks off the coasts of Somalia may have lulled in July this year. But authorities

have cautioned shipowners, manag-ers and seafarers alike against com-placency as this was traditionally a quiet time for the high seas crime, the International Maritime Bureau said.

Though the monsoon months of July and August have always had a handful of incidences, Cyrus Mody of the IMB said, last July was the fi rst time in fi ve years that no pirate at-tack occurred.

“It’s the fi rst time we’ve had a full month where nothing’s happened since before Somali piracy really grew into a major problem in 2007,” Mody said.

It’s diffi cult to be complacent especially for seafarers on ships that cruise the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Arabia and or the Somali Basin. It may not be a sign to an end of the growing menace as at-tacks are expected to resume when northwind monsoon ends.

NATO has also cautioned that the fi ght has not yet been won.

In 2011, nearly 4,000 seafar-ers were fi red upon by armed pirates as attacks on numerous ships and crews suffered heightened violence and fi repower, according to a study by the Oceans Beyond Piracy or-ganisation.

Violent attacks

In one incident, pirates in

two skiffs armed with AK47 and RPG (rocket propelled grenade) approached a crude tanker where they received fi res at a distance of 50m from the pirates, the study said. The pirates fi red at least seven RPG rounds and more than 300 rounds from AK47, it said.

Made in conjunction with the IMB, the study cited IMB reports from seafarers who came in close con-tacts with armed pirates that gained access to their ships. Forty-four per-cent of the 968 of such seafarers last year were rescued by naval forces from citadels of their ships, “often af-ter waiting for hours or days in terror and uncertainty about their fate as pirates actively fought to break into

the citadel.” As seafarers were attacked

and taken hostage after no rescue or rescue attempt failed, 555 of them had been kidnapped and held for months without proper nutrition, ac-cess to medical care, or communi-cation with their families. Eventually, they all suffered abuse by pirates, the report said.

Most of the victims were held hostage by an average of eight months. Apart from extreme abuse, hostage crews were used as hu-man shields. The report said 371 of the seafarers were used as human shields by the pirates against naval forces.

“One day pirates drew us out to the open deck, told us to turn back and stand still facing the sea side. Then we heard how they reloaded their machine guns. We understood nothing. We saw US Navy not far out and we were standing and waiting for about two hours . . .” the IMB quoted from a released seafarer.

Pirates often rarely retreat when they are fi red upon by armed security, but instead engage in fi re-fi ghts that put the crews at greater risk.

Of 35 hostages who died in 2011, eight seafarers were killed by pirates during an initial attack or af-ter being taken captive; eight from disease or malnutrition while being held; and 19 in cross-fi re while being used as human shields during hos-

tage rescue attempts. The IMB notes in the report the

experiences of the seafarers from 23 of the 77 vessels hijacked in 2010 and 2011 based on reports submit-ted by the Flag States of Liberia, the Marshall Islands, Panama and the Bahamas, various ship owners and operators, former hostages, and by the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme.

Although fewer hostages were captured in 2011, IMB says the vio-lence faced by seafarers who transit through the High Risk Area has not subsided. Apart from deprivation and unacceptable conditions once held as hostages, many seafarers have been treated to extreme vio-lence and deprivation.

IMB fi gures showed 149 hos-tages have been held for as long as more than a year, with 35 of them killed.

Back in the game Indeed, pirates may have

been back in the game trying their luck after two recent successful dhow hijackings off the Omani coast last 11 August.

Somalia Report, which moni-tors piracy incidents, noted that Somali pirates used this dhow as a mother ship from which to launch an attack on a second dhow, which they also hijacked successfully. They then released the fi rst vessel which allowed the crew to report the hijack-ing.

But the hijacked dhow was later spotted by an EU Navfor ves-sel, which was then in pursuit of the dhow as it was heading back to So-malia.

There are reasons why piracy thrives in Somalia. The lack of invest-ment in the region and pressure from authorities in Puntland have all had an impact on piracy in the region, said Somalia Report.

“The pirates have suffered a string of unsuccessful attempts and will be even more dogged in their pursuit of merchant and local ship-ping.” And NATO agreed with the assessment, suggesting that pirates will return to their ‘trade’ with new techniques.

By Andy Dalisay

No room for complacency as crewssuffer more violent pirate attacks


raised the question if faithful compli-ance with the Code was practiced.

Complainant fi led a Complaint for Permanent Total Disability Benefi ts, Reimbursement of Medical Expenses, Sickness Allowance, Moral and Exem-plary Damages and Attorney’s Fees against the manning agency and its principal.

The labor arbiter found in favor of the Complainant and held that the Respondents were liable for perma-nent total disability benefi ts.

The basis of the award of the Labor Arbiter is the Collective Bargain-ing Agreement (CBA), which provided for benefi ts in the event a seafarer suf-fers permanent disability. The Degree of Disability in said CBA provided for over a USD100,000.00 in benefi ts.

The Labor Arbiter decided that Complainant’s total loss of earning ca-pacity, since he can no longer work or earn wages in the same kind of work because of his illness, entitled him to said benefi ts under the CBA.

The Labor Arbiter also gave credence to the Disability Report of a medical specialist who opined that the recurrent episodes of chest heaviness associated with exertion in his line of

work greatly affected his ability to per-form the same kind of work. The Com-plainant was then medically declared to be UNFIT FOR SEA DUTY in what-ever capacity as a seaman.

The Complainant’s allegation that Respondents were only willing to grant disability benefi ts corresponding to a lower Grade level than was actu-ally due him, upon the recommenda-tion of the company physician. Com-plainant also alleged that Respondents even delayed the full payment of his sickness benefi ts.

The Labor Arbiter gave weight to Complainant’s claims. Complain-ant was also found by the Labor Ar-biter to have forcibly made to borrow money from the company owned by Respondents themselves and was al-legedly charged usurious interest for the same, resulting in unwarranted de-ductions from his benefi ts.

The allegation of the Respon-dents that Complainant was accorded due medical attention at the onset of his heart attack overseas and after medical repatriation was not given cre-dence by the Labor Arbiter. The refus-al of the Complainant to abide by the recommendation for a coronary heart

bypass graft surgery by the Respon-dents’ company designated physician, was not given weight even amidst the allegation of Respondent that such refusal worsened the Complainant’s heart condition.

Santos’ claims that Atty. Slim Shady took more than what they have agreed upon is already against

“CANON 15 - A LAWYER SHALL OB-SERVE CANDOR, FAIRNESS AND LOYALTY IN ALL HIS DEALINGS AND TRANSACTIONS WITH HIS CLIENTS.”“CANON 16 - A LAWYER SHALL HOLD IN TRUST ALL MONEYS AND PROPERTIES OF HIS CLIENT THAT MAY COME INTO HIS PROFES-SION.”“CANON 17 - A LAWYER OWES FI-DELITY TO THE CAUSE OF HIS CLI-ENT AND HE SHALL BE MINDFUL OF THE TRUST AND CONFIDENCE REPOSED IN HIM.”“CANON 20 - A LAWYER SHALL CHARGE ONLY FAIR AND REASON-ABLE FEES.” “Rule 20.01 - A lawyer shall be guided by the following factors in determining

his fees: (a) the time spent and the extent of the service rendered or required; (b) the novelty and diffi culty of the questions involved; (c) The importance of the subject mat-ter; (d) The skill demanded; (e) The probability of losing other em-ployment as a result of acceptance of the proffered case; (f) The customary charges for similar services and the schedule of fees of the IBP chapter to which he belongs; (g) The amount involved in the contro-versy and the benefi ts resulting to the client from the service; (h) The contingency or certainty of compensation; (i) The character of the employment, whether occasional or established; and (j) The professional standing of the lawyer.

Rule 20.02 - A lawyer shall, in case of referral, with the consent of the cli-ent, be entitled to a division of fees in proportion to the work performed and responsibility assumed. Rule 20.03 - A lawyer shall not, with-

Unholy Alliance Part 3FROM PAGE 22

TURN TO PAGE 39


The heavy rains of the past few weeks have again fl ooded Metro Manila and many parts of Luzon.

Looking at the wide expanse of fl ooded areas, it seemed as though in an in-stant, many of our countrymen became instant seafarers in their own homes.

The habagat or southwest mon-soon had dumped a staggering record 472 mm of rain in 22 hours. This was actually greater than the rains brought by Typhoon Ondoy in 2009 and resulted in the overfl ow of La Mesa Dam, land-slides in Quezon City and Rizal, and the displacement of thousands of families.

The dreadful scenes were pretty much familiar–houses submerged with only the roofs visible, families refusing to heed the warnings and having to be rescued, the harsh life in the evacuation centers.

What saved the day, as always, was the heroism of our people–the search and rescue operations partici-pated in by ordinary citizens, the out-pouring of relief goods from all over the country, and the massive social mobili-zation to recover from the calamity.

While we had not entirely solved the problem of perrenial fl ooding, it ap-peared that we were more prepared for the fl oods compared to the past. In other words, we had learned our lesson and put them to good use in facing simi-lar events in the future.

The same thing can be said of the maritime industry - it learns from the harsh lessons of previous calamities and accidents.

One hundred years ago, the “un-sinkable ship” that was the Titanic sank in the North Atlantic Ocean after ram-ming an iceberg. Along with the thou-sands who died in that disaster, what seemed to perish was the very future of the maritime industry.

But from the experience of the Titanic, maritime safety standards and laws were changed to avoid another monumental accident as that.

According to Marc Isaacs, a maritime lawyer based in Canada, ice patrols on the North Atlantic Ocean be-came more frequent and rigorous in the months and years following the sinking.

In an intview over CBC News on-line, Isaacs says: “Stricter rules regard-ing on-board radios were introduced, requiring crews to man them at all times; lifeboat safety drills were made mandatory; and in 1914, the Interna-tional Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea was created, replacing a patch-work of national conventions with one global maritime safety standard.”

But back to our own waterworld.

The recent fl ooding shows us that cl-mate change is an inescapable reality, with heavier rains during the wet sea-son and severe heat during the summer months. Thus, it would make sense to beef up the infrastructure for fl ooding to address the excess rains.

However, the problem is not only about the smallness of our drainage or fl ood control systems. The fact is that years of chaotic urban development has made a concrete jungle out of the metropolis, reducing the land’s ability to naturally absorb rainwater. This can be

seen in how creeks, wetlands and or-dinary open spaces, which previously had been natural absorbers of water, have been transformed into roads, sub-divisions and other concrete structures.

Like what happened to the Titan-ic 100 years ago, the recent fl oods in Metro Manila and other parts of Luzon should serve as a wake up call to our policy makers to come up with a more comprehensive approach to urban planning which considers the safety of our communities of paramount impor-tance in this era of climate change, just

as it was for seafarers and passengers in the dawn of the industrialized ship-ping industry.

We can only hope that in our own waterworld called the Philippines, we have also learned our lessons well.

Congressman Teddy Casiño rep-resents the partylist Bayan Muna in Con-gress. You can follow him on Facebook (facebook.com/followteddycasino), Twitter (@teddycasino) or email him at [email protected]. He maintains a blog at www.teddycasino.wordpress.com

CONGRESSMAN TEDDY CASIÑORepresentative, BAYAN MUNA Partylist Congress of the [email protected]

VIEW FROM HOME

Waterworld




In the Philippines, a lot of families and lives have been enriched by the continuously growing numbers of overseas workers. Considered Bagong Bayani

(new heroes), these overseas workers endure long pe-riods of time away from their families, in exchange for earning and sending back home signifi cant amount of money. Unfortunately, it is this very same opportunity that has caused a lot of broken and impoverished fami-lies – long distance, lack of communication, and poor fi nancial management being some of the notable pit-falls. Knowing this reality, TORM Shipping Philippines Inc. has provided a seminar on fi nancial wellness and family relationships to wives and relatives of its sea-farers. The seminar was held on July 21, 2012 at the TORM offi ce premises, with the number of participants

a sweet surprise, considering the heavy rains that day. Topics and presenters include:1. Positive and Open Communication: an ingredient for a stronger relationship of migrant workers’ families, by Migrant Workers Arm of Scalibrinian Lay Association Inc.2. Practical Money Management Strategies by Interna-tional Marketing Group3. Savings, Investment and Online Banking by Bank of the Philippine Islands The participants were presented valuable insights about the situations migrant workers face abroad. The topic on husband-wife positive and open communication reminded couples and spouses present in the seminar on how they should cherish their part-

ners. More importantly, everyone got to know practical information on how to plan their fi nances, prevent debt trap, increase cash fl ow, and take leverage from the various investment vehicles available in the market. All in all, the participants gained better appreciation of the hard work their loved ones abroad do, respect for the hard-earned money they manage, and consequently knowledge on how to effectively grow that money.

MAKING A DIFFERENCE IN EACH OTHERS’ LIVES “It (this seminar) shows how TORM is very much concerned about the welfare of its seafarers and their families,” commented Mrs. Medin Alacre, wife of a newly hired seafarer. “Personally, I want to help my husband increase our savings, but (until now) we both have no knowledge on how we are going to do that sys-tematically,” she added. Another participant comment-ed, “It really enlightened us to have a more productive, happier life in the future.” “Feedback such as these all the more encour-age us to provide positively impacting activities, effect-ing improved welfare of our crew and their families,” Ivy Joyce Caba-Real, TORM Shipping Phils. Crew Welfare Offi cer, mentioned. “When we are able to make a differ-ence in the crews and their families’ lives, you bet they will surely make a difference in their jobs on board,” she concluded.

TORM SHIPPING CONDUCTS FINANCIAL WELLNESS AND FAMILY RELATIONSHIP SEMINAR

Torm Shipping Philippines Inc.’s President Mailyn Borillo giving an insightful message on communication

IMG giving the fi nancial wellness presentation


BULK CARRIERS Capt Joey Paz tel : 0908-883 9083

CONTAINER SHIPS Eng Jes Agbayani tel : 0917-873 6847

REEFER SHIPS Capt Rolly Pacaon tel : 0917 - 8996587

OFFSHORE Capt Rene Ranara: tel : 0919-8263460

www.aviormarine.com [email protected]

Former “Elmira Shipping Phil Inc”

02-8193684/5563044

HEADOFFICE: 4/F Civic Prime Bldg, Civic Drive, Filinvest Corporate City, Alabang, Muntinlupa City, Tel : 5563044

BRANCH OFFICE: 2/F-UPRC-1 Building, 2230 Chino Roces Av, Makati-City, Tel: 819 3692

POEA-136-SB-102108-R


The 2nd Philippine Seafarer CongressENSURING GLOBAL COMPETITIVENESS OF FILIPINO SEAFARERS

Stakeholders and shakers in the Philippine maritime industry are once again converging for two

days this September to assess its gains in the past year and plot its direction for-ward.

This year’s Second Philippine Seafarer Congress would seek to re-examine the industry’s continued effort to produce seafarers that are not only skilled in their areas of assignments but are also at par with changing world stan-dards.

As the world becomes smaller because of economic expansion and rapid advances in technology, produc-ing a highly-skilled seafarer may not be enough.

The task at hand is to develop globally-competitive Filipino seafarers who are equipped to compete head-

on in the international market, ready to jostle for jobs not merely based on the hours of trainings they clocked in but on a gut readiness to face an evolving mari-time workplace.

Globally-competitive seafarers

Simply put, the cliche “world-class” ethos may no longer suffi ce, the modern Filipino seafarer must have the right blend of being street smart, technology-savvy, problem-solver, pro-active, ag-gressive and has access to information needed to stay competitive in the eyes of his global employer.

Apart from skills upgrading and fa-miliarity with new technologies being in-troduced onboard, the Filipino seafarer must be uniquely one step ahead of his competitors in the maritime market.

The challenge for this year’s edi-

tion of the Philippine Seafarer Congress is to re-defi ne the role of the Filipino Seafarer as it faces tougher competi-tion from other maritime nations and arm them with information that is vital in their work survival.

But fi rst, the local industry needs some serious housekeeping.

The country, after some years of dilly-dallying, is fi nally coming out to ratify the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006 that would outline our fi rm commi-ment to the protection and upholding of seafarers’ rights. (The country has since rarifi ed MLC, 2006. Ed.)

The MLC, adopted by the General Conference of the International Labour Organization on February 23, 2006, is essentially the seafarers’ bill of rights. The country has yet to accede to said maritime treaty.

The MLC 2006 binds signatories to the comprehensive rights and pro-tection at work of 1.2 million seafarers worldwide, including Filipino seafarers.

Under the treaty, the defi nition of seafarer is expanded to cover not just the crew involved in navigating or op-erating the ship but also, other workers including cabin and cleaning personnel, bar staff, waiters, entertainers, singers, kitchen staff, casino personnel and es-theticians - positions occupied by thou-sands of Filipinos in foreign vessels.

Ratifying MLC 2006 would like-wise send a signal to the global maritime community that the country is committed to effectively enforce its regulatory role in ensuring safer and secure shipping, in

preventing marine pollution, and in en-suring decent work for seafarers.

The Senate, fulfi lling its mandate to ratify international treaties and con-vention, was expected to formally enroll the country as the newest signatory to MLC 2006 through a unanimous vote anytime in August or before the Second Seafarers’ Congress this September. (The country has since rarifi ed MLC, 2006. Ed.)

To discuss the global ramifi cation of the country’s accession to the MLC treaty, we have inv ited Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz to grace the opening day of the Congress and likewise give us an update on effort to curb abuses in the maritime labor front.

With the accession to the MLC in the bag, the Philippine maritime industry takes another important step by rallying under a single maritime regulator after decades of passionate pleas and cat calls.

Executive Order (EO) 75 was re-cently signed by President Aquino plac-ing the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), through its Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), as the single administration responsible for the oversight in the implementation of the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certifi cation and Watchkeeping (STCW) for seafarers.

The STCW Convention, dubbed as the seafarer’s “bible,” is a maritime safety instrument which sets the global standard training and certifi cation for seafarers engaged in the overseas ship-ping trade under the auspices of the In-ternational Maritime Organization (IMO), which views training and education of seafarers as indispensable elements of crew competence.

The EO transfers the maritime functions of Maritime Training Center (MTC), which is part of the DOLE and Technical Education and Skills Develop-ment Authority (TESDA), which is part of the education structure, to DOTC-Mari-na.

The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) has been at the forefront of clam-oring for a single maritime agency that would oversee the industry, noting that “many maritime cooks spoil the STCW broth.”

The EO’s issuance should fi nally make global maritime watchdogs and critics happy and score “pogi points” for our bid to align our policies and admin-istration with globally-accepted stan-dards.

This year’s Seafarer’s Congress has invited no less than DOTC Secretary Mar Roxas to elaborate further on the implications of the EO during the second day of the Congress and ponder on the

Vice President Jejomar Binay, Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez, Dir. Libby Casco, Administrator Emerson Lorenzo, Engr. Isagani Valmonte, Catp. Rodolfo Aspillaga and other offcials of the First Philippine Seafarer Congress.

Participants of the 1st Philippine Seafarer Congress held at National Library in Manila last September 2011.

33TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012positive future that awaits the industry after being put under one single “Boss.”

The good secretary even during his legislative days has been an un-abashed supporter of the local maritime sector.

Ambulance chasers

Another thorn that needs weed-ing is the emergence of an industry-wide phenomenon starred in by so-called ambulance chasing lawyers, preying on hapless medically-distraught seafarers, turning their predicament into a “cottage industry.”

One story is told about a sick ship cook who was awarded some P3 million in disability benefi ts by his company but was only able to bring home a pittance while the rest went to the ambulance chasers and their cohorts.

These ambulance chasers prey upon injured or hospitalized seafarers, offer their services with the promise of getting higher disability or medical ben-efi ts but would run away with the cash once negotiations are over.

Such stories took a turn for the worse when the injured seafarer be-comes a direct and willing participant to the scam to defraud the ship owner and the local manning agency.

Our maritime stalwarts dread the day when a Filipino seafarer would only seek out employment at seas to force or fake an injury and subsequently sue the ship company for medical claims with an unscrupulous ambulance chaser in tow.

If left unchecked, the day will come when ship owners would decidedly stay away from hiring Filipino seafarers who, by then, would have gained the notoriety similar to that of our ‘con-artist’ compa-triots in some European and American cities.

Before, the industry was able to ex-orcise the evils of fake maritime schools, bogus training centers, fake competency certifi cates, mediocre maritime academ-ics; now, it’s the turn of ambulance chas-ers to be booted out.

On September 27 and 28 inside the AMOSUP Center in Intramuros, the industry will look for answers and is ex-pected to issue a stinging rebuke to this shameful practice.

Stop ‘Jack Sparrows’

It would help that when the coun-try deploys globally-competitive seafar-ers to man the world’s fl eet, they should also be “globally-protected at seas” or be “GPS”-ensured.

Piracy at high seas is a world con-cern that needs a unifi ed action.

Since we own the bragging rights of supplying to at least 70 percent of the world’s seagoing vessels, with Filipino seamen comprising 30 percent of the 1.2 million international maritime work-force, it’s not surprising to fi nd a Filipino seaman in every pirate and hostage-for-ransom dramas.

In 2011 alone, the country de-ployed 343,587 seafarers–a number

that ushered in $4.3 billion in remittanc-es–and posting an increase in average annual deployment by 16 percent, since 2008.

In 2008, when ship piracy was fast gaining notoriety, the Department of Foreign Affairs initially reported that one Filipino seafarer is being taken hostage every six hours somewhere in the world.

While our local ambulance chasers are raking it in via their own “scams.”,the sea pirates are having a grand party at sea for as high as $25 million a “pop.”

In the years between 2010 and 2011, the world shipping fl eet paid at least $160 million in ransom to sea pi-rates, mainly from Somali.

This does not include the $6.6 bil-lion in piracy-related expenditures from lost business potential, salary, to medical and insurance benefi ts that were spent by the world maritime industry.

Albeit, it would be a consolation that only money is lost but the fact is that lives of innocent and hard-working seafarers are also being wasted to pirate attacks.

Of the 1,118 mainly seafarers that were held hostage by Somali pirates in the period between 2010 and 2011, 24 have died and were sent home in box-es.

Needless to say, the Philippines must lend its voice to the need for a global radical response to keep the ship deck and even the captain’s bridge safe from the “Jack Sparrow” types.

We expect, therefore, our invited

experts in maritime security and piracy to update us on the global effort against ship piracy and ultimately, make our seafarers “globally-protected at seas” or GPS.

Remittance heroes

The question really is how much the industry could add to the average yearly remittances of Filipino seafarers onboard the world’s most sophisticated fl eet, which now stood at $4 billion to $5 billion a year as competition grows tight and crew jobs become scarce.

Sadly, the affi nity or affection be-stowed to the Filipino seafarers as “un-sung” OFW heroes is measured by how much dollars they send back home.

Unwritten is their heroic daily ef-fort to stay sane and safe while on the high seas, away from their loved ones amid increasing threat to their jobs and lives.

Not being mentioned also is the key role played by Filipino seafarers in spreading the cultural and tourism warmth of the country in every port of call they visited.

Unlike land-based OFWs who just stay in one place, the Pinoy seafarer is undoubtedly the travelling ambassadors as they move from one port to another, leaving the indelible mark of hospitality, effi ciency and resiliency of the Filipino race.

Philippine tourism offi cials could

perhaps integrate this profound role into their tourism agenda the next time they prance around the world under “It’s more fun in the Philippines” campaign.

Undeniably, the problems cited above are only but few of the new “mal-aise” affl icting the local maritime sector.

Congress participants are likewise expected to raise some of the old and new issues during the two-day event.

Our invited guest speakers would surely be able to provide some answers and even stir up action from the partici-pants and organizers led by UFS, As-sociated Marine Offi cers and Seamen’s Union (AMOSUP), Gig and The Amaz-ing Sampaguita Foundation, Inc. and Luneta Seafarer’s Welfare Foundation

(LUSWELF).The organizers will fi re the fi rst

salvo by holding a massive motorcade on the 24th of September and by physi-cally prepping up the Congress partici-pants to a round of golf the following day to jumpstart the Maritime Week celebra-tion that would culminate with the Sea-farer Congress.

Thus, we welcome everyone who eat and live “seafaring” every day to this year’s Second Philippine Seafarer Con-gress, with the apt theme of “Towards a Globally-Competitive Filipino Seafar-ers.”

Let the Second Seafarer Con-gress begin.

C/E Rodolfo Virtudazo leads the opening prayer of the 1st Philippine Seafarer Congress

C/E Alfredo Haboc discusses the nitty-gritty of the Revised Management Level Course during the 1st Philippine Seafarer Congress.

From left: Emerson M. Lorenzo (Marina Administrator), Nelson Ramirez (UFS Presi-dent), Capt. Telesforo P. Solda (Seaway Shipping Digest Publisher)


topic because of their sentiment that lit-tle kids are not ready to understand the concept of death. The effect is that the child will not be prepared when he loses a loved one.

People are afraid of death be-cause of insecurities in life—they don’t want to be separated from the people they love and they feel the “incomplete-ness” of their lives. It has always been

a struggle in confronting the possibility of death. No one can avoid death. All of us will have to reach a certain limit. Still, we like to come up with ways to postpone death although we know the truth that it is a part of life.

Life’s fi rst rule is that we have only so much time. Once, I dreamed that a mad man pointed a gun at me. I was lying, face-down on the fl oor with

my hand at the back of my head. I heard him cock the gun. I felt the tip of the bar-rel slightly poking my head. My heart beat accelerated at top speed. I thought, “God, is this it? Am I really going to die?” Fear overshadowed my mind. Since there was nothing I can do about it, I prayed, “Okay, God. You can take my life now. Then I held my breath. It was like Death was galloping his chariot to-ward me. Seconds from that moment, I thought I’d be dead meat. I was so sure he was about to pull the trigger when suddenly there was some kind of com-motion. Everything turned into chaos. I didn’t die in that dream. But it seemed so real I began to think that it was how people feel before they die. I woke up gasping for air.

That dream made me evaluate my life. It also made me aware that life is indeed precious. We can’t just waste it. We must do something valuable. It made me ask myself what is really my purpose in life. I realized I had been tak-ing my life for granted.

I was also feeling full of shame. I thought I was brave. I thought I was not afraid of death. It turned out the op-

posite of what I was thinking. I was not being brave; I was just trying to contra-dict my feelings. I am actually afraid to die. I would not realize that if it weren’t for my dream.

That dream made me recall my grandfather’s death when I was about nine years old. I was rather naïve at that time, or maybe ignorant, for I thought we’d live forever. But then he had to die and my family felt alone. I guess that experience forced me to shield myself from getting hurt again. From then on, I never liked talking about the possibil-ity of death of a loved one. I was afraid death will take them away from me.

Later, I learned how to accept the reality of life. I learned to accept life’s limit. I believe I can now face this limita-tion. The key to humility is self-accep-tance. It reminds us that without self-ac-ceptance, humility is almost impossible to manifest in our lives. We have to choose the positive power within us de-spite our limitations. I, for one, became aware of my own limitations and what I have experienced in the past. Neverthe-less, that learning experience enlight-ened me about the meaning of humility in the true sense of the word. It helps me to have a better perspective about life and about myself.

FROM PAGE 20Humility Is A Great Virtue

VAST HORIZON


Mga masalimuot na isyu tungkol sa MLC at COC, lilinawin nina

Captain Ireneo at Chief Engr. Mike

1. Sa aking pagkakaalam, ang isyu tungkol sa EMSA ay nag-ugat sa mga kaku-langan sa CHED lalung-lalo na sa monitoring sa mga eskwelahan at kakula-ngan ng ating curriculum kaya ang ginamit na pansamantalang solusyon ay ang pagbibigay ng Management Level Course. May ginawa na po ba ang CHED tungkol dito at mababawasan ba ang mga kursong kukunin sa MLC sa mga magtatapos ng kursong BSMT sa taong 2013?Ang layunin ng CHED ay maipatupad ang 2010 Manila amendments sa curricu-lum sa BSMT sa taong 2013 pero marami pang mga may-ari ng eskuwelahan ang sumasalungat dahil hindi pa rin daw makatupad ang mga ito. Sa ganang akin, ang hindi makaabot sa standard ay hindi na dapat payagang magbukas ng programang BSMT. Sa gayon, mahihiwalay na ang mga sub-standard schools na hindi nakatutupad sa antas na itinatalaga ng IMO para hindi naman maging kawawa ang mga estudyanteng nagtapos sa kursong BSMT ngunit wala na-mang kumukuha sa kanila dahil ang mga may-ari ng barko ay pinipili ang mga estudyanteng mula sa mga eskwelahang tumutupad sa itinakdang antas. Ka-pag matagumpay na naipatupad ito ng CHED, hindi na kukuha ng MLC ang mg nagtapos ng BSMT sa taong 2017 at pataas. Samantala, iyong mga estudyan-teng mula sa eskwelahang hindi nakaabot sa antas na ipinapatupad ng IMO 2010 Manila Amendments ay sasailalaim sa make-up classes upang maihanay sa mga hinihinging pamantayan.

2. Ang aking lisensya bilang kapitan ng barko ay nakuha ko noong 2001. Kung sakaling mag-renew ako ng aking lisensiya at COC ngayon sa PRC, kailangan bang kumuha ako ng Management Level Course?Bagamat ipinaglaban ng ating bansa na hindi na dapat kumuha pa ng Manage-ment Level Course ang mga kapitan ng barko na nakakuha ng lisensya noong taong 2006 pababa, hindi tinanggap ang uri ng pagsusulit natin noon kahit na ipinaliwanag sa kanila na wala pa namang assessment na katulad ngayon na nakasaad sa IMO-STCW Convention. Wala naman daw “grandfather clause” sa STCW Convention. Kaya nagkaroon tayo ng Board Resolution 12-54 Series 2012 na lahat ay kinakailangang kumuha ng Management Level Course. Ako man ay kumuha rin ng Management Level Course bagamat ako ay isang mi-yembro na ng Board of Marine Deck Examiners. Ito ay inilathala sa isang offi cial gazette noong Mayo 28, 2012, at ipinatupad noong Hunyo 13, 2012. Ang ating mga opisyal sa makina ay ipinatutupad din ito sa pamamagitan ng nasabing Board Resolution.

3. Nakakuha na po ako ng Management Level Course noong 2007. Kung saka-ling mag-renew ako ng aking PRC license at COC, kukuha ba ako ulit ng pani-bagong MLC o may ilang kurso na lang akong kukunin?Kukunin mo na lang ang mga hindi mo nakuhang modules sa Revised MLC. Hindi mo na kailangang kunin ang buong kurso. Aabutin na lang ng tatlong araw na pag-aaral muli upang maihanay na ito sa REVISED MLC.

4. Kapapasa ko lang ng OIC noong 2010. Kukuha ba ako ulit ng panibagong Basic Safety Course o sasailalim na lang ako ng assessment kung sakaling mag-renew ako ng aking lisensya?Ito lang ang maliwanag na nakasulat sa Chapter Vl page 218,226 & 231, na ang mandatory training ay uulitin kada limang taon ayon sa Standard of Com-petence sa SSTCW Manila Amendments. Pinag-uusapan namin kung maaaring ipatupad ito sa pamamagitan ng assessment na tulad ng pagpatay ng apoy sa loob ng isang kompartamento, pagtalon sa tubig nang may suot na lifejacket at iba pa.

5. Nitong 2012 ko lang nakuha ang aking lisensya bilang kapitan. May kukunin pa ba akong mga bagong training sa 2013 o kailangang maghintay muna ako ng expiration ng aking lisensiya bago ako kumuha ng panibagong upgrading courses?Bago mapaso ang iyong lisensiya, ang mga kailangang pagsasanay sa mga upgrading courses ay dapat na naihanay na sa kinakailangang pagsasanay o training requirements para sa iyong Certifi cate of Competency bago mag-Enero 2017. Ang mga kinakailangang upgrading courses ay naaayon sa Chapter V at Chapter VI ng IMO-STCW Convention Manila Amendments.

1. Nagtataka lang ako kung bakit tayo dinidiktahan ng taga-ibang bansa. Ano ba ang EMSA at ano ang kapangyarihan nito upang diktahan ang ating bansa sa gusto nilang mangyari?Ang European Maritime Safety Agency, o sa maikling salita, EMSA, ay isang sangay ng ahensya sa Europa na naatasan ng European Union o organisasyon ng 27 bansa sa Europe na magmasid at magpatupad ng mga regulasyon na na-kasaad sa 1978 IMO-STCW Convention and Code, as per 2010 Manila Amend-ments. Ang mga tauhan ng EMSA ay mga eksperto sa larangan ng maritima lalo na sa isinasaad sa STCW. Sila ay bumibisita sa mga bansa na nagpapadala ng mga marino na sumasakay sa mga barko na pag-aaari ng mga taga-Europa upang alamin kung ang mga bansang ito ay tumutupad at ipinatutupad ang mga regulasyong nakasaad sa STCW. Sa aking palagay ay hindi sila nagdidikta sa atin sa gusto nilang mangyari bagkus ay sinisiyasat nila kung nasa ayos o wala sa ayos ang pagpapatupad natin ng mga regulasyon na nakapaloob sa STCW.

2. Ano kaya ang mangyayari kung balewalain ng ating bansa ang banta ng EMSA? May masama kayang mangyayari sa ating mga marino kung ang barkong kanilang sinasakyan ay dadaong sa mga bansa sa Europa?Sa aking palagay hindi makabubuti sa ating bansa kung babalewalain natin ang mga obserbasyon ng EMSA sapagkat sila ay ating kostumer at tayo ang sup-plier. Dahil tayo ang nagpapadala ng mga marino sa kanilang mga barko dapat natin laging isaisip ang kasabihang ”the customer is always right.” Dapat la-mang na tugunan natin ang kanilang kahilingan upang gumanda lalo ang pag-sasama bilang isang supplier at isang kostumer. Kaya naman nakabubuti ito sa ating industriya maritima dahil may katuwang tayo sa tamang pagpapatupad ng STCW.

3. Anu-ano po ba ang apat na function sa Management Level Course?Ang Management Level Course ng marine engineers ay nahahati sa apat na function: function 1–marine engineering knowledge and practical maintenance and operation ng iba’t ibang makinarya sa barko; function 2–electrical at elec-tronics knowledge, operation, maintenance and repair; function 3–kung paano isasagawa ang tamang maintenance and repair ng mga makinarya sa barko; at function 4–pag-aaruga ng barko at kung paano proteksyonan ang mga marino at ang kalikasan.

4. Kung ako ay kukuha ng pagsusulit sa PRC ng OIC level, kukuha na ba ako ng Management Level Course?Hindi pa sa ngayon subalit kung pinapakuha ka ng iyong kompanya at sila ang magbabayad, dapat pumayag ka na upang magdagdagan kaagad ang iyong kaalaman sa pagpapatakbo ng makina at ang iba pang mga bagong tuklas ng siyensiya sa mga makabagong makina at kagamitan sa iyong departamento.

5. Ilang oras bang lahat ang Management Level Course para sa marine engineer offi cer?Ito ay ayon sa mga sumusunod na oras: function 1 – 120 oras; function 2 – 80 oras; function 3 – 40 oras; at function 4 – 84 na oras. Ang buong MLC ay aabutin ng 324 na oras o mga dalawang buwan, kung kasama ang Sabado at Linggo.

6. Maaari ko bang kunin nang paisa-isa ang mga kurso para sa Management Level Course kahit na kapapasa ko pa lang ng OIC at hindi ko pa nagagamit ang aking lisensiya?Ang MLC ay isang beses lang dapat kunin ng mga makinista at pwede lang itong kunin kung sila ay may anim na buwan nang naging opisyal sa barko, at kung ang marino ang magbabayad. Ito ay inilagay upang hindi maabuso ng mga train-ing centers ang ating mga kapapasa pa lamang na marine engineers.

7. Saan po ba maaaring kumuha ng kursong electro technology?May mga training centers na may electro technical offi cer course at sa aking kaalamanan, ang mga ito ay ang Norwegian Training Center at Wartsila sa Sub-ic. Sa July 1, 2013, ang isang kasalukuyang electrical offi cer sa barko ay dapat nang kumuha ng COC sa PRC at hindi na sa TESDA dahil ang ranggong ito ay kinikilala na bilang isang inhinyero opisyal sa 2010 Manila Amendment.

Chief MikeCaptain Ireneo




from the Philippine Overseas Employ-ment Admnistration (POEA).

Ponciano Marquez also taught about the primacy of keeping the trust, respect and friendship of partners, val-ues that are culturally embedded in Virjen Shipping’s mostly Japanese principals. Eric Marquez explains that nowadays when the “industry is experiencing some shortages and, thus, we may have dif-fi culty meeting performance targets, we are transparent with them. We tell them the situation, instead of making excuses or palusot. And they appreciate our effort. They see it as a sign of our honesty.”

On the personal level, when the younger Marquez got married, Jiro Mat-sushima, then the president of Nisshio Shipping, came to the country to attend the wedding; later on when their son came, Marquez named him Francis Je-rome, with “Jiro,” as nickname, which is how he is commonly called.

Also, the Japanese would like to see a clear line of succession in their partner-fi rms as an assurance of continu-ity over the long haul. The elder Marquez demonstrated appreciation of this by tag-ging son Eric along in his trips to Japan for meetings and negotiations with partners. He would ask his son to represent him in meetings with lower levels opposites to achieve parity, and fi elded him in negotia-tions on his own, even before he was fully conversant with the “ins and outs” of the talks and was himself barely learning the

ropes on negotiations. These, of course, revealed the young man’s relative “raw-ness.

Aside from fi rmly projecting the younger Marquez as the next in line of succession, however, these “baptisms of fi re” provided him the chance to grapple with actual real world shipping world prob-lems and the challenge to draw on his in-ner reserves in the process. There was yet another plus-side to it: It showcased the talent and the potentials of the young man ”in the raw,” prompting a Japanese agent who observed him at close range in one of such negotiations, to tell him enthusiastically, “Eric, the young lion, I’m going to make your pockets big, I promise you that.”

Along this line, Eric Marquez has already secured the commitment of his

three children, his two sons-in-law, and a nephew to continue the business. They are currently assigned roles in the group under his mentorship to prepare them for the next transition.

Virjen Shipping’s founder had the spirit of generosity that his successor-son has kept alive. Ponciano Marquez had legions of friends from all walks of life, especially from the lowly. He could con-nect with people easily; he was someone with a good PR. Part of it came from his generosity. Eric tells of the unprecedent-ed long lines of fl oral offerings during his wake when he died in 2004 at the age of 83.

His generosity was most shown in the benefi ts he gave his employees, which Eric continues to this day--multiple bonus, interest-free housing loan, hospi-

talization insurance and memorial plan. As a result, their employees stay long with them, counting among them a retired ship captain who’s been with them for close to 40 years now.

Eric Marquez, the second genera-tion leader of Virjen Shipping, concluded his anniversary speech with the following words honoring his father:

“I am sure that the young Pon-ciano who rose from his deprived youth to be a respected leader of the Philippine Shipping Industry is very happy that Vir-jen Shipping has changed, uplifted, and touched the lives of thousands of its Fili-pino seamen and staff during the past 40 years.

“I am also sure that he is very happy that the discipline and the wisdom that he taught us, as well as the legacy of faith in God, generosity and love for fam-ily and for the underprivileged has suc-cessfully passed on to his children. He will be doubly glad that his grandchildren likewise are now part of the company that he built and that they too are committed to continue his legacy and pass it on to the next generation.”

With a worthy legacy to honor, preserve and pass on; the “hope” of sat-isfi ed partners for a lasting partnership; the ongoing preparations of the third gen-eration for its own watch, and; the oppor-tunities awaiting the Philippine maritime and manning industry—it would seem that Virjen Shipping is ready to heave up the anchor for its voyage into the next 40 years.

Bon voyage, Virjen Shipping group! Mabuhay kayong lahat!

Virjen Shipping Marks 40th YearFROM PAGE 19


out the full knowledge and consent of the client, accept any fee, reward, costs, commission, interest, rebate or forwarding allowance or other com-pensation whatsoever related to his professional employment from anyone other than the client. Rule 20.04 - A lawyer shall avoid con-troversies with clients concerning his compensation and shall resort to judi-cial action only to prevent imposition, injustice or fraud.”

The agency owner also alleges that the principal was persuaded to appeal its case even if the chance of reversing the Labor Arbiter’s Decision is practically nil due to the evidence presented in the case. This resulted in misleading the principal in ascertain-ing the amount payable to Complain-ant in the process of negotiating the amount under the Release which is again, against –

“CANON 9 - A LAWYER SHALL NOT, DIRECTLY OR INDIRECTLY, ASSIST IN THE UNAUTHORIZED PRACTICE OF LAW.”“CANON 13 - A LAWYER SHALL RELY UPON THE MERITS OF HIS CAUSE AND REFRAIN FROM ANY IMPRO-

PRIETY WHICH TENDS TO INFLU-ENCE, OR GIVE THE APPEARANCE OF INFLUENCING THE COURT.”

Complainant was overpaid in the Release as his sickness did not merit a certain category of payment. Under the Philippine Overseas Employment Agency’s Standard Contract for Fili-pino Seamen, only certain amounts of benefi ts are payable for a class of ill-ness or accidents. In negotiating for an amount more than what is stated in the Contract, the negotiating parties must have been envisioning a higher amount to allow for higher compensa-tion as negotiators.

Thus the agency owner alleges an “UNHOLY ALLIANCE” that brings to fore the mandate of this Canon.

The case of Rogelio Santos, the alleged facts that took place during the handling of the case, it calls for the vigilance of those involved in the case to ensure that the seafarers’ rights, the manning agency and the principal are all accorded equal protection under the law.

The plight of seafaring overseas workers require the enforcement of the law to ensure that their hard earned benefi ts are not put to naught and that they receive the benefi ts due them un-der the law.

Unholy Alliance Part 3FROM PAGE 26

For inquiries and comments you can e-mail us at [email protected]


Danita Paner grew up in the lime-light. Her father is former bas-ketball star Manny Paner who is

known for his strong rebounding, deadly hook shots and defense, and is one of the PBA’s 25 Greatest Players. Her mother is none other than veteran actress Daisy Romualdez, known for her great beauty as well as being one of the feistiest women in the industry. Add to that, Danita’s sister is 80’s icon Kristina “Tina” Paner who con-quered showbizlandia along with her three bestfriends Manilyn Reynes and Sheryl Cruz. Danita Paner has a lot to live up to but while it might make some people carry a huge block on their shoulders, she carries her legacy with calm and positivity. She knows her own worth and she knows what she can contribute to the industry. Her fi rst tv show “Basta Driver Sweet Lover” had her fans going gaga over her and now ex-boyfriend JC De Vera. Her role as Angela San Diego in her new teleserye “Isang Dakot na Luha” in TV-5 has kept viewers in tears and critics complimenting her acting skills. Yes, Danita may have grown up in the limelight because of her family but it cannot be denied that her star is shining brightly on its own...she is after all the Philippines’ alternative diva!TNM: Your sister is 80’s icon Tina Paner, is that why you also decided to be an ac-tress?Danita: Actually, I’m more into music ta-laga. That’s really my fi rst love. It’s only when I got a little older that I suddenly had this itch to join showbiz.TNM: Was the transition easy for you since your family’s into showbiz al-ready?Danita: Admittedly it wasn’t hard for me because siyempre since we’re into showbiz my Mom has connections na and my sister din.TNM: Did you get scared during that “transition?”Danita: I used to hate acting talaga. Be-fore I’d say never akong papasok diyan but then yun nga when I got older and then TV-5 gave me offers na-realize ko, ay gusto ko pala.TNM: What’s your dream role?Danita: Dream role ko talaga yung maging assassin, parang mga “Ni-kita” ganun. Gusto ko action.TNM: Do you know how to fi ght?Danita: I do boxing and Muay Thai, actually yan yung exercise ko talaga now.

TNM: Now that you’re in the movie biz, are you going to focus on that or are you still going to pursue your singing career, too?Danita: Right now talagang kinakain ng acting yung time ko but when I’m free, I still go out on gigs with my band. Hope-fully when I have more time, I can come out with my second album. Yun nga lang medyo mahina talaga mga album sales now.TNM: You mentioned your band, what is its name?Danita: Yung name ko “Danita.”TNM: What type of music do you play?Danita: Alternative pop.TNM: Wow! That’s very unique. Do you also compose songs?Danita: Yes, I do!TNM: They say when you compose songs, you have to be all “emo” about it, is that true?Danita: (laughs) Well that really helps a lot, lahat naman tayo may “emo” moments but then with me most of the time I don’t get to fi nish the song eh because I’d be feeling like this one mo-ment then after a while biglang wala na yung ganung feeling...TNM: Have you ever written something like a “powerful” heartbreak song like Tay-lor Swifts’ “Teardrops On My Guitar?”Danita: Well...not that good (laughs) but really sometimes kasi I’d be sad pero yung song na nasusulat ko eh about being happy. It’s a little weird I know. I don’t un-derstand it din siguro coz when I’m sad si-yempre I don’t want to linger sa feelings na yun. As I’ve said sometimes hirap ako to fi nish a song coz I’d be feeling one thing and then after a while iba na.T N M :

Our readers are mostly Filipino seafar-ers, what’s your parting message for them?Danita: First of all, thank you Tinig ng Marino for giving me a chance to be a part of your newspaper. Thank you po sa lahat ng mga seafarers and siyempre yung mga families nila who support my career. Sa mga seafarers po na nasa barko ngayon, always remember to pray and wag nyo pong kalilimutan na proud po sa inyo ang inyong bansa.

ENTERTAINMENT

Danita PanerAlternative Princess


NEW SIMULATOR CENTER OF THE PHILIPPINES, INC.The Preferred Maritime Training and Assessment Center

NEWSIM Makati:5th Floor 2053 Bu, Edison Street, Brgy. San Isidro, Makati CityTel. nos. : (02) 8882764 / 94 / 73 Fax : (02) 8872759

NEWSIM TRAINING ACADEMY

www.newsim.ph | [email protected]

2323 Marconi St. San Isidro, Makati CityTel. nos. : (02) 8454146 or (02) 8884544 Fax : (02) 8870539

NEWSIM Cebu6th Floor, Escario Building, N. Escario Street, Brgy. Capitol, Cebu CityTel. nos. : (032) 5203747 or (032) 5203141

NEWSIM Davao3rd Floor Pink Walters Building, Quimpo Boulevard, Matina, Davao CityTel. no. : (082) 2850224

NEWSIM Cagayan De Oro7th Floor TTK Towers, Don A. Velez Street, Cagayan de Oro CityTel. no. : (088) 2312077

NEWSIM Bacolod3rd Floor MFC Building, Lacson corner Henares Street, Bacolod CityTel. no. : (034) 4350701

ACCRE

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MLCDF1Function 1: Navigation at the Management LevelMLCDF2Function 2: Cargo Handling and Stowage at the Management Level

MLCDF3Function 3: Controlling of the operation of the Ship and Care for Persons on Board at the Management Level

ERSC w/ ERRMEngine Room Simulator Course w/ Engine Room Resource Management

ERSC-REngine Room Simulator Course for RatingsERRMEngine Room Resource Management

ETMEngine Team Management

COENControl Engineering (FOR OIC)PNHYPneumatics / Hydraulics (FOR OIC)AUMAAuxiliary Machinery (FOR OIC)EWDTEngine Watchkeeping in Domestic Trade

MLCEF1Function 1: Marine Engineering at the Management LevelMLCEF2Function 2: Electrical, Electronic and Control Engineering at the Management LevelMLCEF3Function 3: Maintenance and Repair at the Management LevelMLCEF4Function 4: Controlling the Operation of the Ship and Care for Persons on Board at the Managent Level

Management Level Courses (for Deck Officers)

Management Level Courses (for Marine Engineers)

Engine CoursesSSBT with BRM (IMO Model Course 1.22)Ship Simulator & Bridge Teamwork w/ Bridge Resource ManagementSMCCShip Handling and Maneuvering in Critical Conditions (Advance SSBT)ECDISElectronic Chart Display Information System (w/ AIS)STCA Simulator Training in Collision Avoidance (w/ AIS) (FOR OIC)BRM / BTM Bridge Resource Management / Bridge Team Management ROPARadar Navigation, Radar Plotting and Use of ARPA

RSCRadar Simulator CourseCHCCCargo Handling and Care for Cargoes (FOR OIC)

Deck CoursesSSOShip Security Officers Course

MARLAWMaritime Law for Ship Officers (FOR OIC)MPOL 1- 6Marine Pollution and Prevention (MARPOL 73/78 Annexes 1 to 6)

MEFAMedical Emergency First AidMECAMedical Care

SSAShip Security Awareness Course

Security Courses

Marine Pollution Courses

Medical Courses

Safety Courses STSM w/ BRM / BTM Ship Security Officers Course

DWDT Deck Watchkeeping in Domestic Trade

BSRBasic Safety Refresher Course

BSTBasic Safety Training

FFLBCFree Fall Life Boat CourseEFFExtended Fire FightingPSCRBProficiency in Survival Craft & Rescue Boat

PFRBProficiency in Fast Rescue BoatATFFAdvance Training in Firefighting

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5th Floor 2053 Bldg., Edison Street, Brgy. San Isidro, Makati City


Maritime Industry Authority (MA-RINA) offi cer-in-charge, Atty. Nicasio Conti, reports that the

Department of Transportation and Com-munications (DOTC) through MARINA, has just completed drafting the Imple-

menting Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Executive Order (EO) 75. He says due considerations were given to all com-ments and inputs received and solicited from the industry and maritime stakehold-ers.

As of this writing, Atty. Conti says the IRR of EO 75 will soon be published. The IRR including all provisions stated therein will take effect 15 days after its publication. The Marina OIC explains that the “shipping companies, training

centers, maritime institutions, and other government agencies and instrumentali-ties should expect to receive memoran-dum circulars, policies, guidelines and procedures all geared towards giving the Manila amendments to STCW convention full and complete effect.” Conti likewise reveals that in their offi cial engagements abroad, they received positive feedback and respons-es from the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and other major shipping registries on the ratifi cation of EO75 which institutionalizes a single maritime admin-istration to give and ensure complete and full effect of the 1978 STCW Convention, as Amended “In fact, even Mr. Koji Sekimizu, secretary-general of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), acknowl-edged this swift action by the Philippine government to align itself with the require-ments of the Manila amendments to the 1978 STCW Convention, as Amended,” says Conti. Gradual transitional arrange-ments with the former leadership of the Maritime Training Council (MTC), among other government agencies involved in ensuring compliance to STCW have been documented, since the signing of the Ex-ecutive Order (EO) 75 in April 2012. Since July 1, 2012, MARINA al-ready assumed relevant functions of MTC such as accreditation and inspections of maritime training centers as initially pro-posed. The smooth transition of the functions of MTC to Marina, which is one of the mandates of EO75, is achieved. Hence, the approval, recognition, inspec-tion and evaluation of training centers are continuous and in accordance to the ex-isting policies and guidelines. According to Atty. Conti, various consultation meetings with other affected government agencies such as the Tech-nical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), the Department of Health (DOH), the National Telecommuni-cation Commission (NTC) and the Profes-sional Regulation Commission (PRC) had taken place and resolved outstanding is-sues which resulted to an agreement for all concerned parties to work towards the implementation of a single maritime ad-ministration for the implementation of the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certifi cation and Watchkeeping (STCW), as Amended for seafarers. He says, “MARINA, through the Memoranda of Agreement (MOAs) with these agencies, will form part of their processes, including the inclusion of the signature of its Administrator or his duly authorized representative for relevant STCW certifi cates to be issued to quali-fi ed seafarers.”

Moratorium stays, assessors pooledConti assures the industry that the mora-torium on the accreditation of new training centers stays. Therefore, speculations that many training centers will grow like mushrooms following the dissolution of

TURN TO PAGE 44

MARINA reports update on complianceMARINA reports update on complianceEO 75 IRR completed, says ContiEO 75 IRR completed, says Conti

Atty. Nick Conti with the MMAP, PHILSCAPT and UFS offi cials during the Technical Assessors Forum at Bayview Hotel


cargoes. Ito pa ang isang kailangan na-

ting gawin. Bagamat pang-apat na tayo sa buong mundo sa paggawa ng barko, maaari pang palakasin natin ito. Mag-tatayo na sana ang Hanjin ng isa pang malaking shipyard sa Iligan ngunit naud-lot ito dahil nagbabangayan na kaagad ang mga politiko doon sa kanilang magi-ging delihensiya. Anino pa lang ng sisiw, tumutulo na ang kanilang laway. Gusto nang sunggaban kaagaad. Hayan, pera na naging bato pa.

***************************Sa awa ng Diyos, maaari nang

ipagmalaki ng mga opisyales ng kub- yerta na nagkatotoo na ang kanilang pangarap na magkaroon ng sariling gu-sali. Hindi katulad sa gusali na ipinag-malaki ng MEOAP na ginawa lang sa photo shop. Ito ang isa sa mga katu-nayan na hindi tayo kailanman nagkaisa dahil sa dinami-dami nating mga ma-kinista, wala man lang pumalag noong binabalasubas ang ating organisasyon ng mga hindi natin kabaro.

***************************Ito pa ang kailangan nating gawin.

Tulungan natin ang MARINA na magka-roon ng marami pang mga assessors para sa assessment ng mga maritime schools at maritime training centers. Alam nating lahat na marami pa ring mga hawsiyaw na mga iskul-bukol at training centers na hindi naman talaga seryoso sa pagbibigay ng kaalaman para sa ating mga kabataan at marino. Panahon na upang wakasan ang gani-tong klaseng pangloloko.

***************************Tayo ay mga marino at alam natin

kung ano ang mga pagkukulang ng mga barkong sinasakyan natin dito sa ating bansa. Kung may makita kayong depek-to, isumbong ninyo kaagad sa MARINA o Coast Guard. Kung hindi binigyan ng pansin ang inyong mga isinumbong, pu-munta kayo dito sa tanggapan ng UFS at sasamahan ko kayo sa MARINA o Coast Guard upang mapabilis ang aksyon. Libu-libo nang inosenteng buhay ang nalagas dahil sa kapabayaan ng may-ari ng barko kaya maaaring sabihin na kapabayaan din natin ito sapagkat pi-nahihintulutan natin ang ganitong mga pangyayari. Tayo ay mga marino at ang kailangan nating gawin ay aksyon.

*************************** Nalulungkot at nanghihinayang

ako sa isa nating kabaro na naging “runner” na lang ngayon ng ilang “am-bulance chasers.” PMMA mariner pa naman. Kung ayaw niya nang sumakay ng barko maaari din namang magtra-baho siya sa isang manning agency o sa isang maritime training center o hindi kaya sa MARINA na lubhang nangan-gailangan ngayon ng maraming as-sessors. Marami nang ka-bunkmate ni Capt. Anthony Ogbinar ang galit sa kan-ya dahil naninilo na lang siya ngayon ng mga marino sa mga ospital o sa NLRC para maibigay sa kanyang mga kakunt-sabang abogado na tinatawag na “am-bulance chasers.”Sa isang pagkakat-

aon, kunyari dumalaw siya sa lamay ng isang ka-bunkmate. Tiniyempuhan lang niya na umalis ang ka-bunkmate na nagtatrabaho sa manning agency ng namatay na ka-bunkmate at kinausap kaagad ang asawa ng yumao na mag-sampa ng kaso. Mabuti na lang, hindi niya nakumbinsi ito. Kawawa kasi ang mga marino o ang kanilang mga naiwan dahil malaki ang komisyong hinihingi ng mga “ambulance chasers” na yan. Katulad ng isang marino na tatanggap sana ng PhP3.2 million pero naging PhP 800,000 na lang. May isang marino na tatanggap sana ng buong PhP5 million, naging PhP1.8 million na lang. Ito ay da-hil sa marami ang nakikihati sa kanilang tatanggaping pera.Ang isang abogado ni Capt. Ogbinar ay sinampahan na ng disbarment case sa Supreme Court ng presidente ng isang manning agency dahil binuhay niya ang patay. Pinapayu-han ko ang ating mga marino na mag-ingat sa ganitong mga sindikato.

UGONG NG MAKINA AT IKOT NG ELISI

UFS and MMAP are organizing a motorcade on September 24, 2012 to kick off the National Maritime Week celebra-tion. Everybody is invited to participate in this momentous event. Assembly point is along Quirino Grandstand at 6:00 AM. Please call or email us to let us know how many and what type of vehicles that you will bring.Tel. Nos.: 524-4888 / 525-5806E-mail: address: [email protected]

FROM PAGE 15


MTC is hereby denied. As far as monitoring is concerned on the mat-ter of the inspection and evaluation of maritime schools and training institutions, Conti says, “It is the practice to source their assessors and evaluators from different shipping companies and other agencies on a part-time basis.” He says the weakness of this kind arrangement is that they are not always available when needed. Rec-ognizing this and some other weaknesses, MARINA is to hire permanent assessors and evaluators for the inspec-tion and evaluation of schools and training centers. And just recently, in coordination with the Masters and Mates Association of the Philippines, Inc. (MMAP), Marina has invited competent and with valid COC master mariners and chief engineers to form part on the pool of competent assessors and evaluators who

will always be available, either full time or part time or on-call. The assessors are categorized as no connec-tion to any training centers or maritime institutions, those who have connection only to training centers, and those who have connection only to maritime institutions. As proposed, Conti says those who have con-nections with training centers will be inspecting and as-sessing only maritime institutions, and vice versa. While those who have no connections at all can inspect and assess both training and maritime institutions. The invitation took place at the Bayview Park Hotel in August 2012. As of this writing, MMAP is yet to submit the list of those who volunteered to become a member of assessors during the invitation. “We believe that with this kind of arrangements, inspection of schools and training centers will be much more credible,” says Marina OIC.

Competency-based Conti explains that competency─based training and assessment refers to the table of competency under the requirements of STCW convention. These tables are the minimum standards in education, training and as-sessments of seafarers in order for them to be effective and competent for the tasks that they are going to per-form on-board. According to him, EO 75 together with the IRR will provide MARINA the necessary tools to restructure the education, training and assessment of seafarers to conform to the requirements of the STCW convention specifi cally on competency─based education. As to the present practice, Conti says the train-ing centers provide training for seafarers and at the same time assess the competency of their trainees. However, this practice violates the requirements for independent assessment of seafarers, he adds. MARINA believes that there should be an in-dependent assessment for the competency of seafarers which will not be biased and will really refl ect the true performance of the trainees. “We are also strong in our belief that training of seafarers should be functional and should refl ect in the curriculum the tasks that they are going to perform on board which can only be achieved through proper provisions of equipment, facilities, qualifi ed faculty, and other materials necessary in support of the curriculum,” enthuses Conti.

EMSA Compliance Update Atty. Nick Conti assures the industry that Mari-na is taking the present issue with serious consideration and that it is fully aware of the far-reaching effects on the employment of Filipino seafarers once the Philippines fails to correct the audit observations and fi ndings of Eu-ropean Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) regarding the quality of the country’s maritime education and training.

The recent pooling of qualifi ed technical staff, inspectors and assessors with maritime experience, says Conti, will be on top of the regular inspection team of the Administration who will address the primary issue which is lack of oversight mechanism to monitor all mari-time education and training institutions in the country. “The EMSA report is an eye-opener for us. If we try to generalize and decipher the meaning of the report, it means that there are areas that need improvement in the education, training and assessments of our seafar-ers,” says Conti. Having said that, MARINA spearheaded all measures to rectify the defi ciencies cited in the reports of EMSA. He also reports that the Commission on High-er Education (CHED) is presently revising their policies, standards and guidelines with regard to the utilization of training equipment by the students including the design of exercises that utilizes the same. “We recognize also that faculty of maritime in-stitutions conducting simulator based education and training such as RADAR/ARPA and GMDSS simulator should undergo training program for instructor conduct-ing simulator based training to be included in the revi-sions of CHEDS policies. PRC also is now revising their requirement for the issue of certifi cate of competency (COC) and certifi cate of endorsement (COE) to address the defi ciencies identifi ed in the EMSA report,” reveals the Marina chief. He says all other agencies with defi ciencies identifi ed in the report are required to rectify the same and provide MARINA with their course of action for con-solidation and submission to EMSA. The Marina OIC personally views the forthcom-ing EMSA audit early next year as a welcome develop-ment for the overseas seafaring industry. “It should be viewed as an opportunity for us to show not only to the EMSA but to the whole global mari-time community that we are serious in instituting reforms in our maritime education and training system. Like in any housekeeping process, we have to make it sure that we have suffi ciently addressed all their concerns. We should not be afraid of anything if we knew from the very start that we have been serious with our business,” con-cludes Atty. Nick Conti.

MARINA reports update on complianceMARINA reports update on complianceEO 75 IRR completed says ContiEO 75 IRR completed says ContiFROM PAGE 42



CAPT. RODOLFO A. ASPILLAGAPresident, Masters and Mates Association of the Philippines (MMAP)

MMAP CORNER

Ang mga kaganapan sa MMAP

Bagamat lalong tumitibay ang pun-dasyon ng Masters and Mates Association of the Philippines sa

nakaraang 37 taon, marami pa rin sa hanay ng ating mga opisyales, lalung-lalo na sa mga baguhan, ang nagta-tanong kung bakit kinakailangang ma-ging miyembro sila ng MMAP at ano ang magagawa sa kanila nito. Bilang tagapangulo ng MMAP, tungkulin ko na bigyan kayo ng tamang impormasyon at ng kasagutan sa in-yong mga katanungan. Ang MMAP ay isang Accredited Professional Asso-ciation (APO) ng Professional Regula-tion Commission (PRC). Tulad ng mga abogado, kailangang maging miyembro sila ng Integrated Bar of the Philippines (IBP) bago nila magamit ang kanilang lisensiya. Gayon din ang ibang mga propesyonal tulad ng doctor, nurse, mechanical, civil at electrical engineers at iba pa, sila ay kailangang nakapa-loob din sa isang APO. Ang batas para sa ating mga opisyal sa barko ay alin-

sunod sa batas R.A. 8544 na tinatawag na Merchant Marine Act of 1998. Para sa kaalaman ng ating mga miyembro, ang anim na palapag na gusali ng MMAP ay nasa fi nishing touches na lang. Sa mga susunod na buwan ay matutupad na ang matagal nating pangarap na magkaroon ng sariling gusali kung saan doon tayo magtatagpu-tagpo sa mga espesyal na okasyon. Ito rin ay magsisilbing pansa-mantalang tirahan para sa mga walang matutuluyan sa magdamag. Magkaka-roon din tayo ng recreational facilities at ng library para sa dagdag na kaalaman tulad ng mga bagong kaganapan. Dito na rin natin ilalagay ang isang dental clinic para sa ating mga miyembro. Nang masunog ang pang-apat na palapag ng Professional Regulation Commision kung saan nakalagay ang tanggapan para sa mga opisyales na magdaragat, nanguna ang MMAP sa pagtulong sa rehabilitasyon nito, kaya ang iba’t ibang sektor at indibiduwal sa

industriya maritima ay masayang nag-ambag din ng kanilang tulong bilang pakikiisa. Napadali at lalong napagan-da ang ating tanggapan sa PRC. Hindi na tayo nagsisikuhan at napapawisan tuwing nilalakad natin ang ating pape-les. Pinakamaganda sa lahat ang tang-gapan natin sa gusali ng PRC. Ang bi-yayang ito ay tinatamasa nating lahat, kasama na ang ating mga kapatid na opisyal sa makina. Sa ilalim ng aking pamumuno, 3,804 na miyembro ng MMAP ang napagkalooban ng libreng accident insurance coverage habang sila ay nasa bakasyon. Humigi’t kumulang 55 miyembro ang natulungan ng “study now pay later” sa ating mga kaagapay na training centers. Bale 15 miyembro naman ang nabigyan ng legal advise ng MMAP in-house legal counsel at 3 miyembro ang nabigyan ng death ben-efi ts sa halagang Php 10,000.00 bawat isa. Maraming mga mahalagang

okasyon sa industriya maritima noong isang taon at sa taong ito na dinaluhan ng MMAP. Lumahok tayo sa pagdiri-wang ng Day of the Seafarer, sa semi-nar ng Familiarization with the Manila Amendments to the STCW Conven-tion, sa First International Seafarer’s Family Convention sa pagdiriwang ng National Maritime Week at sa First Na-tional Seafarer Congress na pinangu-nahan ng United Filipino Seafarers. Sa buwan ng Setyembre, magkatuwang ang MMAP at UFS sa pagdiriwang ng Maritime Week. Pa-ngungunahan natin ang pagbubukas ng pagdiriwang sa pamamagitan ng isang malaking motorcade, kasunod ang UFS-MMAP Invitational Golf Tour-nament at ang dalawang araw na 2nd Philippine Seafarer Congress na ga-ganapin sa AMOSUP Convention Hall. Magpapatuloy ang MMAP sa paglilingkod partikular na sa hanay ng ating propesyon at sa buong industriya maritima.



Morales Captures 5th C/Engr. Nonoy Garcia Cup

Despite warning from the weather-man that Metro Manila and the rest of the Southern part of Luzon will

experience heavy rain, 64 maritime golfers braved the stormy weather to compete in the 5th C/Engr. Nonoy Garcia Cup last July 29, 2012 at the South Forbes Golf Course in Sta. Rosa, Laguna.

Capt. Jess Morales emerged as the overall champion by posting a gross score of 75 with, handicap 9 and a net score of

66. Admiral Reuben Lista also posted a gross of 75 but lost to Capt. Morales by count back. Low net winner was C/E Ronnie Quiban with a gross of 81, handicap, 15 and a net of score of 81. Engr. Quiban had 3 birdies and 6 pars.

In the Class A Division, Edilberto Rivera bested Steeve Tirazona with the gross score of 79 with 2 birdies and 2 pars. Capt. Tirazona had a gross score of 86 and a net score of 66.

Capt. Benjo Katipunan captured the Class B Category by besting Guil-bert Llamado. Benjo posted a gross score 89, handicap 23 and a net score of 66. Guilbert had a gross score of 88 and netted 67 with 1 birdie and 5 pars.

Ed Mapa ruled the Class C Category with a gross score of 93 and a net score of 69 over Rene Manago who scored 96 strokes with 24 handicap and a net score of 27.

In the Class D Division, Jin Salvatiera narrowly edged Ernan Rodio with a gross score of 105, with handicap 30 and a net score of 75. Ernan Rodio had a gross score of 106, with handicap 30 and a net score of 76.

Ms. Evan Bautista captured the Ladies Category with a gross score of 94, handicap 24 and a net score of 70, besting Timi Basilio who posted a gross score of 97, with a handicap of 26 and a net score of 71.

Meanwhile, Kjell Hjartnes won the guest category with a gross score of 85, handicap 18 and net of 87 by besting Oddmund Karlsen who posted 91

strokes with handicap 23 and a net score of 68.Special awards went to Edilberto Rivera for hitting the Most Accurate

Drive which was 5 inches to the line, while Dennis Alvarado captured the Longest Drive trophy with his 220 yards drive. Tony Ilagan won the nearest to the pin with only 3 feet to the pin. The Most Promising Player Award went to Ian Garcia for being consistent in mauling his golf balls with 131 strokes to fi nish the 18 holes.

By: Alvin Patrimonio

NPR receives the runner-up trophy from Capt. Cesar Baricuatro in the GOLF FOR A CAUSE tournament for the repairs of the St. Francis of Asisi church in Dumanhug, Cebu last August 4, 2012.

With Jeff Solon and Eric Sarmiento at the South Forbes Golf Course during the 5th C/Engr. Nonoy Garcia Memorial Golf Tournament.

The winners of the E/Engr. Nonoy Garcia Cup with the Go Girls dancers

This kind of drive was not enough to get a trophy in the Bureau of Immigration golf tournament at Intramuros golf course.

Glydel Mercado Gutierrez, NPR, and Tonton Gutierrez pose for posterity after the awarding of the Bureau of Immigration golf tournament


This could probably be a test case for the single adminis-tration, the Maritime Industry

Authority (Marina), on how to solve a problem like the PNTC Colleges in Intramuros. Apparently, the Com-mission on Higher Education does not seem to be doing its job after all!

On 21 December 2011, the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) wrote a letter to President Benigno S. Aquino III to call the attention of the Commission on Higher Educa-tion (CHED), which is at the center of the EMSA issue because of its defi -cient maritime education curriculum.

PNTC Colleges Intramuros, which took in some 3,000 orphaned students from PMI Colleges, under-went “instant expansion by virtue of an overnight accreditation,” with the same issue on quality and qualifi ca-tion of instructors, including facilities and overall educational standards still evident as it appeared in the EMSA report.

The original PNTC Colleges in Dasmariñas, Cavite has complied with the requirements of CHED in offering maritime programs, but the accreditation does not carry over its its branch in Intramuros, Manila.

PMI Colleges was not able to meet the requirements set by EMSA from 2006 to 2010 all the way to 2011; we are quite puzzled, there-fore how PNTC Colleges Intramuros got a nod from CHED in a span of less than six months.

On March 1, 2012, the UFS made a rejoinder to the letter of Atty. Hernani Fabia, president of PNTC Colleges dated 02 February 2012 who was denying any wrongdoings of PNTC Colleges Intramuros in ac-cepting orphaned students of PMI Colleges for the second semester of

school year 2011 – 2012. The PNTC Colleges Intramuros

does not have proper accreditation to offer maritime courses because its

accreditation is still pending before CHED. While Fabia is arguing that

A test case for MARINA How do we solve a problem like PNTC?

TURN TO PAGE 51


The Filipino Hell A Pinoy dies and goes to hell. There he fi nds that there is a differ-ent hell for each country. He goes fi rst to the German hell and asks, “What do they do here?”He is told, “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the German devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.” The man does not like the sound of that at all, so he moves on. He checks out the USA hell as well as the Rus-sian hell and many more. He discovers that they are all more or less the same as the German hell. Then he comes to the Filipino hell and fi nds that there is a very long line of people waiting to get in. Amazed he asks, “What do they do here?” He is told “First they put you in an electric chair for an hour. Then they lay you on a bed of nails for another hour. Then the Filipino devil comes in and whips you for the rest of the day.” “But that is exactly the same as all the other hells - why are there so many people waiting to get in?” Because there is always a brownout, so the electric chair does not work. Somebody stole all the nails to sell it “por kilo.” And the devil is a politician who does not want to lose his position in hell, so he comes in, punches his time-card, shakes hands with all the people waiting there and then goes back home...”

COLD WATERLito: Pare, ano ba ang kaibahan ng H2O sa CO2?Joseph: Diyos ko naman! Di mo ba alam ‘yun?!Ang H2O ay water! Atang CO2... cold water.

KASALI KA SA LABANGustong malaman ng magkaibigan kung may basketbolan sa langit.Nagkasundo sila na kung sino ang unang mamatay ay babalik upang sabihin kung may basketbol sa langit.Naunang namatay si Dado.Isang gabi, may narinig na boses si Rodel na parang kay Dado.“Ikaw ba ‘yan, Dado?” usisa ni Rodel.“Oo naman!” tugon ni Dado.“Parang hindi totoo!” bulalas ni

NAGYABANGANUsapan ng dalawang mayabang...Tomas: Ang galing ng aso ko! Tuwing umaga, dinadala niya ang dyaryo sa akin.Diego: Alam ko.Tomas: Ha? Paano mo nalaman?Diego: Ikinukuwento sa akin ng aso ko.

PAGALINGAN NG TATAYJunjun: Magaling ang tatay ko! Alam mo, ‘yang Pacifi c Ocean, ang tatay ko ang naghukay noon.Pedrito: Wala ‘yan sa tatay ko! Mas matindi ang tatay ko. Alam mo ‘ yungDead Sea ?Junjun: Oo...Pedrito: Siya ang pumatay noon!

MAS GUGUSTUHIN PANG MAMATAY

Dok: May taning na ang buhay mo.Juan: Wala na bang pag-asa? Ano po ba ang dapat kong gawin?Dok: Mag-asawa ka na lang ng pangit at bungangera.Juan: Bakit, gagaling po ba ako roon?Dok: Hindi, pero mas gugustuhin mo pang mamatay kesa mabuhay!

Rodel.”O, ano, meron bang basketbol sa langit?”Sagot ni Dado, “May maganda at masama akong balita sa ‘yo. Ang maganda, may basketbol doon. Ang masama...kasali ka sa makaka-laban na team namin bukas!” (ngek!)

NAGKOPYAHAN Josh: Kumusta ang assignment?Ricardo: Masama. Wala akong na-sagutan. Blank paper ang ipinasa ko.Josh: Naku, ako rin! Paano ‘yan? Yari tayo.Baka isipin nila na nagkopyahan tayo?!


they are faultless since it was the students who came to them and that they did not offer them enrolment, this is a lame excuse. He knows very well that PNTC College Intramuros lacks accreditation to offer maritime education program for them to ac-cept students, in the fi rst place.

The 3rd letter of UFS to CHED dated 6 February 2012 called the at-tention of the offi ce of Secretary Dr. Patricia B. Licuanan, upon learning that PNTC Colleges Intramuros will have its classroom lectures in Intra-muros while all its laboratory subjects will be held in Dasmariñas, Cavite. This is downright ridiculous and an upfront mockery of the CHED and the entire maritime education and training system of the country. The same letter is sent to President Aqui-no for the third time but still no action has been undertaken.

The country’s maritime edu-cation and training system is being questioned here by EMSA. While ev-erybody is working hard to meet the requirements set forth by the EMSA auditors, the UFS leadership could not believe how “powerful” PNTC Colleges Intramuros can become to ignore the law and make a mockery of our system.

Yet we know that while it is up to the students to make a fool of themselves, the fact remains that another defi ciency would affect the whole country.

Whether the CHED is aware or not, the Executive Order 75 does not say leave PNTC Colleges Intramuros

FROM PAGE 49

A test case for MARINA How do we solve a problem like PNTC?

alone. In case CHED is quite busy to act on what the UFS has petitioned here for more than three times, I

guess they should be answerable for all these. After all, they are again, at the epicentre of EMSA report

that shocked the whole country and threatened the employment of thou-sands of seafarer households.



54 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012Keep yourself updated with the latest developments in the

industry ─ visit the most popular maritime website

www.ufs.com.ph


Channel 9 - DestinyChannel 9 - DestinyChannel 33 - SkyChannel 33 - SkyChannel 9 - DreamChannel 9 - DreamChannel 37 - UHFChannel 37 - UHF

Every Wednesday at 5:00 P.M.Every Wednesday at 5:00 P.M.

Congresswoman Emmeline Y. Aglipay articulates the signifi cance of Magna Carta of Filipino seafarers with NPR and Ms. Annie Rentoy

Capt. Burt Sabay explains the necesity and advantages of Simulator Training and how it will upgrade the knowslege of seafarers

Capt. Rudy Aspillaga and Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez explain the latest develop-ments on the Single Maritime Administrators and the impending IRR.

Capt. Jaime “Kenny” Quiñones airs his views on the relevance of Single Mari-time Administration.

Ms. Annie Rentoy and Engr. Nelson Ramirez discuss the developments of the ratifi cation of the Maritime Labour Convention after the fi rst hearing.

Atty. Hans Cacdac clearly enunciates the ratifi cation of the ILO Maritime La-bour Convention after the 3rd and fi nal reading in the Senate


NPR during the 67th birthday celebration of Sen. Gordon at The Blue Leaf Events Pavillion, Mckinley Hills at the Fort. As chaiman of the Senate Blue Rib-bon Committe, Sen. Richard Gordon conducted an investigations on several maritime disasters and the Management Level Course. In the middle is Atty. Federico Agcaoili of FAME

With Sen. Jinggoy E. Estrada and Dr. Conrad Oca after the second reading of the Maritime Labour Convention

Engr. Nelson Ramirez thanks Sen. Loren Legarda for sponsoring the ratifi ca-tion of the Maritime Labour Convention.

From left: James Mante of Tinig ng Marino, NPR, Capt. Rodolfo Peralta and C/Engr. Meliton Paragas, president of Hanjin Ocean Philippines during the Welcome Ceremony for the Junior Offi cers of Hanjin Shipping Company at the Pan Pacifi c Hotel

UFS President reacts during the presentation of the Offi ce of the Presidential Advisory on Peace Process (OPAPP) about the peace process in Mindanao.

NPR poses for posterity with POEA Administrator Hans Cacdac, DOLE Sec. Rosalinda D. Baldoz, Admiral Ed Ma. R. Santos of MAAP, Butch Lamug of AMOSUP, DOLE Undersecretary Danilo Cruz, Dr. Conrad Oca of AMOSUP and partly hidden at the back is Dario Alampay of the Filipino Shipowners As-sociation after the passing of the 3rd and fi nal reading of Senate Resolution 829, The Ratifi cation of the Maritime Labour Convention.

PROTECTORS OF SEAFARERS RIGHT ─ NPR is fl anked by a battery of law-yers during the Sapalo, Velez, Bundang, Bulilan Law fi rm’s 36th anniversary. From left: Atty. Consuelo Agno, Atty. Dennis Gorecho, Atty. Neptali Bulilan, Atty. Romeo Duran, Atty. Augusto Bundang and Atty. Romeo Fortea.



Dear Engr. Ramirez,

Magandang araw po sa inyo sir sampu ng inyong pamilya. Sana nasa mabuti kayong kalagayan. Ako po si E/C John Benidect Agosto, isa po sa UFS volunteer at isa na rin sa libu-libong marino na natulu-ngan ninyo. Ako po ay sumulat sa inyo upang ipahayag ang lubos kong pasasal-amat sa pagtulong ninyo sa akin na matupad ang pangarap kong maging isang tunay na marino. Ako po ay naging isang UFS volunteer sa loob ng tatlong buwan, hanggang ako ay naipadala sa PEARL GRACE SHIPMANAGE-MENT INC. (PGSI) at naging utility volunteer ako dun sa loob ng dalawang linggo hanggang ako po ay makasakay sa M/V ALEX P, at sa napakaikling panahon na yon hindi matutumbasan ang mga naging aral at mga natutu-nan ko sa inyo. Abot langit ang aking pasasalamat sa naging tulong ninyo sa akin, hindi lang po sa mga aral kundi pati na rin po sa fi nancial matters at sa mga libreng training na ipinagkaloob po ninyo. Ako po ay kabilang sa mga stay-in sa inyong opisina. Ito po ay naging tahanan ko sa loob ng tat-long buwan. Ito po ay napakalaking bagay sa akin lalo na sa aking pamilya na sumusuporta sa akin. Dahil dito nabawasan ang mga problema nila sa gastusin sa akin. Hindi po matatawaran ang kabutihan ninyo sir, dahil sa in-yong mga turo at payo, at higit sa lahat, ang disiplina ninyo sa amin. Ito ang naging sandata ko sa pagsakay sa barko. Ang bawat salita ninyo ay na-ging gabay sa pang-araw-araw kong buhay sa barko at sa kasalukuyan kong pamumuhay ngayon. At bilang ganti sa lahat ng tulong ninyo, ako po ay lubhang sumusuporta sa lahat ng magaganda ninyong layunin upang mapaganda at lalong mapaayos ang mundo ng mga marino. Sa bawat ipaglalabanan po ninyo at pakikibaka, kami po ay nasa likod ninyo at handang tumulong sa ano mang paraan upang masuklian

lang po ang kabutihan at kagandahang loob na ipinakita ninyo sa amin. Kami po ay sobrang humahanga sa inyo sa tibay ng loob, matinding panin-indigan at sakripisyo ninyo upang matulungan lang kaming mga marino. Ang mga natutunan ko po sa UFS ay hindi po matutum-basan. Ipinagmamalaki ko po na ako ay isang taga-UFS. Ang tatak ng UFS ay dadalhin ko habang ako ay nabubuhay at lahat ng mga aral, pa-nanaw, at disiplina ay ibabahagi ko rin sa iba. Muli ko po ipinapaabot ang aking pasasalamat sa inyo Sir. Nelson at sa bumubuo ng UFS. Muli, maraming-maraming salamat po – E/C John Benidect Ago-sto M/V ALEX P (PGSI).

Want your letter published? E-mail us at [email protected]

E/C John Benidect Agosto (3rd from the left), C/E Ildefonso Pama (2nd From the right), 1/E Nathaniel Jongco (2nd from the left), 3AE Lorenzo Camangon (1st from the left),together Wpr. Rommel Pastolero, Ftr. Danilo Carilla, Bsn. Fer-nando Jose, Mtrm. Genesis Mendoza, Olr. Roberto Carogtos, O/S Harold Jay Dela Cruz, D/C Danilo Santos & Msm. Emilio O. Sobrevinas



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