ShareThisMANILA – The Philippines is already the biggest provider of seafarers in the world and the government wants a higher goal – 50 percent of the 1.2 million strong international merchant marine force.
Baldoz
The goal to reach to reach the target is 2016, or five years from now, according to the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE).
Labor Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis-Baldoz said she aims to do this by vigorously supporting its partners in the Maritime Industry Tripartite Council (MITC) and addressing common problems in the maritime industry.
“This is part of efforts to expand the sea-based overseas Filipino workers (OFW) sector amid the turmoil in the Middle East and North Africa, which has led to the repatriation of OFWs from Libya,” she added.
Baldoz established the MITC early this year “to provide the tripartite partners in the maritime sector a venue where common concerns can be addressed to ensure the country’s capability to produce competent seafarers and port workers.
Members of the MITC include the Joint Manning Group (JMG), the umbrella organization of manning agencies.
JMG leaders, in a meeting with Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator Carlos Cao Jr., said the country’s seafaring industry “is aggressively targeting to increase global requirements for Filipino seafarers from 30 percent at present to 50 percent until 2016.”
The industry has invested heavily in putting up world-class training modules and facilities for Filipino seafarers to enhance their competitiveness and employability in the international maritime industry, JMG said.
Baldoz said her department, through the MITC, is prepared to support the industry in its efforts to capture a larger portion of the international market for seafarers.