Senator Edgardo Angara pressed for the improvement
For many decades seafarers from the Philippines have been the backbone of the global maritime industry. Almost every other ship plying the world’s seaways has some form or other of Filipino content within its hull. So much so that a joke does the rounds of nautical circles that should one go to any ship berthed at a harbor anywhere in the world and shout “Jun” a Filipino would pop his head over the deck!
But the unfolding tragic drama last week of the sinking of the Costa Concordia in usually safe waters off the coast of Italy – and in a ship (and, indeed, a shipping company) that employs hundreds of Filipino seamen – has brought home the importance of sound maritime education, especially in the area of safety out at sea.
Ironically, not too long ago, Senator Edgardo Angara, Chair of the Senate Committee on Education, Culture and the Arts, pressed for the improvement of the country’s maritime education and training following reports that Filipino seafarers are at risk of being banned from European Union ships.
The EU is set to announce next month whether the Philippines is complying with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). An unfavorable outcome will stop shipping firms from hiring Filipino mariners.
The EU monitored and investigated the Philippines in 2006 and reported in 2009 that the country’s implementation of the STCW, an International Maritime Organization (IMO) Convention adopted by the EU, was not sufficient.
“The maritime industry will be seriously undermined if the government does not take decisive steps to improve not only the national system of maritime education and training in the country, but also the development and implementation of a strong and comprehensive agenda for Filipino seafarers,” Angara said.
According to the Department of Labor and Employment, Filipino seafarers make up approximately 30 percent of the world’s maritime manpower, contributing about 25 percent of the remittances in 2010.
Angara estimated that Filipino seamen remit as much as $300 million to their families every year. He also stressed that any kind of ban in hiring Filipino seafarers will have a negative effect on the economy.
“The Philippines has been the biggest source of seafarers in the global market for almost three decades now. We have to maintain our dominant presence vis-a-vis competition posed by emerging sources of labor such as China, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, Poland and Greece,” he noted.
Angara authored the proposed Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers which aims to improve the economic and social status of Filipino seafarers by giving them access to training, protecting them against illegal recruitment, and ensuring their health and safety while on board.
Japan’s care for the elderly
Incidentally, Angara was in Japan last week where he was batting on another matter when he lauded the initiatives of Japan in taking care of their elderly population during the 20th Annual Meeting of the Asia Pacific Parliamentary Forum (APPF) and encouraged other countries, especially the Philippines to heed their example.
“Japan has several institutes to address the growing needs of the ageing population, among them are The Japan Aging Research Center (JARC), the International Longevity Center-Japan (ILC Japan), the Smart Aging International Research Center in Tohoku University, and the National Center for Geriatrics and Gerontology,” said Angara.
“These institutions, grounded on interdisciplinary research on an ageing society, have been active in engaging in discussions particularly concerning the ethos of productive ageing. Here, the elderly are not seen as socially weak or a target of discrimination, they were recognized as an integral part of the society”.
In an absence of a similar institution in the Philippines, Angara urges, “We must address the growing needs of our elderly by providing primary health care and wellness services to elderly population especially those living in the underserved communities.”
Angara, author of the Senior Citizen’s Act of 1991 and National Health Insurance Act (Philhealth Law), has recently filed Senate Bill No. 2982 seeking the creation of a Philippine Institute for Ageing which will serve as a counterpart research center in the Philippines that will generate science and research-based solutions to guide policymaking on social, legal, economic and physiological issues surrounding ageing in the country.
There is a growing need for experts on aging experts, for senior citizens account for 6.9 percent of the total Philippine population or a total of 6.8 million Filipinos. The Philippines has 35 certified geriatricians but only 20 of them remain in the country. The Philippine elderly population grew at a rate of 4.39 percent during the 1995 to 2000 period and the number is expected to reach seven million in 2010 and will double in 16 years.
“We must take urgent action on these issues. We must learn from Japan. We do it not just for those who are old now but ultimately, for ourselves,” Angara added.
Source: The Manila Times