DFA, not MARINA, was key in getting reprieve from EMSA Posted by: Dennis on Jun 02, 2014 As the primary government agency that provides support and protection to Filipino migrant workers and their families who work on land and at sea, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) vigorously solicited support from European governments to give the Philippines the additional time it needs to implement the reforms in the country’s maritime educational system. The Philippine envoys were directed to earnestly seek support from their host governments to give the Philippines an additional period within which to fully implement Republic Act No. 10635 which consolidates all compliance responsibilities to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW Convention) with the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina). The new law was signed by President Benigno S. Aquino III only last March 13, 2014, or after the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) audit in October, 2013. The DFA’s efforts came to fruition as the European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DGMOVE) recently granted its requested reprieve, which would allow the Marina to implement structural and policy changes to meet regulatory standards set by the 1978 STCW Convention, as amended. During a recent meeting in Brussels, Belgium, the DGMOVE’s Committee on Safe Seas and the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (COSS) agreed to send another audit team to the Philippines from the EMSA to look into the measures which the Philippine maritime authorities will implement to ensure compliance with STCW standards. The EMSA audit team intends to arrive in September or October of this year to monitor the delivery of maritime education by the country’s higher education and training institutions. EMSA has been sending audit teams to the Philippines since 2006 to ensure that the 82,000 Filipino seafarers working on board European Union (EU)-flagged vessels are qualified and competent. The last EMSA audit took place in October, 2013, and its report was submitted to the European Commission Directorate General for Mobility and Transport early this year. The Department of Foreign Affairs will now focus on providing support to the Maritime Industry Authority, as it rectifies deficiencies in the country’s maritime education system before the next European Maritime Safety Agency audit. f
Posted on: Tue, 03 Jun 2014 03:30:26 +0000