MANILA, Philippines — The Philippines is committing to improve the education, training, and certification (METC) system for seafarers, the Department of Foreign Affairs said as it welcomed the European Commission’s support to help the country meet international standards.
In a statement late Saturday, the DFA said it notes the extension of the European Union's recognition of seafarers certificates issued by the Philippines comes with the responsibility to ensure that Filipino seafarers' jobs will not be put at risk again.
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"The Philippines has viewed the inspections, verifications, and evaluations conducted by the European Commission, through the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), constructively, and is firm in its commitment to meet the same, mindful that these are in the interest of ensuring the best possible conditions for Philippine seafarers looking to serve on EU flag vessels," the DFA said.
The European Commission on Friday said it will continue to recognize the certificates issued by the Philippines to seafarers as it acknowledged efforts to improve standards.
An EMSA audit found 23 grievances — including lack of training equipment and inconsistent training and assessment — under the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) convention that the Philippines needed to address.
The grievances had been identified since 2006 and, last year, the European Union said these had to be addressed by March or around 50,000 Filipino seafarers on European ships could lose their jobs.
While the number of seafarers that might have been affected by an EU ban is only a fraction of the over 600,000-Filipino seafarers deployed around the world, the Philippines is the world’s top source of seafarers and being banned from EU vessels could limit opportunities for Filipinos.
"The Philippine Government will continue to work towards elevating the METC system to the highest standard, and ensure the best possible employment opportunities for Filipino seafarers, on domestic or foreign flag vessels," the DFA said.
European Commissioner for Transport Adina Valean said the EU will offer technical assistance to improve the skills training programs for seafarers in the next few months.
"We appreciate the constructive cooperation with the Philippine authorities and welcome their efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers," she said in a statement dated March 31.
READ: Philippines, European Commission to collaborate on improving Filipino seafarers' skills programs
— Kaycee Valmonte