NBI probes new Marina scam

MANILA, Philippines — The National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) anti-graft division is looking into a scam at the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina), where thousands of certificates of proficiency (COP) used by seamen to obtain promotions were leaked and sold by a training center for a fee.

Special investigator Jim Siriban said some 2,500 COPs have gone missing at the Marina since 2015, and were later discovered being sold by Fremarobi training center to prospective seamen.

Of the 2,500 COPs leaked since 2015, 800 have since been recovered by Marina from seamen who presented them for renewal.

Each COP, which costs between P5,000 to P20,000, is used by a seaman to board international ships after completion of trainings.

The seamen who obtained the COPs from the training center were told not to present the COPs to Marina, raising their suspicions that they could be spurious, Siriban said.

The investigator called on other victims to report to the NBI after at least 10 seamen filed complaints against the training center.

Last January, five Marina employees were arrested in an entrapment operation in Ermita by the Manila Police District for attempting to leak the questions in the marine desk officer licensure examination to another training center.