President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. welcomed the European Commission's (EC) announcement on Sunday that it will continue to recognize Philippine-issued certificates of seafarers, allowing Filipinos to continue working on European Union (EU)-flagged ships.
Marcos acknowledged that "deficiencies" in the education, training, and certification systems for Filipino seafarers had been a long-standing issue.
This is why he made a point of meeting with EC President Ursula von der Leyen in December last year in Brussels, Belgium, to explain the Philippines' efforts to meet European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) standards.
During their meeting, Marcos stated that von der Leyen promised the Philippines that the EC would provide technical assistance so that they could "remedy all of the deficiencies that EMSA has been pointing out" within three months.
Marcos was in Brussels from December 12 to 14 last year to attend the ASEAN-EU Commemorative Summit.
He claimed that the EC's decision to continue recognizing Filipino seafarers' certificates saved the jobs of 50,000 Filipino seafarers, citing data from the Department of Migrant Workers.
He also reaffirmed his administration's pledge to prioritize the local maritime industry and provide it with all necessary assistance.
On March 31, the European Commission's Directorate General for Mobility and Transport decided that certificates issued by the Philippines to seafarers would be recognized in the future.
Adina Vălean, European Commissioner for Transport, praised Manila's "constructive cooperation" with the EU and praised Philippine efforts to improve the system for training and certifying seafarers.
The European Commission, the EU's executive arm, first informed the Philippines in December 2021 that recognition of its seafarer certificates would be withdrawn unless serious steps were taken, including compliance with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.
Last year, Marcos established an advisory board to address deficiencies identified by the EU.
According to a United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 2021 study, the Philippines continues to be the leading provider of seafarers for both officers and ratings across all departments aboard merchant cargo vessels.
Filipino seafarers remitted a total of USD6.54 billion in 2021, up from USD6.353 billion in 2020, a 3% increase, making them a significant contributor to the country's economy.
