The Philippine government lauded European Union's (EU)'s decision to continue recognizing Philippine seafarer certificates which allow Filipino nationals to keep working on EU-flagged ships.
Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Jaime Bautista said on Saturday that they are delighted with the decision noting the relentless effort of the Maritime Industry Authority and other stakeholders to follow international seafarer standards.
"As the [commission] lauded our cooperation and welcomed our efforts at improving the Philippine system of training and certifying Filipino seafarers, we commit to addressing the remaining areas identified that require further improvement," the transportation secretary said.
On the other hand, Susan Ople, secretary for migrant workers, said that the European Union's decision averted a crisis that may have resulted in the loss of 50,000 Filipino seafarers' employment.
Meanwhile, the Department of Foreign Affairs has also welcomed the decision assuring that the government has had a positive attitude toward the inspections, verifications, and assessments carried out by the European Commission through the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).
Following a thorough evaluation, the European Commission notified the Philippines in December 2021 that it would no longer recognize seafarer certificates issued there unless corrective action was taken, including adherence to the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

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PH lauds EU's decision to continue recognizing PH-issued certs to seafarers