Marina prepares for int’linspectors

CEBU, Philippines - The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is busy preparing for the final audit mission by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) this coming October.

MARINA administrator Maximo Mejia, Jr. said that once the Philippines’ maritime institutions nationwide get a nod from EMSA, this will mean an image of “world class, efficient and reliability” for Filipino seafarers.

“We want na pag sinasabing Filipino seafarers, it means quality yan. For the world not to doubt, we really need to ensure that our maritime institutions are in line with the National Quality Standards (NQS),” said Mejia in an interview.

Mejia added that MARINA and other government agencies have to ensure that the curriculum and skills trainings of these maritime institutions are in line with NQS.

The Philippines has around 80,000 seafarers on board European vessels, with thousands of others scattered all over the world.

 Meanwhile, as part of the preparations for the final audit mission, DBM recently released P46.5 million to cover the monitoring and assessment of all accredited maritime training and educational institutions nationwide.

The fund release, according to DBM, aims to equip the 190 maritime institutions in the country where there are 95 accredited maritime training centers and the rest are recognized maritime educational institutions.

With the money, MARINA can carry out inspections on these institutions nationwide, in compliance with the 1978 International Convention on Standards of  Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for seafarers.

DBM secretary Butch Abad said that raising the standards of maritime education in the country is one of the more immediate benefits of EMSA accreditation.

The said budget, which will be sourced from MARINA’s 2013 allocation, will address the deficiencies cited by EMSA in their audit particularly with respect to the monitoring plan for maritime schools, conflict-of-interest among assessors and evaluators of maritime institutions and students, and compliance of marine regulatory agencies with NQS.

“As we push for sustainable and inclusive growth in the country, we also need to develop the necessary tools to promote job generation, beginning with the large-scale improvement of our educational and technical training institutions.  After all, the country can only be globally competitive if its own human capital can keep pace with international standards,” Abad added. — /JPM  (FREEMAN)