House ratifies seafarers' magna carta

house ratifies seafarers' magna carta

Filipino Seafarers

The House of Representatives on Wednesday ratified the bicameral committee report on the proposed Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, setting the stage for its passage into law once President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signs it.

The Senate ratified the same bill on Wednesday.

"The ratification of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers marks a resounding victory for our maritime industry, benefiting shipowners, manning agencies, and especially our seafarers. This legislation fortifies their rights, safety, and welfare," Kabayan Partylist Rep. Ron Salo said.

The bill includes "comprehensive provisions to substantially enhance the maritime sector, particularly through shifting educational oversight to the Maritime Industry Authority" (Marina), a statement on the bill said.

It added that the bill "establishes detailed provisions to govern the qualifications, certification, and conditions for employment of both international and domestic seafarers, as well as provisions that will bolster and promote the domestic maritime industry."

The bill covers Filipino seafarers working "in any capacity on board a ship or vessel plying international waters, whether Philippine-registered or foreign-registered."

It also covers Filipino cadets in line with its provisions on their education and training.

The bill states that seafarers working on domestic ships will be principally covered by the Labor Code of the Philippines and other applicable rules as well as the bill's provisions on seafarers' rights, women in the maritime industry, seafarers' duties, emergency rescue of domestic seafarers, manning levels and crew competency requirements, inspection and enforcement, green lane for overseas and domestic seafarers, requirements for Philippine-registered ships on shipboard training, and incentives and awards for the maritime industry.

The President was expected to sign the proposed Magna Carta into law on Feb. 26 but did not do so and marked it for further review.

Asked about the version ratified by Congress in late 2023 and the new version of the bill, Salo said on Thursday that both "versions specify the rights and obligations of the seafarers, and provide the roles of both the government and the private sector (particularly the shipowners, or their representatives, and manning agencies) in ensuring that the rights of seafarers are protected."

"The second version, which was just adopted, clearly specifies the roles of Marina in enhancing the education and competencies of seafarers. It also clearly provides which provisions are applicable to domestic seafarers vis-a-vis overseas seafarers. It also has provisions that will enhance the competencies of domestic seafarers to support the development of the domestic maritime industry", he said.

"However, the second version lacks the provision that will ultimately curb ambulance-chasing, which has been afflicting our seafarers, and has a negative impact on the attractiveness of Filipino seafarers. The provision which requires bond in executing disputed amounts and discretionary awards was not included in the second version," he said.

"This matter will be the subject of a separate legislation, specifically by amending the ambulance-chasing law," he said.

OTHER NEWS

3 hrs ago

ABS-CBN hits 48 million subscribers on YouTube, 40 million followers on Facebook!

3 hrs ago

Sofia Andres' Summer OOTDs in Madrid Are a Masterclass in Dressing Elegantly for Travel

3 hrs ago

Street calls of the week: Upgrade for Shopify; downgrades for AMD, Paramount

3 hrs ago

The Eagles Announce Fall Residency Set at Las Vegas' Sphere

3 hrs ago

Staff shortage closes urgent treatment centre

3 hrs ago

Coron legislator files persona non grata against vloggers Rosmar Tan, Rendon Labador following disputes in the municipality

3 hrs ago

Gervonta Davis knocks out Frank Martin to keep WBA title

4 hrs ago

NBA Finals: Irving ends skid vs Celtics, now Mavs try to win in Boston

4 hrs ago

LTO: ‘No Plate, No Travel’ policy for QC tricycles effective July 1

4 hrs ago

Singapore taps Cebu Pacific for travel promo

4 hrs ago

Magsayo outboxes Mexican foe to win WBA regional title in Las Vegas

4 hrs ago

NBA Finals: Celtics take season’s worth of lessons into Game 5

4 hrs ago

ACT solon wants to probe alleged US Pentagon secret anti-vax campaign

4 hrs ago

Aberg paces US Open; McIlroy drops to fifth

4 hrs ago

Simone Ashley Says She and Jonathan Bailey Will Do 'All We Can' to Return for “Bridgerton ”Season 4

4 hrs ago

Infinity art unveiled in county of symbol's creator

4 hrs ago

Scargill joins rally marking 40 years since Orgreave

4 hrs ago

Activists, exiled opposition slam Sweden's 'shameful' freeing of Iranian ex-official

4 hrs ago

Bay City Cafe at Citadines: A love letter to Filipino cuisine, cities

4 hrs ago

Muslims gather in Manila, Taguig for Eid'l Adha prayers

4 hrs ago

BINI graces local magazine's cover

4 hrs ago

Jurassic fossil found in storeroom to go on display

4 hrs ago

Joel Embiid says he’s feeling well, on track for Paris Olympics

5 hrs ago

PAF to continue WPS patrols amid China's 'no trespass' rule

5 hrs ago

Osaka advances in Wimbledon warm-up

5 hrs ago

UK 'guinea pig' for election security before landmark votes

5 hrs ago

Weavers win for home crowd in MPBL's first game in Abra

5 hrs ago

PH looks laid-back on green goals compared with neighbors

5 hrs ago

Cebu urban poor group opposes Marcos’ high-rise housing project

5 hrs ago

Residential fire in Las Piñas City reaches 2nd alarm

5 hrs ago

DOH exec wants anti-vax campaign of US Pentagon uncovered

5 hrs ago

This West Hollywood Italian Deli Assembles Paninis With the Precision of a Surgeon

6 hrs ago

In the trenches: how to buy a runway-ready secondhand coat

6 hrs ago

House to prioritize tackling of proposed P6.2 trillion budget for 2025

6 hrs ago

Speaker: House, Senate nearing agreement on RTL amendments

6 hrs ago

Meralco rates down in June

6 hrs ago

Billie Eilish Becomes the 3rd and Youngest Artist to Reach 100M Monthly Spotify Listeners

6 hrs ago

Gerrit Cole could be ready to rejoin New York rotation, though Yankees not ready to commit

7 hrs ago

PH goes to UN body to seek extension of continental shelf

7 hrs ago

Three keys to Texas Longhorns winning the College Football Playoff