THE LABOR CODE OF THE PHILIPPINES PRESIDENTIAL DECREE NO. 442, AS AMENDED.

A DECREE INSTITUTING A LABOR CODE THEREBY REVISING AND CONSOLIDATING LABOR AND SOCIAL LAWS TO AFFORD PROTECTION TO LABOR, PROMOTE EMPLOYMENT AND HUMAN RESOURCES DEVELOPMENT AND INSURE INDUSTRIAL PEACE BASED ON SOCIAL JUSTICE RECRUITMENT AND PLACEMENT OF WORKERS Chapter I GENERAL PROVISIONS (g) "Seaman" means any person employed in a vessel engaged in maritime navigation. Art. 22. Mandatory remittance of foreign exchange earnings. It shall be mandatory for all Filipino workers abroad to remit a portion of their foreign exchange earnings to their families, dependents, and/or beneficiaries in the country in accordance with rules and regulations prescribed by the Secretary of Labor. Tanong: Ako ko po ay isang seaman. Saan po ba nakasaad ang aking mga karapatan? Sagot: Karamihan sa iyong mga karapatan ay nasasaad sa iyong POEA contract at sa nakapaloob na Standard Terms and Conditions Governing the Employment of Filipino Seafarers on-board Ocean-Going Vessels, (Standard Contract). Kung ikaw ay may Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA), ito rin ay nagbibigay sayo kadalasan ng karagdagang karapatan o kaya ay mas mataas o mas maraming karapatan kumpara sa iyong Standard Contract.

Tanong: Naaksidente po ako habang nagtatrabaho sa barkong pinagtatrabahuhan ko. Ang aksidente po ay nagdulot ng injury (kapinsalaan)* sa akin. Ano po ba ang aking mga karapatan? Sagot: Ang iyong employer ay patuloy na magbabayad ng iyong suweldo habang ikaw ay nasa barko. Kung dahil sa iyong injury ay kinakailangan kang dalhin sa foreign port para sa medical o dental treatment, ang iyong employer ang magbabayad ng lahat ng gastusin para sa nasabing treatment at sa iyong board and lodging hangang ikaw ay madeklarang fit to work o maibalik sa Pilipinas. Subalit, kung pagkatapos na ikaw ay mabalik sa Pilipinas ay kailangan mo parin ng atensiyong medical dahil sa iyong injury, ang iyong employer ay obligado pa ring magbayad para sa gastusin ng iyong medical treatment hangang ikaw ay madeklarang fit to work o kaya naman ay masabi na ng doctor ng kompanya kung anong grado ba ang iyong injury.

Pagbaba mo ng barko para sa iyong medical treatment, ikaw ay may karapatang tumangap ng sickness allowance na kaparehas ng iyong basic wage o suweldo hangang ikaw ay madeklarang fit to work o kaya naman ay masabi na ng doctor ng kompanya kung anong grado ba ang iyong injury. Ang sickness allowance ay hindi lalampas sa 120 days. Kung ikaw ay may CBA ay maaaring lumampas pa ito sa 120 days. Maliban sa doctor ng kompanya, ikaw ay may karapatan ding kumunsulta sa ibang doctor o sarili mong doctor. May mga pangyayari na ang diagnosis ng doctor ng kompanya ay kabaligtaran o naiiba sa diagnosis ng ibang doctor o sarili mong doctor. Tanong: May mga kompensasyon o benepisyo po ba akong matatangap dahil sa aking injury? Sagot: Kung naayon, isa sa iyong mga karapatan ay ang kompensasyon o benepisyong matatangap sa iyong employer batay sa baitang o grado ng iyong injury*. Grade 1 ang pinaka mataas na baitang na nagkakahalaga ng humigit kumulang sa $60,000.00. Kung may CBA ka ay maari pa itong mas mataas. Depende rin ito sa CBA mo. Halimbawa kung ang iyong CBA ay katulad ng ITF uniform TCC CBA ay makatatanggap ka batay sa iyong posisyon sa barko. Ang pinaka-mataas sa Ratings ay$89,000.00; sa Junior Officers ay$118,800.00; at sa Senior Officers ay $148,500.00. Kung ang CBA mo naman ay katulad ng ITF Standard Collective Agreement ay makatatanggap ka batay pa rin sa iyong posisyon.Ang pinaka-mataas sa Ratings & below AB ay $142,560.00; at sa Officers & Ratings above AB ay$213,840.00.

Ang mga grado at katumbas na kompensasyon o benepisyo sa POEA standard contract ay ang mga sumusunod:

Grade

Katumbas ng kompensasyon o benepisyo (Humigit kumulang)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

$60,000.00 $44,405.00 $39,180.00 $34,330.00 $29,480.00 $25,000.00 $20,900.00 $16,795.00

9 10 11 12 13 14

$13,060.00 $10,075.00 $7,465.00 $5,225.00 $3,360.00 $1,870.00

Ito ay babayaran sa Philippine Currency katumbas ng exchange rate prevailing sa takdang araw ng bayaran.

Tanong: Ako po ay nagkasakit habang nagtatrabaho sa barkong pinagtatrabahuhan ko. aking mga karapatan?

Ano po ba ang

Sagot: *Ang mga kasagutang binanggit sa itaas tungkol sa isang seaman na nagkamit ng injury ay nauukol din kung ikaw ay nagkasakit habang ikaw ay nagtatrabaho sa barko o dulot ng iyong pagtatrabaho dito.

Tanong: Namatay po ang aking asawang seaman habang siyay nagtatrabaho sa barko. Ano po ba ang aming mga karapatan? Sagot: Kung ang iyong asawa ay namatay dahil sa work-related injury o sakit habang siya ay nagtatrabaho sa barko, ang kanyang beneficiaries ay makatatangap ng $50,000.00 at karagdagang $7,000.00 bawat isa sa kanyang mga anak na hindi lalampas sa edad na 21 years old. Ang mga nasabing anak na makatatangap ay hindi lalampas sa apat na anak. Kung may CBA, ito ay maaring umabot sa $89,000.00 at karagdagang $17,820.00 bawat isa sa kanyang mga anak na hindi lalampas sa edad na 18 years old. Ang mga nasabing anak na makatatangap ay hindi lalampas sa apat na anak.

Kung ang pagkamatay naman ay naganap dahil sa war-like activity habang lumalayag sa isang nadeklarang war-zone o war-risk area, ang kompensasyon o benepisyo ay magiging doble.

Dagdad pa dito ang mga benepisyong matatangap ng seaman sa SSS, OWWA, ECC, PHIC at Pag-ibig, kung naaayon.

Ang labi ng iyong asawa at kanyang mga personal na pag mamay-ari ay ibabalik sa Pilipinas, maliban nalamang kung ang pagbalik ng labi ay hindi pinapayagan ng batas ng bansa kung saan siya namatay. Ang gastusin sa pagpapabalik nito ay sagutin ng employer.

Ang employer ay magbabayad din ng halagang ONE THOUSAND DOLLARS ($1,000.00) para sa burial expenses.

Kung ang iyong asawa ay may CBA, maaring mas malaki pa ang benepisyo o kompensasyong matatangap.

Tanong: Ngayong alam ko na po ang ilan sa mga benepisyo o kompensasyon nauukol sa akin. Ano po ba ang dapat kong gawin? Sagot: Nakakalungkot na may mga employer at maritime agencies na hindi tapat at marangal sa pagbigay ng kompensasyon o benepisyo. Ang Supreme Court na mismo ang nagsabi sa isang kaso: "We are not blind to the needs of our seafarers who, when getting sick in the line of duty, are given the run around by unscrupulous employers and manning agencies." (Oriental vs. Bastol, G.R. No. 186289, June 29, 2010). Kumunsulta ng abogado para maprotektahan ang iyong karapatan.

Tanong: Nakipag usap na po ako sa aking employer/maritime agency subalit ayaw nilang ibigay ang aking benepisyo o kompensasyon. Ano po ba ang dapat kong gawin? Sagot: Kumunsulta na ng abogado para protektahan ang iyong karapatan. Maaring may kadahilanan ang iyong employer/maritime agency subalit ang iyong abogado ang makapag susuri kung ang iyong karapatan ay mas mananaig.

Tanong: Nakipag-usap na po ako sa aking employer/maritime agency subalit may alinlangan po ako kung tama ba ang kanilang ibibigay sa aking benepisyo o kompensasyon. Ano po ba ang dapat kong gawin? Sagot: Kung ikaw ay may pag-aalinlangan, kumunsulta ng abogado para malaman kung tama ba ang ibibigay sa iyong benepisyo o kompensasyon at para protektahan ang iyong karapatan. Ang iyong abogado ang makapagbibigay sa iyo ng payo kung ano sa palagay nya, ayon sa batas, ang nararapat.

Tanong: Ako po ay na "fit to work" pagkatapos ng mahigit sa 120 days na gamutan, may karapatan pa po ba akong makatangap ng benepisyo o kompensasyon? Sagot: Kung ang mga pangyayari sa iyo ay nahahawig sa mga kasong na desisyunan ng Supreme Court, maaring ikaw ay may laban pa upang makuha ang benepisyo o kompensasyon. Kumunsulta sa abogado upang malaman kung may karapatan ka na pupuwedeng ipaglaban. SEAFARERS REMITTANCES: RIGHTS & REALITIES By Atty. Peter B. Payoyo The global interest on remittances has reached euphoric levels. Two years ago, the World Bank announced the significant potential of remittances in financing the development of recepient countries. Since then, there has been a spate of international meetings, conferences, and initiatives to examine more closely the phenomenon of overseas workers sending their pay checks to loved ones back home. In the Philippines, everyone knows that OFW remittances have become the lifeblood of the economy, allowing the country to survive through prolonged political crises and instability. The Remittances Debate OFW remittances are indeed crucial and the problem of how to directly harness them for development purposes is a subject that deserves extended consultations among all stakeholders concerned. However, much of the current discussions on remittances have turned very technical: how governments, banks, and other financial institutions can further statistically maximize to their advantage the global flow of remittances. There exists, they say, a problem of banking the unbanked that is, how to make foreign workers remit more of their hard earned money only through banks or formal channels. Some sectors have also expressed alarm that remittances are being used for wasteful family consumption, rather than for productive investment. And so the new agenda on remittances has somehow come up with the following message to OFWs: Your responsibility to your family is not enough. You have more duties. Allow government to monitor your remittances. Do not sent your remittances through informal channels like pa-bitbit or padala. Instead, send your remittances only through properly regulated bank channels. And set aside a portion of your remittances for investment purposes. Be entrepreneurs!. OFWs, the modern-day heroes, are called upon not only to assure the survival of their immediate families back home, but also to see to it that their remittances must directly contribute to the prosperity of their communities, their country, and the international banking structure. Seafarers Remittances under the Allotment System Among OFWs, seafarers are in a rather peculiar position as remitters. Under their standard POEA contract, seafarers are required to remit at least 80% of their earnings to Philippine banks. Furthermore, their allotments do not go directly to their beneficiaries but are coursed through their manning agencies as middlemen, who disburse in pesos the seafarers monthly earnings to the allottee-family.

It is doubtful whether the allotment system has worked to the advantage of seafarers and their families. Their general sentiment is that they do not welcome the intermediation of manning agencies in the processing their allotments. Manning agencies do certainly pinch valuable pesos from seafarers monthly remittances. In a recent survey made by PSAP, it was revealed that manning agencies have been using a variety of odd techniques to make a quick buck from the remittances flow: delayed forward of allotment, using a house rate for the currency exchange, allotment slip available upon request, allotment slip mailed to seaman onboard, or alloment after all deductions made, which are often not explained to the seaman or the family. These practices are clearly contrary to the letter and spirit of the POEA contract which says that facilitation by the manning agency of allotments shall be at no expense to the seafarer, and that allotments shall be paid to the designated allottee in Philippine currency at the rate of exchange indicated in the credit advice of the local authorized Philippine Bank. In sum, the the inward flow of seafarers remittances via the allotment system is not empowering, either to seafarers or to their families. If government is sincere in listening to the OFWs in the on-going dialogue on remittances, it can immediately address the malpractices of maning agencies who profit from the allotment system at the expense of seafarers and their families. As a first step, the government can force manning agencise to be fully tansparent in the facilitation of allotments, as the POEA standard contract requires. Foreign employers and principals can also play a role, for e.g., by remitting seafarers wages directly to individual family bank accounts in the Philippines, rather than through the bank accounts of manning agencies. Remittances as a challenge to OFW Empowerment Who has ultimate control over remittances? Empowering OFWs in regard to their remittances means giving them real choices. And having a choice means getting the right information and being aware that a right to choose exists. In the case of seafarers, the allotment system has failed to give them this choice because seafarers have been deprived of their basic right to decide the manner in which their earnings abroad are channeled to their families back home. The policy regarding OFW remittances must give priority to protecting OFWs, rather than protecting the finacial interests of others in these remittances. The objective will then be to take care of people, to assure them of their rights and how they could make informed choices, and to encourage them to have noble visions. And then it will follow that OFWs themselves will put their remittances to the best use possible for their own sake, and for the sake of society at large. Captain USD 4,500 Chief Officer USD 3,200 2nd Officer USD 2,500 3rd Officer USD 2,350 Chief Engineer USD 4,200 2nd Engineer USD 3,200 3rd Engineer USD 2,500 Electrician USD 2,200

Bosun USD 1,700 Able Seaman USD 1,500 Ordinary Seaman USD 1,150 Fitter USD 1,600 Oiler USD 1,500 Wiper USD 1,150 Chief Cook USD 1, 600 Messman USD 1,000