SPEECH FOR PAMTCI

This is the actual transcript of a radio conversation between a British Navy

ship and the Irish Coastguard, off the coast of Kerry:
Irish. Please divert your course 15 degrees to the south, to avoid collision.
British. Recommend you divert your course 15 degrees to the north, to avoid
collision.
Irish. Negative. You will have to divert your course 15 degrees to the south '
to avoid collision.
British. This is the Captain of a British Navy Ship. I say again, divert YOUR
course.
Irish. Negative. I say again, you will have to divert YOUR course
British. THIS IS THE LARGEST SHIP IN THE BRITISH FLEET. WE ARE
ACCOMPANIED BY 3 DESTROYERS, 3 CRUISERS, AND NUMEROUS SUPPORT
SHIPS. I DEMAND THAT YOU CHANGE YOUR COURSE 15 DEGREES TO THE
NORTH, OR COUNTERMEASURES WILL BE UNDERTAKEN TO ENSURE THE
SAFETY OF THIS FLOTILLA.
Irish. THIS IS A LIGHTHOUSE CAPTAIN ....... YOUR CALL!
Greetings....
First and foremost, I congratulate all the graduates of IMO model
course 3.12. You have, again, raised the bar of the Philippine maritime
industry and maritime education. This, perhaps, is the perfect evidence of
the Philippines commitment to Standards of Training, Certification &
Watchkeeping (STCW 95).
I was invited here, today, to talk on certain points that bear
significance and weight regarding the future of our maritime industry, as
well, of course, to the state of our maritime institutions who wield young
mariners to be globally competitive.
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Since time immemorial, mariners were at its best to find new trade
partners and new trade routes to an unlikely and unknown horizon of the
sea. In fact, they have marshaled their expertise, skill and knowledge
through actual and physical experience. But, in the recent memory of men,
when the old and small wooden ships are now replaced with vessels that can
carry almost anything that man can invent and when the simple tools of the
ship are deemed outdated with highly sophisticated technology close to a
spacecraft, the need for a highly-skilled and efficient mariner becomes
indispensable, perhaps, necessary.
Our ships have become more than a carrier, rather it has now become
an instrument to bridge culture, heritage and tradition and more than
anything else, it generates jobs a lot of it. But incident to the development
of ships and vessels come with the price of a dangerous and risky profession.
Thus, the International Maritime Organization, a United Nations specialized
agency with responsibility for the safety and security of shipping and the
prevention of marine pollution by ships, monitors all activities of shipping
industry and cooperates with the government in enforcing strict international
standards.
According to IMO, international shipping transports about 90 per cent
of global trade to peoples and communities all over the world. Shipping is the
most efficient and cost-effective method of international transportation for
most goods; it provides a dependable, low-cost means of transporting goods
globally, facilitating commerce and helping to create prosperity among
nations and peoples.
In a 2014 report of Moodys, Moody's Investors Service has revised for
the first time since June 2011 its outlook for the global shipping industry to
stable from negative.
International shipping industry is the backbone of global trade, an
access to world market, and a link from divergent economies. Take for
instance crude oil, to fuel the economy of the Philippines, it must have a
consistent and a reliable supply of oil and the only way that it can have a
consistent supply is by way of oil tankers. Without these oil tankers, there
will be scarcity, if not absence, of a basic commodity. Thus, its effect will
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trickle adversely to every single activity in the Philippines, leaving our state
in total economic meltdown and certain chaos.
We need to secure the future of our shipping industry, in a special
report in Manial Bulletin regarding the port congestion in Manila, it found out
that and I quote Regarding loss of business, food and garment shippers said
cancelled orders and lost opportunities are estimated at US$300,000 to
$450,000 since the port congestion began. Losses for the food sector due to
shipping exports via the more expensive air transport have amounted to at
least P4 million.
In sum, we are not to take lightly things which, at the very outset, may
endanger and cause damage to the Philippine maritime industry, as there a
key players and consumers that are grossly affected should our shipping
business becomes immobilized.
On the other hand, the Philippines remains to be at the whitelist under
the IMO. Whitelist are given by the IMO to states which gives full and
complete effect to the revised STCW Convention. Given this accolade, the
Philippines should not relax its policies in the implementation of STCW. For all
we know, a position on the White List entitles other Parties to the STCW
Convention to accept, in principle, that certificates issued by or on behalf of
the parties on the list are in compliance with the revised STCW (the
International

Convention

on

Standards

of

Training,

Certification

and

Watchkeeping for Seafarers) as amended, which entered into force on 1

February 1997. The amended Convention sets out clearly defined minimum
competency

requirements

for

all

seafarers

and

takes

into

account

developments in technology since the original 1978 Convention was

adopted.
The Philippines on its part adopts the issuance of whitelist for
maritime school which falls short of incorporating international standards in
maritime education. According to a report of Seatrade-Global, up to half of
the Philippines maritime schools may not make it to a whitelist that comply
with the European Maritime Safety Agencys standard for STCW compliance
and certification.
With the recent strict implementation of our maritime educational
system, the Marina published as of 23 February 2015, reports indicating a
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number of schools that are recognized to offer Bachelor of Science in Marine

Transportation, Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering and Enhanced
Support Level Program.
This development gave our maritime schools a more sense of
responsibility in producing qualified and well-oriented graduates rather than
gearing for the quantity. After all, we are protecting the interest of our fellow
mariners, in line with promoting their welfare abroad. We hope to navigate
our way from these careless academic institutions who wish to profit from
their students by giving them sub-standard educational material and
inadequate trainings.
To say the least, our Filipino seafarers are among, if not, the best of the
world, and they are listening to me at this very moment.
Finally, the Maritime Industry Authority has done a good job in
enhancing the quality of our seafarers. With the implementation of policies
and programs which uplifts and upgrades image of Filipino mariners, we can
now lead this global industry in the future.
Thank you.