ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III on Sunday backed a joint supervision between the Commission on Higher Education and Maritime Industry Authority over the quality of education programs for ship officers.
“We support the combined efforts of the MARINA and ChEd to superintend the quality of the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation and the Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering programs being supplied by maritime schools,” he said.
Graduates of either of the two marine education programs, once licensed and certified, become ship officers —masters, chief mates, officers in charge of a navigational watch, chief engineers, second engineers and OICs of engineering watch.
“We have to constantly upgrade the quality of the two education programs if we are to keep our competitive edge in the deployment of merchant ship officers to global labor markets,” Bertiz said.
“This is also about ensuring that our domestic ships here at home are run by the best sailors that live up to the highest operating and safety standards,” he added.
He said the Philippines is an archipelago that relies heavily on efficient and safe inter-island shipping to move people and goods.
According to Bertiz, the cash sent home by overseas Filipino sailors through banks is projected to top the $6-billion mark this year amid mounting deployment.
The number of Philippine-educated sailors and other staff deployed on foreign ocean-going vessels, including those on cruise ships and floating casinos, is likely to surpass the 500,000-mark for the first time this year.
The enlistment of Filipino sailors is expected to increase along with international ship traffic, as the global economy continues to grow, he said.
