Philippine Senator Christopher Lawrence “Bong” Go has pushed for the passage of the proposed Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, to highlight the need to recognize the rights and contributions of the country’s seafarers.
The Senate Bill 1191, filed by Go, aims to provide for a Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers to secure the right of the country’s seafarers to decent and humane employment and set a guide for seafarers on training, overseas employment, and retirement.
The proposed measure seeks to institute mechanisms for the enforcement and protection of Filipino seafarers and provide the compulsory benefits that they deserve, local media reports said.
“The Philippines has been the primary supplier of maritime labor and considered the manning capital of seafarers globally since 1987. Of the 1.5 million mariners worldwide, 25 percent are Filipinos, making them the single biggest nationality bloc in the maritime industry,” said Go.
“Despite the risk associated with a seafaring job, many Filipinos still chose the profession and gambled their life on board just to provide a better life for their families. Filipino seafarers’ remittances have been genuinely beneficial to the Philippine economy. In fact, they contributed $6.54 billion or around 21 percent of the total OFW remittances in 2021,” he added.
Go highlighted the need to enhance and strengthen the country’s measures in fulfilling its duties and obligations as the 30th Member State to ratify the International Maritime Labor Convention of 2006 (MLC).
