Martitime Industry Authority Administrator Max Mejia said seafarers needed to be protected against “fraudulent practices associated with certificates of competency”. Earlier, Senate President Franklin Drilon warned against an employment slowdown that could displace an estimated 400,000 Filipino seafarers worldwide if no corrective measures are made. “We have to remember that remittances from sea-based workers--which reached $5 billion in 2012 and for this year alone, already worth $1.2 billion--keep our economy afloat by fueling domestic consumption, preventing foreign exchange instability, and serving as a buffer against inflation of the peso,” he said. According to Mejia, MARINA’s verification solution now complies with International Maritime Organization standards. It allows immediate validation online by employers, shipowners and port authorities of Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book together with the Certificate of Proficiency/Certificate of Competency. All MARINA-issued documents have a 3D identity seal printed with a Quick Response code, an alphanumeric reference number and pass key, Mejia said. The tamper-proof verification mechanism is meant to address reports of Filipino seafarers holding fraudulent certificates, Mejia said. Previous seafarer documents without the new security features exposed Filipino seafarers to stricter and unreasonable port control and treatment. The European Union has threatened to blacklist Filipino sea-based workers from EU-flagged vessels, blaming the country’s unsatisfactory and incomplete observance of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Convention.
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Earlier, Senate President Franklin Drilon warned against an employment slowdown that could displace an estimated 400,000 Filipino seafarers worldwide if no corrective measures are made.
“We have to remember that remittances from sea-based workers--which reached $5 billion in 2012 and for this year alone, already worth $1.2 billion--keep our economy afloat by fueling domestic consumption, preventing foreign exchange instability, and serving as a buffer against inflation of the peso,” he said.
According to Mejia, MARINA’s verification solution now complies with International Maritime Organization standards.
It allows immediate validation online by employers, shipowners and port authorities of Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book together with the Certificate of Proficiency/Certificate of Competency.
All MARINA-issued documents have a 3D identity seal printed with a Quick Response code, an alphanumeric reference number and pass key, Mejia said.
The tamper-proof verification mechanism is meant to address reports of Filipino seafarers holding fraudulent certificates, Mejia said.
Previous seafarer documents without the new security features exposed Filipino seafarers to stricter and unreasonable port control and treatment.
The European Union has threatened to blacklist Filipino sea-based workers from EU-flagged vessels, blaming the country’s unsatisfactory and incomplete observance of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers Convention.