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http://www.unitedfilipinoseafarers.com.ph PHP 25.00 Vol. XIX No. 8 SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

WANTED!!! Former TNM managing editor Robert Rey Gambe 44page

Solons seek

Story on P 24

probe of MARINA’s FAILURE to collect oil pollutionfund from oil tankers

Cong. Neri Colmenares

Your home away from home

When seafarers join a ship, they’re not just taking a job. They’re adopting a second home.

At Seaspan, we understand the importance of a comfortable and safe working experience at sea, and our team commits to supporting your growth and development while you are on board with us.

We are more than a company. We’re the Seaspan Family.

Join us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/SeaspanLtd

www.seaspancorp.comwww.seaspanltd.ca

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Seaspan Ship Management Ltd. c/o PTC5th Floor, First Maritime Place, 7458 Bagtikan Street, San Antonio Village, Makati City 1203, Philippines Tel: +63 2 898 1111 | Email: [email protected]

Layout 7S - Buhay Marino.indd 1 05/03/2014 7:17:09 PM

3TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Amid the floundering of Mari-time Industry Authority (MA-

RINA), one shining beacon which the labor department has begun the ardous task of determining com-pliance of domestic ships to the in-ternationally recognized Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) of 2006. As early as September, the labor agency has so far issued a clean bill of health to 40 domestic vessels owned by 15 local domestic shipping compa-nies. And the number is swelling with the very hands-on approach of the country’s labor chief. The certificates of compliance (CoCs) were is-sued by the National Capital

Region office of the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) under the new Labor Laws Com-pliance System (LLCS), which is the instrument tool to the MLC of 2006. The country is a signatory to such maritime labor treaty. Labor Secretary Rosalin-da Baldoz nevertheless noted that their work is still half-way through even as she called on domestic shipping operators to comply with the MLC of 2006 voluntarily. “This is the first time in the history of Philippine labor that the DOLE covers domestic ships. I encourage companies of Philip-

Number of compliant local ships surging

pine-registered ships plying do-mestic waters to voluntarily com-ply with all labor laws. It is good economics, and it is good business to voluntarily comply with our la-bor laws that provides for the wel-fare and protection to Filipino sea-farers,” Baldoz said. She nevertheless said at least 60,000 Filipino seafarers could soon look forward to safer sea trav-

el after her agency has com-pleted its assessment. Baldoz said at least 17 Philippine domestic ship operators have applied for the issuance of certificate of compliance. Of the 17 ship operators, 15 have already been issued a compliance certification.

Minimum working, liv-ing standards

The MLC of 2006 establishes min-imum working and living stand-ards for all seafarers working on ships flying the flags of ratifying countries. It’s also an essential step forward in ensuring a level-playing field for countries and shipowners who, until now, have paid the price of being undercut by those who operate substandard ships. Widely known as the “sea-farers’ bill of rights,” the MLC of 2006 was adopted by government, employers and workers representa-

tives at a special ILO Inter-national Labour Confer-ence in February 2006. It is unique in that it aims both to achieve decent work for seafarers and to secure econom-ic interests through fair competition for quality ship owners.

Country-signatories to such ILO convention like the Phil-ippines are obligated to ensure de-cent and safe working conditions for seafarers with the following standards or benchmarks:• Minimum age• Seafarers’ employment agree-

ments• Hours of work or rest• Payment of wages• Paid annual leave• Repatriation at the end of con-

tract• Onboard medical care• The use of licensed private re-

cruitment and placement ser-vices

• Accommodation, food and cater-ing

• Health and safety protection and accident prevention and,

• Seafarers’ complaint handling The industry-wide inspec-tion being carried out by DOLE is an integral part of the country’s compli-ance process to the convention.

The DOLE’s work is still a long way to go before the country could boast 100 percent compli-ance. For 2014, the DOLE tar-gets to assess 783 local vessels with gross tonnage (GRT) of 500 and above for joint assessment under the LLCS. Based on a list of the MA-RINA, there are 8,451 domestic vessels with Philippine registry as of 2012, of which 6,785 have gross tonnage below 200 GRT; 883 with gross tonnage of between 200-499 GRT; and 783 vessels with GRT of 500 and above. “Now, we are beginning to enforce its (MLC) provisions to provide our seafarers decent work,” Baldoz said. “Hopefully this will mini-mize sea accidents,” she added.The country is buffeted with sea mishaps year after year, posting in the process a dismal record in sea safety and crew competence.The full compliance to MLC of 2006 would help douse doubts on the country’s ability to float sea-worthy ships manned by com-petent seafarers.

PH marks 1st year of MLC 2006 with robust compliance

by Kidon Alcober

continued on page 15

4 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

EDITORIAL

Tinig ng Marino (Voice of the Seafarer) is published by the Unit-ed Filipino Seafarers, a duly registered Philippine maritime union. Ed-itorial office: 4th/F Room 402, Gedisco Terraces Bldg., 1148 Roxas Blvd., Ermita, Manila, Philippines; Telephone nos.: (632) 524-4888; 525-5806; Fax (632) 524-2336; E-mail: [email protected]; Website: http://www.unitedfilipinoseafarers.com.ph. Ma-terials published in this paper may be reprinted provided proper acknowl-edgment to Tinig ng Marino and the author, if indicated, is made.

Nelson P. Ramirez Executive Editor Arianne Ramirez Managing Editor James S. Mante Assistant Editors Myrna F. Virtudazo

JF A. Balbaguio Layout Paolo Ranillo artists Denis Ramillo Cartoonists Amado Baul Rey Sto. Domingo Production Staff

Fr. James Kolin New York Bureau Engr. Samson Tormis Greece Bureau Corry Llamas-Konings Rotterdam Bureau Bob Ramirez

Philip Ramirez Singapore Minabelle Siason Belgium Bureau Capt. Arturo Cañoza Japan Bureau

Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices Legal Consultants

SHIPPING ISSUE

CAPT. JAIME D. QUIÑONESGeneral Manager

Wallem Maritime Services Inc.

THE NEED FOR COHERENT POLICY IN MARITIME TRAINING

The demand for Filipino seafarers is expected to fall marginally due to the

increasing requirements for a highly com-petent workforce at sea. Given the current fast evolving technologies, equipment, and maritime legislations directly affecting the conventional norms of ship operations and the level of desired shipboard quality man-agement skills. It is therefore high time, that Filipino seafarers must rise from these challenges, which can best be achieved through proper training and changing the mindset about training – from the typi-cal “certificate driven” attitude to “needs driven” thinking and the appreciation and acceptance of training as a vital tool in the acquisition of desired competence and

professional development. Attendance and completion of all STCW mandatory courses in conjunction to the 2010 Manila Amendments is now imperative, with additional premium on value added training courses or recom-mendatory courses being offered by in-house and external training centers. Giv-en the diversity of training centers, the government (MARINA) must streamline the number of accredited training pro-grams and ensure that all approved train-ing programs shall be specific to the scope and requirement for STCW compliance

Seeking Solutions to Changing

Demands in Shipping

continued on page 28

The country’s accession to ILO’s Maritime Labor Convention

(MLC) of 2006 turned one year old last August. As signatory, the country is obligated to adhere to minimum standards of working and living con-ditions for its seafarers to ensure a safe and healthy working environment. Simply put, the treaty man-dates all signatories to make sure that seafarers are treated humanely and decently while working on high seas and away from their families. Widely known as the “sea-farers’ bill of rights,” the MLC of 2006 was adopted by government, employer and workers represent-atives at a special ILO Interna-tional Labour Conference in Feb-ruary 2006.

The maritime treaty is considered unique since it aims to achieve decent work for seafarers and to secure economic interests through fair competition for quality ship owners. As part of its compliance, the labor department has begun a series of inspection on domes-tic vessels to check if these floating workplaces conform to basic work-ing and living standards set forth by the MLC, 2006 treaty.

DOLE Secretary Rosalin-da Baldoz has been overseeing the inspection with vigor and has, on some occasions, boarded personally the subject vessels to witness their progress of compliance. Baldoz said their inspection work would ensure the safety and health of thousands of seafarers cur-rently employed by local ship opera-tors. To date, the labor agency has already issued a “clean bill of

MLC of 2006: Preserving the well-being of

seafarers

continued on page 9

health” to at least 40 domestic ves-sels belonging to 15 local shipping companies. The number is expected to swell in the coming months. For 2014, the DOLE targets to assess 783 local vessels. Based on a list of the MA-RINA, there are 8,451 domestic vessels with Philippine registry as of 2012. Baldoz is nevertheless ap-pealing to ship companies which have yet to apply for inspection to come to the fold voluntarily and help speed up the process. The labor chief argues that “it is good economics and good business” for ships and their owners to voluntarily comply. In a country where ship-ping companies act like spoiled brats, the gentle appeal of the labor chief might fall on deaf ears. Local ship operators have a tendency to compromise the

5TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

UGONG NG MAKINA AT IKOT NG ELISEENGR. NELSON P. RAMIREZMost Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1996Most Outstanding Student, ZNSAT, 1970Outstanding Achiever of the Year,Province of Zomboanga del Norte, 2006

“Earn dollars, see the world for free and have a girl in every port.”

This is the phrase that mar-itime schools often use as come-on, either as a blatant offer or as a subtle hint, particularly on collecting girl-friends, to lure unsuspecting students. Little do they know that this catching phase has wrecked a thou-sand dreams. (1) ON THE SUPPLY and DEMAND IMBALANCE: The Phil-ippines is producing 20 thousand maritime graduates a year and the industry can absorb only three to five thousand. (2) INABILITY OF THE GOVERNMENT AUTHORITY TO TAKE CONCRETE STEPS: There are almost 100 schools offering maritime courses. Most of these schools cannot pass the international standards and had been committing moral ‘estafa’ for years in the pretext of giving ed-ucation. The sad news, the Commis-sion on Higher Education (CHED), which is in charge of monitoring these schools, has been sleeping on its job. The CHED itself has NO EFFEC-TIVE MONITORING SYSTEM and this is the very reason why schools offering maritime courses sprouted all over the country. These schools do not have EFFECTIVE MONITOR-ING SYSTEM and QUALITY MAN-AGEMENT SYSTEM IMPLEMEN-TATION as well as what the EMSA assessors found out when they con-ducted an assessment here. (3) SHIPPING COMPA-NIES SHOWING NO RESPECT FOR FRESH GRADUATES: There is an exception to the rule. If you are a graduate of the Philippine Mer-chant Marine Academy (PMMA), Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP), NYK-TDG Mar-itime Academy, DMMA, and the University of Cebu; and if you are scholars of John B. Lacson and of Southwestern University in Cebu

and the likes, you are well respect-ed. You are even given free educa-tion and even allowances. But if you came from a sub-standard school and could even hardly read and speak English, expect no respect from the employers. The Visayan Maritime Academy, the Mariners Polytechnic and the Malayan Col-lege of Laguna have their own man-ning agency where they will send their cadets for apprenticeship. (4) UNWILLINGNESS/IN-ABILITY TO ENTER A DIFFERENT MARKET: Not very true One of the reasons why most of our young boys took this course is that they would like to imitate their neighbors or relatives who were once idiots in the barrio but have become successful seamen and now own a very nice house and

car. They believed that any idiot in the barrio can become a seaman and earn dollars. They were told by their parents to take this course because there is no chance for them to become lawyers or doctors since they are stupid. They best thing for them to do is to take BSMT nor BSMarE and earn dollars. (5) IMPROPER/INADE-QUATE TRAINING: It is a fact that there has been a huge lapse in the quality of deck and engine cadets and that poor quality cadets come from sub-standard schools. This is expected. Most of the graduates from sub-standard schools rely on their rel-atives and friends who will bargain for their employment like a “buy one, take one” merchandise. Officers know that the seafaring industry has a short-age of qualified officers. They will bar-

gain for their relative if the manning agency wants to hire their services. On the other hand, sub-standards schools don’t care where their students will go after spending three years in school. They have paid for their tuition, an-yway. However, if the student is suc-cessful in looking for a shipping company that will take him for his apprenticeship, his school will charge him for a ONE-YEAR tuition and ma-triculation fees; otherwise he will not get his diploma. This is what we call highway robbery in broad daylight. MARINA is now the SINGLE MARITIME ADMINISTRATION that can make a drastic change in the rotten education and training sys-tem. TINIG NG MARINO is waiting in this corner for the outcome of the EMSA audit this coming October.

Fake Promises and Broken Dreams

6 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

The continuing quest of the mari-time industry for a fuel efficient

and emission compliant vessel has resulted in an apparent shift towards “turn-key” operations or automated navigational systems. Recent devel-opments on the use of unmanned vessels or drone ships are pushing the limits of our imagination. The concept of drone ships is a logical spin-off from the success-ful results of unmanned aerial vehi-cles or UAVs used by the military in modern warfare and meteorological science. While the outlook appears bright for ship manufacturers and vessel operators, the future does not augur well for seafarers. The crew members stand to become its first casualties in the race to automate the maritime industry. An estimated 1.2 million jobs depend heavily on the shipping industry. It is not dif-ficult to contemplate the tremendous hardships that maritime workers face in their struggle against redundan-cy caused by computers taking over their jobs. Among the other obstacles which stand in its path are interna-tional maritime legislations which strictly regulates the minimum crew numbers of a vessel. Replacing the crew members of a vessel in favor of computers is a sign of over-reliance on technology. If technology fails, the industry could still rely on the age-old skills of our seafarers. These contentious issues may push back the calendar according to the Inter-national Chamber of Shipping (ICS). The ICS represents 80 percent of the estimated 100,000 ships that traverse the Earth’s oceans. The negative repercussions of seafarers losing their jobs are not the only danger presented by crew-less drone ships. Piracy will continue to haunt vessels despite the advent of autonomous ships. According to the International Maritime Bureau Piracy Reporting Centre, from January to May 2014, there were 72 reported piracy incidents globally. It’s easy to imagine this number climbing with a prolifer-ation of unmanned ships. While these autonomous vessels carry no crew that could serve as human hostages, pirates are likely to see these ships as easy tar-gets. Computers cannot offer the same

vigilance that a crew who stands guard for pirates Unmanned ships will never deter pirates. Aside from piracy, the natu-ral hazards of the ocean somehow tilt the balance in favor of fully-manned vessels. While an autonomous vessel can monitor oil pressure, and auto-matically shut-down the engine when alarm levels start ringing, these fail-safe mechanisms pale in comparison to the physical efforts exerted by a crew member on-board the vessel. If a cooling pipe bursts in the middle of the voyage, the autonomous vessel will go as far as reporting the incident and initiate remedial measures, but if sea water starts flooding the engine lube area, only a competent crew on-board can save the day. Maritime transport in the European Union (EU) are now facing challenges brought about by signifi-cant increases in transport volumes, growing environmental requirements and a shortage of competent seafar-ers in the future. These autonomous ships are paving the way towards a cost-efficient business model that will overcome these challenges. It allows for more efficient and competitive ship operation and increases the en-vironmental performance of vessels. Furthermore the shore based ap-proach offers “seafaring” the possibil-ity to become more socially sustain-able by reducing the time seafarers spend away from their families. Proponents of autonomous vessels or drone ships are lauding the development of a “turn-key nav-igational system” called e-navigation which they hope to launch in the next 10 years. This system shall automate the current vessel traffic management systems where for example, a ship is close to shore, the local coast guard tells the crew what it should be do-ing. Although the system is still in the drawing board, its developers are mindful of the objections from those who believe that ultimate control and accountability for a ship should re-main with the captain and crew. In a bid to jump the gun on its rivals, Rolls Royce Holdings in-troduced their patented designs for drone cargo ships which it claims to be

The Dawning of the age of Drone Shipsby Atty. Elviro “Jun” C. Perez II

continued on page 35

7TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

8 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

CONG. EMMELINE Y. AGLIPAYRepresentative, DIWA PartylistCongress of the Philippines [email protected]

WORKERS’ VANGUARD

Urgent need can call for solutions that are expedient, and not ide-

al, but it should never reach the point where the “solution” ceases to help resolve the problem at all. If the cure is worse than the disease, then it can-not rightly be called a cure. I have frequently used this column to express my opinion of the dire need for a single maritime authority in this country. I’ve spo-ken about House Bill No. 3766, which has now become Republic Act No. 10635, which in fact does

just that -- establishes the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) as the single maritime administration responsible for the implementation and enforcement of international agreements or covenants related to the 1978 International Convention on Standards of Training, Certifica-tion and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW). Is this a triumph? Of course. The passage of the law was an important and necessary step in our mission to improve our per-

formance in the next audit of the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA), the results of which will have a major impact on the liveli-hoods of our seafaring workforce. As you’ll recall, one of the main concerns of the EMSA was the lack of a central body that would regu-late compliance with international standards in matters such as the cer-tification of seafarers and their edu-cation and training. However the passage of the law is not enough to allay con-

cerns, nor is it enough by itself, in practice, to constitute the MARINA as the sole maritime authority. The next step is the passage of the Im-plementing Rules and Regulations of RA No. 10635. The law requires that these rules be issued within six months of the effectivity of RA No. 10635, a deadline which is fast ap-proaching (or may have passed by the time this article is published). On June 5, a public consultation was held with the private sector, an event which was documented in the last issue of Tinig Marino, a meeting which proved somewhat problem-atic. In an article by Joana Chrystal Michelle Ventura, the public con-sultation was castigated for having fallen short of being a “true” consul-tation, with participants leaving the short meeting with the impression that their concerns and opinions had been given short shrift. Putting aside for the mo-ment the circumstances where the MARINA was allegedly required to fast track the creation of the Rules, as well as any allegations of bad faith between the government and pri-vate organizations, I believe it is im-perative that the public consultation for the drafting of the Rules should be rigorous, comprehensive, and clearly and explicitly aboveboard. A literal implementation of a “public consultation” -- by which I mean, a meeting with certain rep-resentatives of the public -- is not by itself enough to be considered a true consultation. For instance, in the case of the Boracay Foundation vs. Aklan (G.R. No. 196870) the Su-preme Court held the consultations that took place to be insufficient, stat-ing that: “[h]ad they been conducted

continued on next page

The Call for Urgent Solution to the Real Problem

9TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

properly, the prior public consultation should have considered the ecologi-cal or environmental concerns of the stakeholders and studied measures alternative to the project, to avoid or minimize adverse environmental im-pact or damage.” Consultations, to be considered as such, should consider the concerns of the stakeholders, sub-ject them to serious study, and allow for the possibility of changes to the drafts presented. It is not clear that this has been the case in the drafting of the Rules of RA No. 10635, and if this is not rectified, suspicion and mistrust will characterize the adop-tion of these Rules and MARINA, even before MARINA takes on its role as the single maritime authority.

The fact that the relation-ship between MARINA and seafar-ing groups has been fractious can-not be ignored. Some complaints that have been raised before are those regarding delays in the issu-ance of Seafarers’ Identification and Record Books, registration of mo-torized bancas, and the long queues for application of Certificate of Pro-ficiency, followed by long waiting period for the issuance of said Cer-tificate. But even with those con-cerns, I’ve argued that the MARINA is “the existing government agency best positioned under law to take on the mantle of the single maritime administration” and I still believe this to be the case. But the MARINA

must do its part to conduct itself in a manner befitting the single mari-time administration, must strive to come to a good working relation-ship with seafarer groups, or else it cannot truly safeguard the interests of seafarers, and may end up doing more harm than good. Yes, the new EMSA in-spection is fast approaching. Yes, it is crucial that we do better than in previous audits. But a haphazard, slap-dash drafting of the Imple-menting Rules, one which creates Rules which are not reflective of the wishes of seafarers or responsive to their concerns, will further under-mine our situation, not improve it. As I write this, there is still time to

convene, to discuss, to find reason-able common ground. The Rules need not be passed merely to reach the deadline, when they can instead play an important role in improv-ing our monitoring of the industry and compliance with international standards. The concerns of seafarers are of the utmost importance and should be treated with rigor and gravity. No corner should be cut, no procedure ignored. It’s one of the reasons that my bill for the Magna Carta for Seafarers has stayed so long in the House -- while speed is important, it’s more important to get things right. Seafarers deserve no less.

......................................................

EDITORIAL

well-being of their crew at the ex-pense of profit and survival. Sometimes, in order to maximize profit, ship firms would settle for mediocrity than competence. Because for them, a world- class and happy crew means more cost and a marginalized margin. A recitation of ship trage-dies involving human error would introduce you to a crew suffering from inhuman working condi-tions. But local ship operators are increasingly pressured to comply because the maritime status quo that they used to know and manipu-late has changed a lot over the years. Competition has become intense that the only means of sur-vival is to go global in practice and thinking and be at par with the rest of the shipping world. Because at the end of the day, whether ships are powered by modern engines or could circum-navigate the world in a speed of light, the thing that would always matter is the people – the ship’s crew. Take out the seafarers and you will have a floating ar-mada of vessels that don’t have a warm-blooded, breathing ‘cargo.’ The country is, therefore, clearly in the right direction in over-seeing vigorous compliance to MLC of 2006.

from page 4

10 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

THE UNHOLy ALLIANCE

The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) has called on legislators to act on the swift passage of a measure that prohibits the abusive practice of ambulance chasing and punish in-dividuals involved in such coercive conduct in claiming for compensa-tion and disability benefits, particu-larly involving seafarers. UFS president Engr. Nel-son P. Ramirez said unless a law that declares the act of ambulance chas-ing illegal and punishes individu-als involved is passed, the number of bogus seafarer claims will con-tinue unabated and the long list of foreign-based principals providing employment to Filipino seafarers

that already transferred to other countries to recruit other national-ities in the light of the sham claims will go on. “There are many ambu-lance chasers pestering the mari-time industry and we have seen an increase in number over the years that is why several shipowners have already transferred to other coun-tries. The government should put a stop to their abusive practices and punish individuals involved in such scheme,” Ramirez said, adding that licenses of lawyers who were found to have coerced claimants to file questionable compensation claims against shipping companies should

be revoked, as in the case in Wash-ington, United States. Mr. Ramirez said leaders from the Senate and the House of Representatives should include the bill in their legislative priority to pass immediately as this is crucial to establishing a fair justice system. A year ago, Angkla Par-ty-list Rep. Jesulito Manalo filed House Bill (HB) No. 2643 or the Anti-Ambulance Chasing Act that seeks to amend Presidential De-cree No. 442 or the Labor Code of the Philippines in a bid to provide protection to seafarers and other workers and their families against unscrupulous individuals. The House measure was co-authored by AKO-BICOL party-list Reps. Chris-topher Co and Rodel Batocabe and Cagayan de Oro (2nd district) Rep. Rufus Rodriguez and was referred to the House Committee on Labor and Employment. “Tales of Filipino seafarers and other workers suffering or dy-ing from work-related accidents are innumerable. As these occur, dis-tressing stories abound of seafarers and workers, who were convinced, after being pursued by lawyers or their representatives, into entering agreements for legal or consultan-cy services even when such servic-es are not needed, or charged with fees which are excessive and uncon-scionable,” Rep. Manalo wrote in fil-ing his bill. He said that this practice has led to ambulance chasers “tak-ing substantial interest and control in the case and resorting to ques-tionable practices just to protect and recover their fees at the expense of the hapless seafarer of worker and his family” and the compensation due to the seafarer or worker is sig-nificantly reduced. The bill’s author also said that while the Code of Professional Responsibility of Lawyers prohibits ambulance chasing, no statutory

provision exists which directly and expressly prohibits the abominable practice in the enforcement of labor rights. Under HB 2643, the im-moral, deceitful and exploitative practice of ambulance chasing shall be prohibited. No agent, attorney or other person in charge of the prepa-ration, filing or pursuing any claim for compensation or benefits arising from employer-employee relation-ship shall demand or charge for ser-vices. Any fee and any stipulation to the contrary shall be null and void. The retention or deduction of any amount from any compensation or benefit granted to the worker for the payment of fees for such services is prohibited. The proposed legislation also provides that any lawyer who appears as counsel in any case heard by the National Labor Relations Commission (NLRC) or any labor arbiter shall be entitled to attorney’s fees not exceeding 10 percent of the compensation or benefits awarded by the Commission or any labor ar-biter, which fees shall not be paya-ble before the actual payment of the compensation or benefits. Punishment ranges from P50,000 to P100,000 or jail time of not less than one year but not more than two years, or both at the court’s discretion. However, the House com-mittee chaired by Davao City (1st district) Rep. Karlo Alexei Nograles has yet to act on the measure and conduct a public hearing on the bill that has national significance. In the Senate, no counterpart measure has been filed yet. “Ambulance chasing law-yers in the maritime industry live off other people’s misfortunes. Peo-ple who instigate this kind of illegal activity just care about their own pockets,” added Mr. Ramirez who

I am very thankful to Liz-ada Korean Red Ginseng because it helped me tremendously. I am Johnny, 30 years old, Abled Bodied (AB) seaman from the Visayas, and I would like to share my inspiring experience on how Lizada Korean Ginseng had helped me when I was in the times of depression after my diagnostic result that I am infected with Chronic Hepatitis B, a highly infectious disease. And sadly, all the doctors whom I consulted were uni-formly saying that it was incurable, or no treatment at all! Those prognosis gave me very devastating effects and caused my entire health to suffer. But later on, I resolved that this should not deter or deprive me in seeking my future. And as if late stepped shortly after, a cousin of mine showed me a newspaper ads of Lizada Korean Red Ginseng. i called their number (736-7732 /400-3488 and 0928-5019508) and they told me to bring along my medical results. When I reached their office (Rm. 601 Manufacturers Building Inc. (MBI),

Plaza Sta. Cruz, Manila), I saw many people waiting for free checkup and orientation. And along with the very informative discussion, they showed us a vast number of records of those persons who previously and recent-ly recovered from Hepatitis B. From then on, I just kept telling myself that if it is possible for them, then it would for me too! Within three months of taking pure Lizada Korean Red Gin-seng Extract, with a strong will and faith in God, I overcame my medical problem and got totally recovered. Currently I am about to board again, proving that I am physically fit to work. And as my gesture of thank-fulness, I left my laboratory records to Lizada Korean Ginseng Center to give hope to people who are experi-encing the same difficulties like I was before.

May Pag-Asa pa!A Testimony of how I recovered from my Hepatitis B

UFS to Congress: Expedite passage of Anti-Ambulance Chasing Bill

by Carlo Castro

continued on next page

11TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

is constantly pushing for reforms in the maritime industry. Local manning agencies and their principals continue to ex-perience harrowing ordeals from ambulance chasing lawyers and their seafarer-clients, sometimes in connivance with labor arbiters who should make it their responsibili-ty to determine whether disability claims and cases lodged before them are factual in nature, Mr. Ramirez narrated. Many shipowners prefer to settle the claims rather than go through the arduous practice of ap-pealing, he said, but they decided to transfer to other countries with a heavy heart knowing that they have settled unmeritorious and dishonest claims. Remittances keep the econ-omy afloat and play a big role in do-mestic consumption which drives economic growth. Remittances from overseas Filipino workers reached $2.27 billion in June this year, according to data from the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas. Money sent home by land-based Filipino workers went from 4.8 percent to

$8.7 billion in the six-month peri-od, while those wired by sea-based workers jumped from 8.8 percent to $2.7 billion. Inflows of cash remit-tances and the number of sea-based workers from the Philippines—dubbed the manning capital of the world in the maritime industry—could also be affected if this highly questionable act is not stopped. According to an article published on the website of the Baltic and International Maritime

Council, the largest international shipping association representing shipowners that controls around 65 percent of the world’s tonnage with membership in more than 120 countries, shipowners were owed more than $6 million as of Septem-ber 2013 by claimants and their law-yers in 98 cases where earlier deci-sions by the NLRC had either been overturned or reduced an appeal. The article added that many ship-owners have signified their appeal

to the Philippine government to re-form the legal system as currently, shipping firms are forced to pay out to meet questionable compensation claims for injury and illness even before they have a chance to appeal the awards against them ordered by the lower courts. The shipowners’ chances of getting even a fifth of the amounts involved seem slim. “In three oth-er cases where the awards totalled $178,000, only $19,700 has been recovered,” the article said, noting that claimants who have succeed-ed in the lower courts tend to have spent most, if not all, of the money, and much of it have already been paid to the ambulance chasers, be-fore higher courts hear any appeals in a process that can take as long as seven years. In the United States, for example, ambulance chasing is de-clared as barratry and punishable in the states of California, Pennsylva-nia, Virginia, Washington and Tex-as while some jurisdictions disbar any lawyer involved from practicing within that state.

12 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

SAILOR’S CORNERATTY. AUGUSTO R. BUNDANGHead, Litigation and Seafarers DepartmentSapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law Offices

Who has jurisdiction over a case involving the interpre-

tation or implementation of the collective bargaining agreement: the labor arbiter or the voluntary arbitrator? The recent case of “Estate of Nelson R. Dulay represented by his wife Merridy Jane P. Dulay vs. Aboitiz Jebsen Maritime, Inc. & General Charterers, Inc.” (G.R. No. 172642) decided by the Supreme Court on June 13, 2012 answered the above question by holding that the voluntary arbitrator should take cognizance of such an issue. In the said Dulay case, a veteran seafarer, after completion of

his employment contract, and while still a bona fide member of a union which was the collective bargaining agent of his employer, died of acute renal failure secondary to septice-mia. The widow claimed for death benefi ts through the grievance pro-cedure of the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) between the sea-farer’s union and his employer but the procedure was declared dead-locked. Pursuant to a provision in the CBA, the widow then filed a claim against the employer for death and medical benefi ts and damages amounting to US$90,000.00 before the National Labor Relations Com-mission (NLRC)-Arbitration Board.

A few days later, the deceased sea-farer’s brother received P20,000.00 from the employer pursuant to a dif-ferent and separate provision of the same CBA and released the union from further liability. The employer insisted that the NLRC has no juris-diction over the widow’s claim due to the absence of an employer-em-ployee relationship at the time of the seafarer’s death and the fact that the seafarer’s contract was already com-pleted prior to his demise. The labor arbiter and the NLRC both recog-nized the claim and ruled in favor of the widow, ordering the claims arising out of an employer-employ-ee relationship or by virtue of any

employer to pay. On appeal, the Court of Appeals (CA) re-versed the decision of the NLRC and referred the claim to the National Con-ciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB) for the designation of the volun-tary arbitrator or constitu-tion of a panel of voluntary arbitrators for appropriate resolution on the applicable CBA provision to be applied insofar as death benefits due to the heirs of the seafarer are concerned. The Supreme Court affirmed the CA ruling, finding that Republic Act (RA) No. 8042, the spe-cial law governing overseas Filipino workers, does not provide for any provision regarding jurisdiction over disputes or unresolved grievances on the interpre-tation or implementation of a CBA. Section 10 of RA 8042 simply speaks in general of law or contract involving Filipino workers for overseas deployment

including claims for actual, moral, exemplary and other forms of dam-ages. On the other hand, Articles 217 (c) and 261 of the Labor Code, a general statute, are clear and par-ticular in expressing that voluntary arbitrators have jurisdiction over cases arising from the interpreta-tion or implementation of CBAs. As such, the specific or special provi-sions of the Labor Code govern and not those of RA 8042. The High Court, upon re-view of the CBA which the seafarer’s widow considers to be the law be-tween the parties, likewise conclud-ed that the parties really intended to bring to conciliation or voluntary arbitration any dispute or conflict in the interpretation or application of the provisions of their CBA. It noted that Section 7 of the Omnibus Rules and Regulations, as amended by RA 10022, promul-gated by the Department of Labor and Employment and the Depart-ment of Foreign Affairs, which im-plement RA 8042, so provides that for overseas Filipino workers with CBAs, the case shall be submitted for voluntary arbitration following Articles 261 and 262 of the Labor Code. Such is the same idea invoked in Section 29 of the POEA Standard Employment contract. The Court made it clear that with respect to disputes in-volving claims of Filipino seafarers where the parties are covered by a CBA, the dispute or claim should be submitted to the jurisdiction of a voluntary arbitrator or panel of ar-bitrators. In the absence of a CBA, the parties may opt to submit the dispute to either to the NLRC or to voluntary arbitration. This position is consistent with the policy of the state and Sec-tion 3, Article 13 of the Constitution to promote voluntary arbitration as a mode of settling labor disputes.

Authority of the Voluntary Arbitrator

13TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

It used to be the only connecting route through a ship canal be-

tween the Pacific Ocean and Atlantic Ocean (via the Caribbean Sea). This is known as the famous Panama Canal. Since it started operations almost 100 years ago, the canal continues to serve and enjoy great success among the shipping indus-try’s trade route (Panama History). Despite having enjoyed this privi-leged position for so many years, with the advent of globalization, the continuing build-up of very large capacity ships and vessels, the increasing volume of carrying car-go on imports and exports, high maintenance cost, and the rising canal tolls as the ships become larger, Panama Canal is now facing competition with the construction of NICARAGUA CANAL, popular-ly or better known as the David and Goliath competition between ship’s canal toll business. Obviously the NICARA-GUAN is the Goliath, what critics dare or call as a dream vs. reality project (IHS Maritime).

THE HISTORICAL CANAL

This is a 77-mile ship ca-nal that connects Atlantic and the Pacific Ocean and has been a key channel for international maritime trade since its official opening on August 15, 1904 (Panama History). The canal has locks at each end to lift ships up to the Gatun Lake, an artificial lake constructed to less-en the amount of excavation work

required for the canal, 26 meters above sea level. The current locks are 33.5 meters. A third, wid-er lane of locks is presently under construction to open in 2015.According to “Historical Map and Chart Project- NOAA”, the layout of the canal as seen by a ship passing from the Atlantic to the Pacific is as follows:•From the formal marking line of the Atlantic Entrance, one enters Limon Bay, a large natural harbor. The entrance runs 8.7 km. It provides a deepwater port (Cristo-bal), with facilities like multimodal cargo exchange (to and from train) and the Colon Free Trade Zone, a free port.•A 3.2- km channel forms the ap-proach to the locks from the At-lantic side.•The Gatun Locks, a three-stage flight of locks 1.9 km long, lifts ships to the Gatun Lake level, some 26.5 m above sea level.•Gatun Lake, an artificial lake formed by the building of the Ga-tun Dam, carries vessels 24.2 km across the isthmus. It is the sum-mit canal stretch, fed by the Gatun river and emptied by basic lock operations.•From the lake, the Chagres River, a natural waterway enhanced by the damning og Gatun lake, runs about 8.5 km. Here the upper Cha-gres river feeds the high level canal stretch.•The Culebra Cut slices 12.6 km through the mountain ridge, cross-es the continental divide and pass-

es under the Centennial Bridge.•The single-stage Pedro Miguel

Lock, which is 1.4 km long, is the first part of the descent lift of 9.5 meters.

•The artificial Miraflores Lake, 1.7 km long, and 16.5 m above sea level.

•The two-stage Miraflores locks, is 1.7 km long, with a total descent of 16.5 m at mid-tide.

•From the Miraflores locks one reaches Balboa harbor, again with multimodal exchange provision (here the railways meets the ship-ping route again). Nearby is Pan-ama City.

•From thid harbor an entrance / exit channel leads to the Pacific Ocean (Gulf of Panama), 13.2 km from the Miraflores locks, passing under the Bridges of the Amer-icas.

Thus, the total length of the canal is 77.1 km. This is Pana-ma Canal. The canal is currently han-dling more vessel traffic than had ever been envisioned by its build-ers. In 1934 it was estimated that the maximum capacity would be around 80 million tons per year (Gerstle, 1944 ). To date, according to the Panama Canal Authority, ca-nal traffic reached almost 350 mil-lion tons of shipping. It continues to serve more than 144 vessels of the world’s trade routes and the majority of canal traffic comes from the “all-water route” from Asia to the US East and Gulf Coasts via the Panama Canal.

FUTURE DEVELOPMENTS

As demand is rising for efficient global shipping of goods, the canal is positioned to be a sig-nificant feature of world shipping for the foreseeable future. However, changes in shipping patterns —par-ticularly the increasing numbers of larger-than-Panamax ships will ne-cessitate changes to the canal if it is to retain a significant market share. “An enlargement scheme similar to the 1939 Third Lock Scheme, to allow for a greater num-ber of transits and the ability to handle larger ships, has been under consideration for some time. This has been approved by the govern-ment of Panama, and is in progress, with completion expected in 2014” (Panama Canal Authority, 2010). The Third Lock Project cost is esti-mated at US$ 5.25 billion. And the project will double the canal’s ca-pacity, allowing more traffic and the passage of longer and wider ships. The project is designed to allow for an anticipated growth in traffic from 280 million tons in 2005 to nearly 520 million tons in 2025. The expanded canal will have a maximum sustainable ca-pacity of about 600 million tons per year. Tolls will continue to be calculated based on vessel tonnage, and will not depend on the locks used. The new locks are expected

Panama and Nicaragua Canal ( The Battle of David and Goliath )

by Engr. Rainero B. Morgia, MScEnv

continued on page 39

14 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

continued on page 24

Despite the Maritime Labour Con-vention, 2006 (MLC, 2006) stip-

ulations for seafarers’ access to shore leaves, the 2014 Seafarer Shore Leave Survey conducted by the Seaman’s Church Institute (SCI) reveals that the number of seafarers being denied this much-needed respite has actually in-creased. The SCI’s Center for Seafarers’ Rights reported that the overwhelming cause for shore leave denial was due to lack of visas, which should have been provided by the shipowners to every member of their crew as mandated in Standard A1.4 Section 5(b) of the MLC, 2006. It is well-documented that shore leaves have a significant positive effect on the safe and efficient operation of a vessel; thus, the SCI’s findings have im-plications which go beyond missed op-portunities for rest and recreation. The SCI’s Center for Seafarer Rights collected data during the week of May 18-24, 2014. Within this pe-riod, port ministries in 27 US ports visited a total of 416 vessels with ap-proximately 9,184 crewmembers on-board. The crew represents roughly 60 nationalities including Filipinos, Chi-nese, Ukrainians, Russians, Indians, and Burmese. Of the 416 vessels sur-veyed, 97 vessels (or 23.3percent) had at least one seafarer onboard who had been denied shore leave, compared to the 2013 figure of only 17.8 percent. Meanwhile, of the 9,184 seafarers in-cluded in the survey, 1,030 of them were denied shore leave, roughly 11.2 percent for 2014 compared to the 2013 figure of 9.1percent. The chief reason for shore leave denials is the lack of US visas (86 percent), followed by termi-nal restrictions (7 percent), vessel op-erations (7 percent) and restrictions by the U.S. Customs and Border Protec-tion (less than 1 percent). Another in-teresting finding in the SCI’s 2014 sur-vey was that in reports which indicated the seafarers’ nationalities, more than 49 percent of those denied shore leave due to lack of visas were Filipinos. This is hardly surprising as the Philippines remains the world’s biggest source of maritime workers. The SCI has been conduct-ing these annual surveys for the past 13 years. This is the first year that the

survey has been conducted after the MLC, 2006 has been implemented in 37 countries. Seventy-nine per-cent of seafarers who were denied shore leave for lack of visa are crew members on ships registered in countries where the MLC, 2006 is in force: Antigua and Barbuda, Baha-mas, Cyprus, Greece, Liberia, Malta, Marshall Islands, Panama, the Phil-ippines and Singapore. The disap-pointing results, therefore, are even more serious because they provide evidence that these flag states are not verifying shipowner compliance be-fore issuing Maritime Labour Certif-icates. Shore leaves are crucial to seafarers’ health and well-being—two critical factors which impact performance and safety at sea —which is why it is actually in the best interest of shipowners and maritime officials to ensure that crew members have access to some downtime when their vessels are in port. Yet, it can seem like shore leaves are becoming undeservedly difficult to enjoy, even for some seafarers who are fortunate enough to obtain visas in countries where they are docked. For one thing, gaining access to areas outside the port can be an ex-pensive and time-consuming process. Often, a seafarer must pay a private company for escorted transport from the docked vessel to the shore and then back. Seafarer welfare organiza-tions like the SCI do provide this ser-vice without charge but not all ports have seafarer welfare organization presence. And sometimes, terminal operators will actually restrict the or-ganizations’ access to docked vessels, citing security reasons. There were also some seafar-ers who were not able to go ashore be-cause of the brief time that their ves-sels spent in port. When combined with the various operational require-ments that can only be performed when docked plus the myriad of pa-perwork that needs to be completed, there is simply not enough time to take care of duties and still have time

More seafarers have no access to shore leaves; Flag states and shipowners violating MLC 2006

by Joana Chrystal Ventura

Reason for denying Seafarers for Shoreleave

Source: The Seaman’s Church Institute Center for Seafarers’ Rights 2014 Shore Leave Survey

Nationalities denied by Shore leave

Source: The Seaman’s Church Institute Center for Seafarers’ Rights 2014 Shore Leave Survey

www.marineinsight.com

15TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Inspection continues

Baldoz said the inspection will cover the 8,981 Philippine regis-tered ships in domestic shipping ex-cept warships, naval auxiliaries, gov-ernment ships, and fishing vessels. DOLE and its partner or-ganizations have earlier prioritized the two-phase evaluation of Philip-pine-registered ships (PRS), which travel in international waters. “We are almost over with the overseas (ships). We are now focus-ing on domestic ships,” Baldoz said. Baldoz said 140 PRS have presented the necessary MLC re-quirements and have been issued with the Declaration of Maritime La-bor Compliance (DMLC) by DOLE for the first part of the evaluation. She said another 96 PRS have completed the assessment and received their Maritime Labor Cer-tificate (MLC). Baldoz said the 40 domes-tic vessels were awarded CoC at the program celebrating the first year of the entry into force of the MLC of 2006. “Ensuring compliance with all labor laws, including with safety and health standards, are pursuant to our obligations under the Mari-time Labor Convention, 2006, and national issuances, such as D.O. No. 129, or the “Rules and Regu-lations Governing the Employment and Working Conditions of Seafar-ers Onboard Ships Engaged in Do-mestic Shipping, and the new LLCS,”

said Baldoz in her message beamed from Claver, Surigao del Norte, via the social app, Facetime, to the audi-ence in the program at the AMOSUP in Intramuros, Manila. The 15 shipping companies issued the CoC were as follows: (1) Buenos Aires Lighterage, Inc. (with one vessel); (2) Christie Transport, Inc. (one vessel); (3) F.I.C. Market-ing Co., Inc. (four vessels); (4) Her-ma Shipping And Transport Corp. (eight vessels); (5) International Tankers Corp. (one vessel); (6) Is-lands Integrated Offshore Servic-es, Inc. (six vessels); (7) Loadstar Shipping Co., Inc. (two vessels); (8) Moreta Shipping Lines Inc. (two vessels); (9) Ocean Bees Inc. (four vessels); (10) Petrotrade Phils., Inc. (four vessels); (11) Recto Cifra Agro-Industrial Inc. (one vessel); (12) Resins Incorporated (one ves-sel); (13) Sealoader Shipping Cor-poration (two vessels); (14) Siment Transport, Inc. (one vessel); and (15) Swordfish Marine Services Corporation (two vessels). Two domestic shipping companies, the Therma Mobile, Inc., with four vessels; and Phil. Ecology Systems Corp., with two vessels, or a total of six vessels,

have also been issued CoC for their ships but they were not present during the awarding rites. Of the 40 vessels issued their respective CoC, only two are registered in the Port of Cebu. The rest are registered in the Port of Manila. The CoCs were issued to the vessels after the conduct of a joint assessment, one of the mech-anisms that the DOLE uses under the LLCS. During the process, man-agement and worker representa-tives sit down with the DOLE to assess compliance, with the latter informing the former about the various labor laws, including the safety and health standard regula-tions, that the shipping company ought to comply. If deficiencies or gaps in compliance are discovered during the assessment, a plan of action is formulated to correct the gaps or deficiencies. The DOLE teaches the company and the workers on how to comply. After the gaps or defi-ciencies are effected, the DOLE is-sues a CoC to the company. The labor chief has empha-

sized the seriousness of the DOLE in accelerating implementation of the new LLCS by going around the country’s regions observing the joint assessment of establishments conducted by the DOLE regional offices. “Voluntary compliance fosters harmonious workplace re-lations and is generally good for business. It leads to productivity and profitability,” she stressed. “With these developments, we are on track in the implementa-tion of the MLC 2006, the vital in-strument which affords protection to approximately 368,158 overseas Filipino seafarers,” she added. The MLC of 2006 requires the 61 International Labor Organi-zation (ILO) member states, which include the Philippines, to comply with the stipulated “comprehensive welfare and protection” for seafarers worldwide. As the country’s fate be-fore the European Union’s EMSA hangs in the balance, the initial robust compliance to MLC of 2006 should somehow improve the country’s image as a maritime player that supplies one third of the global fleet.

from page 3

PH marks 1st year of MLC 2006 with....

Number of compliant local ships surging

16 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Outstanding Seafarer of the Year, NSD, 1998Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1999 Technical Superintendent ABACUS Ship Management Limited

C/ENGR. RODOLFO B. VIRTUDAZO

VAST HORIZON

Ever since I learned from a doc-tor-friend that coffee is good

for the body, foremost of which is its being antioxidant, I have be-come a coffee lover. In fact, I buy a sample or two from countries that I have been to. I get to enjoy its rich aroma in my cabin because I see to it that I bring my own lit-tle coffee maker wherever I go. It is securely packed in my suitcase among my layers of clothes that serve as a cushion especially for its delicate glass pot. I love to have a sip of hot brewed coffee in my cabin and en-joy its sweet and rich aroma in-be-tween encoding tons of reports and plans for the engine department. For whatever substance it may have, coffee has some sort of po-tential element that stirs the fecund mind and seemingly stretches my capacity to be prolific and poetic amidst the technical writing that I usually deal with. Decades ago, coffee had been labeled “unhealthy.” But now, it is touted as a super food. It was found to be loaded with antioxi-dants and caffeine that have health and, hold your breath, anti-aging benefits. Antioxidants help the body repair cells caused by free radicals (which are produced as a byproduct of cells just doing their daily thing). Caffeine on the other hand, has been shown to help im-prove a range of symptoms and re-duce the risk of chronic illnesses. I have scoured the Internet and different studies and trusted links say that coffee can help in the prevention and treatment of diseases and illnesses: Alzheimer’s disease, diabetes, liver disease, skin cancer, cirrhosis, Parkinson’s Dis-

ease, colon cancer, and many more. It can even relieve headache and asthma probably because of caf-feine. And believe it or not, it has anti-bacterial and anti-adhesive properties that may help in cavity protection. As Brillat-Savarin has ob-served, “Coffee sets the blood in motion and stimulates the muscles; it accelerates the digestive process-es, chases away sleep, and gives us the capacity to engage a little longer in the exercise of our intellects.” Brillat-Savarin owns the famous saying, “Tell me what you eat, and I will tell you what you are” which we are all very familiar with. From mere “black coffee,” or “coffee with sugar and cream,” I have expanded my literacy regard-ing the kinds of coffee drinks, i.e., “Americano, a shot in the dark, café au lait, caffe latte, café breva, café machiatto, cappuccino, double or double shot, and dry cappuccino.” During my technical in-spection on board MV JEAN LD, one of our ports of call was Eng-land. Of course, it was a good chance to go buy some English coffee and so I thought. Look what I got: Douwe Egberts & Si-mon Levelt ground coffee rich roast (strength 4) – the perfect after dinner coffee inspired by the Italian tradition for rich, full-bod-ied and luxurious blends. H’mm… another bag of coffee read: “For those who are looking to create a little piece of Italian style at home, our Espresso is the ideal blend. The luxurious, smooth, chocolaty flavor makes a deliciously rich and powerful es-presso or you can just add frothed milk for a creamy cappuccino or

latte. And so Espresso ground coffee dark roast (Strength 5) was added also in my cart. Where does the best coffee in the world come from? Accord-ing to the World Coffee Review, “The coffee from Brazil is world famous for a good reason—it is nothing short of stellar. None more so than the Brazil Bourbon Santos. Brazil is the world’s largest coffee bean producer. America - Though not grown in the U.S. there are sever-al blends that have a distinctive American style. Made to be en-joyed with a traditional breakfast, they complement rather than com-pete with the feast. These brews are from a blend of medium roasted, medium ground Colombian and Central American coffee beans. Smooth, light on the acid and del-icate bodied, they will complement rather than call attention to them-selves. Steep & Brew offers a clean, fruity option, as does the Madru-gada blend from Flying Goat. The Supreme Bean offers a sweet, choc-olaty blend that will be perfect with morning pancakes. Ethiopia - Legendary home of the Arabica tree, which produces the berry that contains the coffee bean, Ethiopia is making strides in producing a fine brew. The Coffee Klatch from the Yir-gacheffe region is a dark, dark cof-fee with fruit overtones for those who enjoy a bold brew. The Coun-ter Culture of the Sidamo region is a dry processed bean that will invariably make samplers think of its sun drenched home. For those seeking a delicate espresso, the Belle Espresso from Coffee Klatch may be just the right thing. A blend

from five different regions, the pro-file is complex and entrancing. Nicaragua - The Madriz from this Central American small but mighty powerhouse of coffee producers, will be a welcome ad-dition to the table. Hailing from Terroir Coffee, its pungent bouquet and full body will have you asking for a second cup. Panama - A small roast-er in Portland, Oregon has shown us how to find the best of Panama. Stumptown Coffee Roasters offers a bean from the Don Pachi Estate that will be perfect in a French press. From the Geisha trees of the Boquete region, this flowered and fruity brew is lightly acidic and goes down smooth. Hawaii - The JavaBerry Black Estate Reserve is all the ex-cuse you need to visit this Pacific island. From a blend of Kona Pea-berry and Kona Extra Fancy, it of-fers a smooth, full-flavored balance. This one is for those who love their coffee straight. Sumatra - Indonesian cof-fee is not for everybody. Now more expensive, it often has a tartness that some find off putting. But coffee afi-cionados could do no better than the Organic Sumatra Reserve. With hints of chocolate, this medium bod-ied brew is sweeter than average. Fruity overtones with a thick aroma give it that South Pacific charac-ter that makes one think of tropical isles and cool breeze rather than the steamy jungles of its home. Having come home from my ship visit in The Netherlands with some bags of coffee in tow, I realized that nothing tastes better than a cof-fee brewed right in our own breakfast nook.

Nothing tastes better than a brewed coffee

18 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

FRANCISCO J. COLAYCOChairman, Colayco Foundation for EducationEntrepreneur, Venture Developer and Financial Advisor

PISOBILITIES

Si Ginoong HA ay sumulat sa akin: Hihingi lang po sana ako ng ad-

vice para maging guide ko next year. Dati akong seaman at nanilbihan ako sa barko sa loob ng limang taon. Tatlumpung taon na ako ngayon at limang taon na akong single. Na-pansin ko sa mga pasahero namin na tuwing holiday o kahit birthday lang ay kasama nila ang pamilya nila. Doon ay nakita ko ang isang bagay na wala ako. Ang makasama ang aking pamilya. Napansin ko din na karamihan ng aming mga pasahero ay may sariling negosyo. Isa po sa mga pasahero namin ay nakausap ko at sinabi niya sa akin na “working for your self is priceless.” Sa puntong iyon ay nagdesisyon ako na huminto sa pagtatrabaho sa barko para sub-ukan ang aking swerte sa Pilipinas sa pamamagitan ng pagsisimula ng sarili kong negosyo. Nagsimula po ako ng isang negosyo na may malaking pag-asa na kaya kong palaguin ang konting pu-hunan na limang taon kong inipon sa barko. Pumasok ako sa trading and retailing ng basic commodity (“pan-luto”). Sa unang taon ay nagawa kong kumita nang katamtaman pero sa su-munod na taon ay halos nawala ‘yung mga customer ko. Doon ko nakita na sa ganitong klase ng negosyo ay walang “customer loyalty.” Kung sino ang may mas mababang presyo ay doon sila, kahit na maganda ang paki-kisama mo sa kanila. Kadalasan, ang transaksyon dito ay second endorse-ment check ang binabayad. Mahigpit pong itinuro ng aking tiyo na huwag akong papasok sa ganoong transak-syon para makaiwas at hindi maipit sa tinatawag na “bridge of no return.” Dalawang taon na ang na-kalipas, wala akong naipon dahil halos ‘yung kinikita ko sa trading at retailing ng panluto ay nagagamit ko sa pang araw-araw na gastusin. (Base sa libro, dapat hiwalay ang pera sa negosyo mula sa personal na pera). Dito ko din nakita na mahirap

sumabay sa malalaking kumpanya na nagdi-distribute ng panluto da-hil kahit pareho kami ng source ay may mas malaki silang discount na nakukuha sa planta. Isang advantage nila ito kung bakit sila ay kadalasang mas mababa ang price; hindi katulad ko na umaasa lang sa pagpo-forecast ng price kung tataas o bababa. Kung ma-forecast ko ng maganda, dun lang po ako nakakalamang sa kanila at nagagawa kong makapag-offer ng mas mababang presyo, pero hin-di ito palagi. Kaya hindi ko pa rin ma-maintain ang mga customer ko. Ngayon po, Sir, nag-iisip ako na bumalik na lang sa barko at at saka ko na lang babalikan ang pagne-negosyo. Sa barko kaya kong kumita ng mahigit Php50,000 na hindi ko magawang kitain sa trading ng pan-luto. Ang plano ko ay i-secure muna ang mga basic needs ko tulad ng ba-hay, emergency funds etc. Ngunit sa computation ko kung babalik ako sa barko ay baka mahirapan na akong tumigil. Iniisip ko pa naman sana na pagkatapos ng dalawang taon ay posibleng makapag-asawa na ako, at magkaroon na ng anak. Dahil dito ay mas madadagdagan pa ang obli-gasyon ko. Kaya ang pagnenegosyo na pinapangarap ko ay mas matata-galan pa. Sir, ang goal ko ay maabot ang financial freedom sa edad na 40 at maabot ang tagumpay ng aking negosyo sa edad na 35. Iniisip ko ring pumasok sa isa pang negosyo at ilagak ang natitira kong ipon na Php 1 milyon na lamang. Ito na lang po ang huli kong ipon. Plano kong pumasok sa pagsu-suply ng raw materials para sa mga feed mills pero base sa research ko, ang halaga ng dapat na i-supply kada transaksyon ay aabot sa Php 500,000 kasi bulk po sila kung mag-order. Kung magawa ko mang makapag-supply ay may magiging problema pa rin ako dahil kadalasan sa feedmills ay 30 days ang terms. May possibility na yung 30 days ay ma-extend pa. Kaya ko lamang

pumasok sa isang transaksyon kada buwan kung susuwertehin at kung mamalasin ay pwedeng malugi ako at mabawasan pa ang capital ko. Sa franchising naman ng mga small food cart, may posibilidad na kumita ng Php 1,000 daily net; ang problema ko lang po ay humanap ng magandang lokasyon. Kapag ku-mikita na ang foodcart ay magtatayo ulit ako ng ilan pa para maabot ko ang limang iba’t ibang food cart (na base po sa libro nyo ay mas advisable na magkaroon ng higit sa isang food-cart) pero bago ko po ito mapalaki ay kailangan ko pang bumilang ng dala-wang taon para maabot ko ang target income na at least Php80,000 kada buwan. Maaari din akong mag-fran-

chise ng lotto outlet, kaya nga lang ay mukhang hindi kikita ang lotto kung hindi maganda ang puwesto. Sir, ako po ay naguguluhan ngayon kaya sumulat ako sa inyo. Umaasa ako na mabibigyan ninyo ako ng panahon para tulungang mal-iwanagan at makita kung ano ang dapat kong tahakin sa susunod na taon. Sabi sa akin ng isang pasahero sa barko, dati lang daw siyang empleya-do pero ngayon ay may-ari na siya ng isa sa mga pinakamalaking construc-tion firm sa Israel. Ang advice niya po sa akin ay huwag daw akong mahiya na lumapit, magtanong at humingi ng advice dahil iyon ang ginawa niya

Pagbabalik sa pagka-OFW

continued on page 38

19TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Last August 11, the families of the victims in the 2008 Princess

of the Stars tragedy filed a motion for reconsideration (MR) in the Su-preme Court (SC). The 32-page MR petitions SC to overturn its decision clearing shipowner Edgar S. Go of any criminal liability for the sink-ing which caused the death of more than 300 passengers and hundreds

more missing up until this time. Representatives from the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) were on hand to lend support and assistance. The SC Second Division, in its July 2 ruling, upheld former rul-ings by the Court of Appeals (CA) dated March 22, 2013 and January 8, 2014. The SC ruled that Go’s liability is civil rather than criminal. The SC

explains the basis for their distinc-tion: “The shipowner’s liability for the death or injuries to passengers resulting from the negligence of the ship captain, with or without con-curring negligence on the part of the shipowner, arises from the contract of carries, hence civil in nature.” Public Attorney’s Office (PAO) chief Persida Acosta, as legal representative for the victim’s fam-ilies, filed the motion in response to this decision. The petition stated their appeal as thus: “The court can-not turn a blind eye on the criminal liability, under Article 365 of the Revised Penal Code, of shipowner who, by his own acts and omissions, cause significant damage against the life and property of another—just because he is a shipowner. The petitioners state: “The liability of respondent Go is not premised on his mere ownership

of Sulpicio Lines Inc., but on his management and control over SLI’s vessels and employees.” Go, at the time of the tragedy, was also the Vice President for Administration; the petitioners insist that Go was fully aware that the vessel Princess of the Stars was sailing on a course that brought it squarely within the danger zone of Typhoon Frank. The vessel captain, Floren-do Marimon, has been squarely blamed by Sulpicio’s management for making the fatal error which also led to his own demise. Despite years of maritime experience under his belt, it seems that Morimon made the foolish — and costly—decision not to alter the ship’s regular route as it sailed from Manila to Cebu even though he initially notified the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) of an

The Never-ending Path to Justice: Families of MV Princess of the Stars Tragedy File Appeal

by Joana Chrystal Ventura

continued on page 37

20 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

From the time when nearly 80,000 crew members and more than 3,000

ships have been seriously exposed to pi-rate attacks and armed robbers in 2003 in the South China Sea, Malacca Straits, and Caribbean, piracy has even more increased farther off the Somali Coast into the Indian Ocean. From 2007 to 2011, pirate ac-tivity off Somalia has augmented to 3,322 seafarer hostages out of a total of 3,967 seafarers worldwide. The extent of piracy over a pe-riod of 10 years was the massive concern and anxiety shared to all seafarers and families.

Filipino seafarers’ vulnerability on piracy For the Philippine govern-ment, maritime piracy is a serious issue. In as much as the Philippines is the vessel-manning capital of the world, supplying one-fourth of the total seafar-ers globally since 1987, there is a high possibility that Filipino seafarers will be the first victims of piracy crises at sea. True enough, about 512 Fil-ipinos had been held for ransom by Somali pirates since 2008. To date, there are five Filipino seafarers who are still held hostage in Somalia from the 369,104 Filipino seafarers deployed in 2011. Fears and distress of sailing in high-risk areas, together with a large number of affected families are some of the many effects of piracy in-cidents to the Filipino seafarers. Thus, the concern for intervention and the need for appropriate and immediate humanitarian responses are highly looked-for.

MPHRP Profile Given the copious concerns worldwide, especially in the Philippines whose seafarers are most vulnerable to such threat, a charitable, non-political, not-for-profit organization, the Mar-itime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) was established in late 2010 and formally launched in September 2011 to fulfill its one aim: “to assist seafarers and their families with the humanitarian aspects of a traumat-ic incident caused by a piracy attack, armed robbery or being taken hostage.” MPHRP is a pan-industry alli-ance of ship owners, managers, manning agents, insurers, maritime unions, pro-fessional and welfare associations (faith and secular-based agencies) all working together to address the three phases of pre, during and post piracy incidents.

MPHRP Programs and Services In the Philippines, Filipino seafarers contribute largely to the eco-nomic growth of the country and on world trade. Indispensable enough, these “unsung heroes” at sea also play an important part in critical situations that might occur on board when piracy takes place, of which appropriate meas-ures are integral to their well-being, welfare and their families. MPHRP is solely committed to provide direct support to our seafar-ers and their families who are threat-ened or affected by piracy.

Assisting seafarers BEFORE the crisisSeafarers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness Training To be able to prepare our sea-farers and their vessels in the unlikely

event of a piracy attack, aside from the latest information on piracy and armed robbery world-wide that they should be aware about, this training covers Best Management Practic-es (BMP) and the humanitarian re-sponse to piracy attack or armed rob-bery.

Train the Trainers Course Equipping trainers, this course is aligned with the Seafar-ers Pre-Departure Piracy Awareness course. Only intended for experienced maritime trainers with knowledge on IMO guidance, BMP and MPHRP Good Practice Guides, this seminar is delivered by MPHRP experts to train-ing institutes and systems in different parts of the world in assisting and providing them the necessary infor-mation on piracy worldwide to pre-pare their own trainings for seafarers.

Welfare Responders Course In dealing and responding to the welfare of seafarers who fear piracy or with experience in piracy, this training will prepare trainers to deliver a port-based and a communi-ty-based training in their respective regions. To be conducted by MPHRP trained trainers in ports and in com-munities, this consists of an aware-ness-raising event, a basic response training (a structured workshop consisting of basic information, case studies and exercises) and an in-depth welfare responders training for chap-lains and welfare workers in develop-ing their professional skills as welfare providers for the seafarers.

Assisting seafarer families DURING the crisisReassurance sessions As soon as pirate-captive sea-farers are identified, MPHRP visits their families at home and gives them the assurance that the organization is do-ing its best to get their loved ones safe back to their country of origin and that there are also MPHRP counterparts in certain regions who coordinate for their immediate release. Giving comfort, MPHRP reg-ularly calls the family to check on them and when there is time and opportunity in visitations, the organization invites and brings along willing seafarer survivors to empathize with the family while sharing their previous encounter and how they are able to cope with the experience.

Financial aid through MPHRF In most cases, there are sea-farers who are the breadwinners for their large extended families but once held captive, these families struggle to cope with finances. Support will cease especially when the ship owner will not provide any financial assistance to them during captivity. Same abandonment is experi-enced by some seafarers who have re-turned home after being held hostage. They struggle to get on with their lives and to find appropriate alternative em-ployment. In worst situations, there are widows and families who have never received anything as there is no insur-ance cover and some ship owners have just walked away and let them. A little financial support for them to recover is thus needed.

Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme: Who we are,Why we exist and What we do

by Pao Villavicencio

21TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

MPHRP, together with its part-ners in the insurance and maritime in-dustry, has launched MPHRF (Fund) to provide limited monthly monetary aid to them in continuing with their children’s education, medical care and counselling (for those who are badly traumatized), travel costs, house rent and even food to keep them alive (in extreme cases).

Assisting seafarers AFTER the crisis

Coordinating family reunion In guaranteeing the families that MPHRP provides moral support to them, MPHRP coordinates with fami-lies and relatives about the release and repatriation of their loved ones. Togeth-er with the families, MPHRP welcomes the seafarers in the airport and attends to their needs, if there’s any.

Facilitating debriefing sessions MPHRP contacts psycho-so-cial providers who will conduct the debriefing sessions through proper co-ordination with their manning agen-cies. While making sure this is done, MPHRP listens to their stories and em-pathizes with them

Extending in medical needs MPHRP reaches out to the

medical needs of the seafarers and even their families in cases of abandonment of the manning agency. In circumstances when the agency provides the assistance, MPHRP facilitates through extending transportation allowances to them.

Promoting social justice MPHRP does not engage in legal issues and matters. MPHRP acts in mediating affected seafarers to their manning agency for the purpose of clearing any dispute that has to be dealt orderly and professionally while also avoiding the involvement of ambulance chasers.

Teaching financial literacy and livelihood Teaching financial literacy and livelihood to the seafarers and families is an add-on service that MPHRP can provide. Inasmuch as most of our seafar-ers find it hard to manage their money well, stewardship teaching is relevant al-though this has to be coordinated with some of our partners in the industry.

Helping in the re-employment after recovery To break the notion that pira-cy survivors are considered, in a sense, as ‘damaged goods,’ MPHRP facilitates in their re-employment after they have

recovered from their traumatic expe-rience MPHRP believes that they are worth the money to spend and are im-portant individuals who need the atten-tion and care they deserve as people. Given that, their dignity, self-esteem and confidence will then be restored.

Giving the oppressed a reason to celebrate A celebration gathering highlights a thanksgiving spirit after all the hardship and strife on piracy incidents. MPHRP invites the seafar-ers and their families in a celebration meal to make them feel significant and not abandoned.

Building alliances and information sharing

As MPHRP becomes known worldwide, continuous harmonization and networking with key government agencies, unions and the maritime in-dustry make the program effective and efficient to raise awareness among all seafarers and families. Such participation and con-tribution are vital to help MPHRP con-sistently identify the survivors and fam-ilies affected by maritime piracy. Their continuous support will also beneficial to those who need employment after their ship owner abandonment and will

therefore provide MPHRP the opportu-nity for after care services.

Capability building Being a non-governmental or-ganization, capability building entails continuous growth among the whole team, together with volunteers, in pro-viding excellent and extra-mile services to the seafarers and families. Commu-nication enhancement, psycho-social knowledge and maritime law under-standing are some of the examples. The Programme exists as long as there are seafarers who need help and assistance before, during and after pira-cy incidents, providing them the nec-essary care and attention they deserve, not just for their welfare and well-being, but also for their families. MPHRP is steered by Dr. Pe-ter M. Swift, chair of the Board of Di-rectors. It is managed by a team of ex-perts in Europe: Roy Paul, programme director; Hennie la Grange and Toon Van de Sande, assistant programme di-rectors; and Alex Wallace, programme manager. It is also staffed and assisted by Regional Directors in India/South Asia, Chirag Bahri; in the Philippines/Southeast Asia, Rancho Villavicencio; and in Ukraine/CIS & Baltic countries, Alexander Dimitrevich.

23TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

of size of around .5 MMtpa is sensible to avoid unit cost disad-vantages. Small scale LNG chain is price competitive against oil products. An illustra-tive cost structure – covering liquefaction, shipping and regasifi-cation – for such a de-velopment and with a delivery distance of less than 621 miles (1,000 kilometers) to the mar-ket, would amount to just over $8 per million

British thermal unit (MMBtu), far below over $20 MMBtu for liquid fuels.” LNG poses to be a clean fuel. However, the development of a large-scale LNG is directly proportional to an increase in cost for potential consumers. The increasing demand for fossil fuel has been accelerated further because of the ever growing consumption of energy. Therefore, the development of small and mid-scale LNG projects in Southeast Asia would definitely be feasible.

Southeast Asia is one region in the world where the resources of natu-

ral gas are bountiful. The Internation-al Energy Agency (IEA) identified Indonesia and Malaysia to be among the top five largest exporters of Liq-uefied Natural Gas (LNG) world-wide. Brunei and Myanmar are the other two countries exporting LNG. The challenge comes in its extraction particularly the natural gas which is believed to be consumed at approx-imately 4.98 trillion cubic feet (Tcf). Oil still remains the dominant fuel followed by natural gas accounting to 117.4 million tons of oil equivalent (MMtoe) of the region’s energy mix three years ago. The locations of gas fields stretch distances far away from the actual demand centers making it difficult to sustain the ever growing domestic needs. Certain infrastructures and facilities would have to be built pertaining to terminals for liquefac-tion, transmission. Enormous funds are needed for this to become a reality. Donggi Senoro LNG plant found in Indo-nesia shall commence operations by 2015. The archi-pelago has three main liquefaction terminals which are currently operational. They are found in Arun in Sumatra, Bontang in East Kalimantan and Tangguh in West Papua. Production reaches a total of 43.9 million tons per annum (MMtpa) capacity. Finding the ways and means of gas extrac-tion is the concentration of potential business in-vestors. However, the cost is a factor that causes a major hindrance to this desire. Marcus Lang and Marc Schier who are both from the Engineering Division of Linde AG said, “Only a limited number of national and international oil and gas companies worldwide have sufficient expertise and financial strength to lead a world-scale LNG development.” Numerous countries are now looking into building and acquiring facilities for Floating Liquefied Natural Gas (FNLG). According to the IEA, there is a growing need for the expansion of transmission infrastructure or LNG liquefac-tion projects. The main reason is for the gas to be shipped to terminals where the regasification takes place. The Indonesian archipelago is the best po-tential target in the Southeast Asian region for the development of the small to mid-scale LNG projects simply because of its untapped stranded resources of gas. This runs all the way from Sumatra in the west extending up to West Papua in the east. LNG plants and floating storage regasifica-tion units (FSRU) in Indonesia make it an ideal can-didate for small to mid-scale LNG developments.

Southeast Asia Well-Suited for Small and Mid-Scale LNG Project Developments

by Engr. Ryan Anthony R. Mercene, MBA

The eastern part of the archipelago utilizes gas as a main substitute for diesel providing the 808 Mega-watts of power generation. Eight small scale LNG terminals are intended to be constructed by 2015. John Sattar of the LNG & Natural Gas Con-sulting Group, Poten & Partners explained, “South-east Asia, especially Indonesia, is ideal for small to mid-scale LNG developments with a capacity of .5-1 MMtpa as there is a large, dispersed population and a lack of gas pipeline interconnections. A minimum

Petronas in Malaysia

The Negros Maritime Foundation Inc. celebrated its 20th anniversary last August 4 to August 7, 2014 with 2,000 guest coming from all over the country.The celebration of frolic and fun and parlor games lasted for one week and culminated on the eve of the birthday celebration of the “Iron Lady” and founder of NMFI, Capt. Edith Vera.

NMFI 20th year

24 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Two lawmakers are calling on the House Committees on Good

Government and Accountability, and Transportation to jointly probe the failure of the Maritime Indus-try Authority (MARINA) to comply with its mandate to collect and ad-minister the Oil Pollution Compen-sation Fund from oil tankers despite the increase of oil spill incidents in the country. The inquiry was sought by Bayan Muna Reps. Neri Colmenares and Carlos Isagani Zarate through House Resolution 1198, which states that MARINA is mandated under Republic Act 9483, otherwise known as the “Oil Pollution Compensation Act,” to collect from oil tankers 10 centavos per liter of their cargo as seed money to an oil pollution fund. Republic Act 9483 adopts and implements the provisions of the 1992 International Convention on Civil Liability for Oil Pollution Damage and the 1992 International Convention on the Establishment of an International Fund for Compen-sations for Oil Pollution Damage. Crafting of RA 9483 was prompted by the 2006 Guimaras oil spill inci-dent, according to the lawmakers. Hon. Neri J. Colmenares said Section 22 of RA 9483 provides that MARINA is mandated to col-lect from oil tankers 10 centavos per liter of their cargo as seed money to an Oil Pollution Management Fund (OPMF) to be administered by the agency. “Despite the increase of oil

spill incidents since the 2006 Gui-maras Disaster, particularly the mas-sive oil spill that has swathed the town of Estancia in Iloilo, MARINA has yet to formulate the Implement-ing Rules and Regulations (IRR) for the OPMF under Section 22 of RA 9483 seven years after the law be-came effective,” said Colmenares. Colmenares said MARINA should also have compromised a lesser amount of contribution from oil shippers to ensure there would be a fund to clean up the oil spill and provide relief and compensation for its victims. “There should have been a compromise on the amount despite the disagreement between MARINA and the oil shippers on the minimum and maximum value of contributions and how long they would contribute to continue the fund since oil shippers contend the 10-centavo per liter con-tribution is high,” said Colmenares. Under the law, the OPMF shall be used, one, for the immediate removal and clean up operations of the Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) in all oil pollution cases, according to Colmenares. Secondly, he said the OPMF shall fund research, enforcement and monitoring activities of rele-vant agencies such as the MARINA and the Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and other ports authority of the Department of Transportation and Communications (DOTC), En-vironmental Management Bureau (EMB) of the Department of Envi-

ronment and Natural Re-sources (DENR) and the Depart-ment of Energy (DOE). C o l -menares said 90 percent of the OPMF shall

Solons seek probe of MARINA’s failure to collect oil pollution fund from oil tankers despite oil spill incidents

by Rowena B. Bundang, Media Relations Service-PRIB

Cong. Carlos Isagani ZarateCong. Neri Colmenares

be maintained annually for the ac-tivities set forth under containment and clean-up activities, and that any amounts specifically appropriated for the OPMF under the General Appropriations Act (GAA) shall be used exclusively for such activities. Hon. Carlos Isagani T. Za-rateZarate said that under Section 22 of RA 9483, the OPMF shall be constituted from contributions of owners and operators of tankers and barges hauling oil or petrole-um products in the country’s water-ways and cost wise shipping routes. During its first year of existence, the OPMF shall be constituted by an impost of 10 centavos per liter for every delivery or transshipment of oil made by tanker barges and tanker

haulers, he explained. For the succeeding fiscal years, Zarate said the amount of con-tribution shall be jointly determined by MARINA, other concerned gov-ernment agencies, and represent-atives from the owners of tankers, barges, tankers haulers, and ship hauling oil or petroleum products. In determining the amount of con-tribution, he said the purposes for which the fund was set up shall al-ways be considered. Zarate said the OPMF shall also be constituted from fines im-posed pursuant to RA 9483, grants, donations, endowments from vari-ous sources, domestic or foreign, and amounts specifically appropriated for OPMF under the annual GAA.

Philippine Coast Guard cleaning up the massive oil spill in Estancia, Iloilo

from page 14More seafarers have no access to...

for recreation. This complaint is con-sistent with the findings published last October by the Danish Maritime Authority (DMA with the support of InterManager, a ship manager trade association in Denmark. It’s not uncommon for cer-tain categories of vessels to stay in port for merely a few hours. Unlike general cargo vessels which remain docked for one week or even longer, PANAMAX bulk carriers typically remain only 10 hours in port, while many container ships will only rest for three to four hours just to give the crew enough time to load and un-load. There are simply too many tasks to finish in record time: preparation and participation in inspections (Port State Control, flag state control and/or class inspections, MLC inspec-tions, vetting inspections); paperwork and mandatory deck watch duties;

completion of port and pre-arrival documents (crew and passenger lists, vessel stores, port calls, health decla-rations, etc.) in addition to any repairs and maintenance jobs that may be re-quired. Engine personnel, especially, have no more time to disembark. For crews manning vessels on so-called mosquito runs, working round-the-clock has become routine. Sadly, despite legislation and international treaties that are supposed to protect the seafarers’ welfare, many are still working under conditions that would be considered criminal for their counterparts. Can you imagine asking truck drivers to cover back-to-back routes for months at a time? How about asking airline pilots to stay on their craft for several weeks? Consid-ering the elevated levels of fatigue and stress that have become the norm rath-er than the exception for many crew members, it is rather remarkable that the maritime industry has managed to achieve its current standards of safety and efficiency.

27TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Cyprus, the beautiful island country in the eastern part of the Mediter-

ranean marvelously sprang a 5.1 percent growth in its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) this year having an additional 2 percentage points to the national output brought by its maritime industry, par-ticularly the ship-management sector. It is a well-renowned major shipping hub and international business center strategically located at the cross-roads of Europe, Asia, and Africa. Cyprus obtained 48 percent revenue generating approximately EUR 200 million from Germany, its largest maritime partner in the maritime industry which occupies 53 percent of the ship management business in the island country. Crew management remains to be the pre-ferred service provided to the Ger-man ship owners. Eight percent of the maritime revenues are from Po-land, 6 percent from Curacao, 5 per-cent from Holland, 4 percent from Singapore, 2 percent from Russia, 2 percent from Norway, and 2 percent from the Marshall Islands. The Cypriot maritime in-dustry has 155 major shipping com-panies owning or managing 2,300 vessels with an output of 50 mil-lion gross tons. Cyprus ranks the third biggest maritime country in the European Union and the sec-ond biggest in ship management in the world. There are approximate-ly 4,500 people in all services and 55,000 seafarers on cargo as well as passenger ships globally. Apart from Germany, Cyprus has other maritime partners such the Viet-

nam-flagged vessels accounting for 6 percent, 5 percent with Russia, 4 percent with Singapore, 2 percent with Greece, 2 percent with Liberia, 2 percent with Italy, and 2 percent with the Netherlands. At the gala dinner held in the Presidential Palace in Nicosia this year, President Nicos Anastasiades stated, “As the shipping sector constitutes a crucial part of our economy and one of the main pillars of growth, there is no doubt that shipping has played a lead-ing role in our effort for recovery. The shipping operational and taxation in-frastructure in Cyprus and the Cyprus flag remain intact, fully operational and very competitive.” The island country became a part of the European Union last May 1, 2004 having an “Open Reg-istry” with the hope of accelerating the Cyprus vessel registration. It ranked 10th in the world as far as gross tonnage is concerned with ap-proximately 1,000 ships exceeding 19 million gross tonnage. Logistic chain transformation and strategic alliances between shipping lines and ports are expected along the way as new routes are to be opened because of stiff competition in the industry. Shipping, tourism, financial servic-es play important roles in its capital growth as a nation attracting various investors and property buyers be-cause of its low tax rates. “In the past five years, ship management has been the pillar of our sector’s growth, despite the problems faced in the international markets in 2012 and 2013, especially in the char-

tering sector with falling rates driving many shipowners into trouble. Our in-dustry was faced with too many ships and too few cargoes, which result (sic.) in many companies and their fleets being seized by banks. However, this turned out beneficial for Cyprus as our expertise in efficient ship management was an attraction to administrators who wanted a quick return or safe re-covery of their investments and many turned to ship management compa-nies in Cyprus,” quoted by Cyprus Shipping Chamber director general Thomas Kazakos at the International Shipping Chambers conference hosted in Limassol this year. The shipping industry of Cyprus developed into an interna-tional maritime center in 1963. Ship ownership and the Cyprus flag vessel registration were encouraged by the Cyprus government offering incen-tives. The geographical positioning of the island paves an excellent hub for international shipping and the development of a high standard mar-itime structure. Its superb interna-tional relations have brought some of the world’s largest international ship management headquarters giving it a promising future and enhancing its

reputation as a maritime nation. Director General Thomas Kazakos elaborated, “Ship manage-ment, in relations to GDP contribu-tions in Cyprus has grown from 3.8 percent more than five years ago to 4.5 percent in late 2012 and 5.1 per-cent in the second half of 2013. Add to that at least two percentage points generated from Cyprus-owned ves-sels and other earnings for the De-partment of Merchant Shipping and our sector’s contribution to GDP is a steady 7.1 percent.” Cyprus is indisputably a re-markable country. An island coun-try inhabited primarily by the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots has the oldest water wells in the world. Uniquely located at the south of Tur-key, west of Syria and Lebanon, north-west of Israel, north of Egypt, and east of Greece, it truly is an awesome place to be because of its excellent maritime industry, and wide array of servic-es run by well-educated work force, superb telecommunication network, organized banking system, modern infrastructure, and many others. The high quality of life and low cost of liv-ing makes staying in this fascinating island amazingly splendid.

Cyprus Shipping Propels Economic Recovery

by Engr. Ryan Anthony R. Mercene, MBA

28 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

— NOT OVER and BEYOND such requirements. Moreover, all training pro-viders must be adequately moni-tored to ensure the following but not limited to:1.Proper conduct of training includ-

ing methodologies in teaching 2.Training and instructions leading

to acquisition of outcome based learning

3.Sufficiency of instruction4.Integrity of assessment and evalu-

ation, and5.Verification of quality system pro-

cesses relating to training Furthermore, close scrutiny on compliance issues must also be vigorously pursued such as:

1.Adequate facilities/equipment in-cluding their proper maintenance

2.Capability building programs for Instructors

3.Reliability and conformance to set standard

4.Holistic monitoring of training activities and verification of learn-ing outcome

5.Provisions for continual improve-ment and development, and

6.Conduct of Upgrading and Re-

fresher training

MARKET DOMINATION

We currently enjoy the moniker of being the “preferential choice in manning” and we con-tinue to manifest our dominance in term of numerical presence in global shipping. Such lofty stature is a product of our natural flair for seafaring, our industry, our dedication and capability to fulfill shipboard responsibilities aside from our good grip of the Eng-lish language. As such, many ship owners, principals and ship man-agers have openly expressed their preference in employing Filipino seafarers in their tonnages. Hence-forth, Filipino seafarers are highly regarded in international shipping as one of the finest and passionate workers at sea.

CHALLENGES IN SHIPPING, MANNING

Being at the top and sus-taining the dominance in seafaring is a constant challenge that we have to bear and cohesively address. As “champions,” we naturally have “challengers”, in which some are almost breathing in our necks. Be it known that many emerging sea-faring nations are now vigorous-ly developing their ranks. As we evolve into the modern shipping operations, it does require equal-ly modern operators. Technically advance equipment requires peo-ple who are conversant to its func-tions and operations. Maritime legislations, rules and issuances must be complied and implemented which require thorough understanding and con-tinual updates. The bottom line is “WE MUST NEVER SIT IN OUR PANTS.” We cannot be lackadai-sical in our attitude. We cannot assume or presume that we can maintain such leadership by being idle and complacent. More than ever, let us recognize the clear and present challenges in our midst by keeping ourselves attuned to the needs of the ever changing de-mands in shipping by honing our KNOWLEDGE, UNDERSTAND-ING, PROFICIENCY, ATTITUDE and LEADERSHIP.

from page 4

SHIPPING ISSUE

29TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Teamwork [teemwurk] a Coop-erative or coordinated effort

on the part of a group of per-sons acting together as a team or in the interests of a common cause—that is how dictionary best describes the word team-work. It is the same translation that PACC Offshore Services Hold-ings Pte Ltd, or POSH uses as a strong foundation of their com-pany. One Team is the emblem of their unity. “One Team to work as one body, We, not You and Me, but we grow as a family, we grow big,” says J.H. Chan, general manager for Crewing, when interviewed at the Traders Hotel Manila, during their POSH Sea Staff Seminar held on August 27-29, 2014. It is a yearly seminar where seafarers and of-fice staff composed of Burmese, Filipinos, Indonesians, Ukrainian, Mexican, Indian and Singaporean merge, crossing barriers of dis-tance, culture and job designation. The first day of the event focused on the company policies, case studies, procurement policies and guidelines. The second and third day emphasized on physical exercises, hand language activi-ty, accountability scale, multiple choice activity, film clips,aerobics, logistics preparation, team outdoor activities, ritual activity, synthesis and integration and award ceremo-

ny. POSH conducts three seminars a year in Manila, Philippines and two seminars in Jakarta, Indonesia. In keeping One Team, POSH lays its anchors on devel-oping the “softskills.” Softskills is synonymous to Emotional Intelli-gence or the so called EQ. Oxford Dictionary describes EQ as person-al attributes that enable someone to interact effectively and harmo-niously with other people. EQ, also called emotional intelligence quo-tient, is a measurement of a per-son’s ability to monitor his or her emotions, to cope with pressures and demands, and to control his or her thoughts and actions. The abil-ity to assess and affect situations and relationships with other peo-ple also plays a role in emotional intelligence. “We believe in holistic training. One can bring it any-where and use it in any situation, part of it is self discipline, account-ability, responsibility in actions, re-spect and trust,” Chan said. When asked about the challenges faced by the company, the crewing GM replied, “Risk management is in our culture. Safety courses are not only offered to senior officers but also to the juniors who will be handed over the tasks soon.” Chan narrated that when he assumed post in 2006 as GM for Crewing, there were only 70 crew members , now rising to 600.

He said that the supply of the Fili-pino seafarers so far is good. They are supporting the training of ca-dets in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan De Oro cadetship program for se-lected deck and engine graduates, bring them onboard and sponsor their certificates. POSH was incorporated as a wholly owned subsidiary of Pacific Carriers Limited in 2006 to diversify into the offshore oil & gas industry, and aims to be a fully inte-grated offshore solutions provider with a range of offshore vessels ca-tering to different phases of oilfield development. Its range of services include Offshore Supply Vessels Transportation & Installation, Off-shore Accommodation, Harbour Services & Emergency Response. Its fleet varies such as Anchor Han-

dling/Towing/Supply,Platform Sup-ply Vessel, Anchor Handing/Towing /Support,Accommodation Vessels, Towing Tugs, Barges, Harbor Tugs and Emergency Support and Work boat. POSH now emerges as the 5th in the world offshore rank in terms of fleet size. With 110 vessels at present, with 45 % Filipino crew, 40 % Indonesians,and the rest is a mixture of other Asians and some Westerners.

“One Team” Culture Breeds at

-(Mia Lapis)

30 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

At 25, German Marine Agencies Inc. (GMA Inc.)

considers itself young and still needs to learn more in life. It is no different from the set of its new generation of staff whose future has a lot of more things to offer and has bigger space to move around and grow. It is the same ex-citement and anticipation that GMA Inc. is looking for-ward to with preparedness and sheer determination. It was an acknowledge-ment personally made by the foreign principals of GMA Inc. during the celebration of its 25th year in the shipping in-dustry held at the Microtel Ho-tel, Manila on August 22, 2014. An evening of simple, yet meaningful bonding time set the tone of the occasion which was well attended by foreign and local management, staff and crew, along with business partners, friends and former colleagues. Captain Carlos A. Anacta, president of GMA Inc., received a well-deserved acknowledg-ment from its German part-ners for the establishment of the company way back in 1989. Capt. Anacta is a veteran in-ternational mariner with solid years of experience in the sea trade. He has shown exper-tise both in water and on land

Is Still Young

atwhich is obviously demonstrat-ed in his management style and business acumen. His skills come with talent and interests, too. The captain has one great passion — singing. This he shares gen-erously to everyone. The silver anniversary celebration was ignited with his live rendition of “Babe,” a rock song popular-ized in the 80s by the American Band, STYX with the accompa-niment of the AMO Band, an equally popular local band dur-ing the said era.

GMA Inc. management, staff and crew also gamely showcased their talents by pro-viding entertainment numbers.

Special prizes were raffled off in between, and the dance floor braced itself for swinging and grooving.

Still Young

At

-(Mia lapis)

32 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

After more than a decade of legal

battles and admin-istrative woes, the Misamis Institute of Technology (MIT) is now free to reclaim its spot as the top maritime school in the entire Philippines. MIT president Rene A. Maglasang, together with Chairman of the Board Oc-tavio A. Maglasang, have finally regained control over both the MIT and the Zamboanga del Sur Maritime Institute of Technolo-gy (ZSMIT) after years and years of litigation within the fami-ly-owned corporations. Capt. Rene Maglasang, along with his brothers Octavio and Raul, have been dealing with lawsuits and appeals since 2002 when a special set of elec-tions usurped their positions as trustees and officers of MIT and ZSMIT. In August 2013, the Commission of Higher Educa-tion (CHED) officially recognized Capt. Rene Maglasang et. al. as the duly elected and sworn of-ficers and trustees for MIT. And just last June, the corporate court of Zamboanga City like-wise passed a counterpart deci-sion for ZSMIT. This recent development

is significant news for stakehold-ers in the maritime industry, as it promises a prolific source of world-class seafarers which can only boost our standing as the leading global supplier of mar-itime manpower. Before leader-ship struggles plagued MIT and ZSMIT, both schools were front-runners in maritime education in the late nineties. In fact, MIT was adjudged as the top rank-ing maritime institution during the first CHED assessment, easily besting other maritime schools such a MTC College, Davao Mer-chant Marine Academy, PMI Col-leges, and Philippine Merchant Marine Academy. MIT’s mettle was such that it was the only maritime in-stitution in the Philippines which had students already booked for apprenticeships and jobs as ear-ly as their first year of schooling. Moreover, foreign shipowners would actually ask MIT to send them a list of incoming trainees so that they could offer slots on-board their vessels. Det Norske

Veritas (DNV), the Norwegian certification agency for the De-velopment of Maritime Training and Education, ranked MIT’s maritime education program as the eighth best in the world. MIT was also the first maritime school to have a 100 percent licensure exam passing rate for deck officers, thanks to Project Alpha – a study now, pay later program which provided eligible candidates with rigorous schooling and mentoring. This two-year program literally trans-formed the novices into highly sought-after seafarers who could

claim the world as their prover-bial oyster. Manning agencies and recruitment firms were very eager to enlist these graduates afterwards, as everybody in the industry knew that they had re-ceived intensive classroom and fieldwork training. Sadly, what might be called the golden era of MIT was unceremoniously cut short when Capt. Rene Maglasang was ousted from his position as president in 2002, a year before he was due to end his five-year term. This event turned out to be the start of a 12-year struggle

Return to Glory:

33TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

In 2002, a corporate dis-pute led the six brothers to split into two equally-divided fac-tions: on one side was Octavio, Rene and Raul while on the other was Galileo, Manuel and Allan. The two sides engaged in disputes over the manage-ment of the family corporation but as the numbers were even, the elections and deliberations were simply deadlocked. Then, Galileo and Manuel maneu-vered to set up an alleged spe-cial election of officers and trustees through which they managed to elect themselves

for corporate control among the Maglasang siblings. Leonardo Maglasang and his spouse Doña Adela founded MIT in 1967. They started the foundation of excellence that eventually established MIT as one of the most prestigious mar-itime colleges in its time. Upon their death, the control and own-ership of MIT were inherited by their six sons: Octavio, Rene, Raul, Galileo, Manuel, and Allan. The six brothers served in their re-spective positions as members of the Board of Trustees, with Capt. Rene Maglasang as president.

Return to Glory:

and their wives. The so-called elections were carried out with-out the knowledge of the op-posing faction. Octavio, Rene and Raul found themselves ille-gally ousted as trustees and of-ficers. Galileo, Manuel and their wives Lucile and Belmina took over all business and financial matters at MIT. The following years were marked by lawsuits and appeals. As could be expected, Rene’s camp did not take anything ly-ing down. Unsurprisingly, this was also the time that MIT start-ed to slip from its position as a top maritime college. By this time, Rene, Octavio and Raul had been excluded from the ad-ministration and management of MIT and ZSMIT. The quality of education declined. Things finally came to a head when the youngest broth-er, Allan, decided to side with Rene after conclusive evidence that Galileo’s wife Lucile has been treating the ZSMIT finan-cial accounts as her personal

milking cow. With Allan on Rene’s side, the vote was now four brothers against two. In August 2013, a special election was called. None of the wives were admitted

as members of the Board; Gali-leo and Manuel did not partic-ipate. Octavio, Rene, Raul and Allan were elected and sworn as the new trustees and officers for both MIT and ZSMIT and they have already assumed their du-ties and responsibilities up to the present. It would have been an undiluted triumph except that Raul did not even get to enjoy his term; he passed away days before he could be sworn in. Capt. Rene Maglasang and Engr. Octavio Maglasang vowed to bring back the glory of the premier maritime schools in Mindanao. They have already started curricular reforms and policy changes for both MIT and ZSMIT since last year, and more facility expansions and up-grades are in the works. There’s no doubt that the task is daunt-ing, but the brothers are more than confident that they can do it—after all, they have already done it before.

-(Joana Chrystal Ventura)

34 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Orophil Shipping Internation-al Company Inc. president

Tomas Orola was the guest of honor and keynote speaker at the Philippine Regulatory Board (PRC)’s oath-taking ceremony for marine engineers held on August 13, 2014 at the Manila Hotel on Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Orophil Shipping Int’I (for-merly Tipolo Shipping), has been the recipient of various awards and citations, including the Top Performer Award given by the Phil-ippine Overseas Employment Ad-ministration (POEA) to deserving recruitment and manning agen-cies in recognition of exemplary performance. Established in 1980, Oro-phil has become one of the major players not only in the Philippine maritime employment scene but also in the training of world-class maritime graduates through its own maritime educational insti-tution, the VMA Global College. Aside from being involved in mar-itime education, crewing and ship management, Orophil has also es-tablished three sister companies involved with shipbuilding and dry

docking operations: OKT Corpora-tion, Kura Philippines, and Phil Nip-pon AOI Industry. These companies are providing valuable opportuni-ties to local welders and workers. Orola has been instrumental in the success of all these ventures. This is actually not the first time that the PRC Board of Marine Engineer Officers recognized Oro-la’s professional contribution to the maritime industry. In 2002, Orola was the recipient of the PRC Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Of-ficer award. It was a double triumph for him, as he was also the Maritime Engineer Officers Association in the Philippines (MEOAP) awardee for the Most Outstanding Marine Engi-neer Officer that same year. In his address, Orola recog-nized the hard work and sacrifices of the new crop of marine engi-neer officers in order to achieve their PRC credentials. However, he also cautioned against compla-cency, reminding them that this is but a step in their career path. “Although we are valued profes-sionals in this global industry, we have to remember that many na-tionalities are trying to replace us. We have to fight to stay on the top. We can do this only by being ahead, keeping up with techno-logical developments and doing the best that we can in our job as a seafarer,” Orola stressed. Orola added that a key to

maintaining the Filipino seafarers’ desirability in the international market is to keep up with STCW 2010. “STCW 2010 has brought many, many changes to the re-quired training and upgrading for seafarers,” he said. “Often, negative reactions amass. “Now is not the time to be complacent,” he added. We have to adhere to the changes affecting compliance to STCW requirements. We need to have the necessary compliance in terms of qualifica-tion, competence, over-all health and mental condition for this pro-fession. These are the primary as-pects in achieving our goal of main-taining our post as the in-demand supplier of marine officers.” Orola himself is aware of the importance of continuing education. He himself holds a Master’s Degree in Maritime Man-agement and is only several units away from completing a Doctor’s degree in the same specialization. Colleagues say that Orola is equal-ly passionate about encouraging others to push for more in their profession. He would personal-ly meet with marine officers after they have finished active contracts and urge them to take required IMO courses and corresponding upgrading examinations to ad-vance their credentials. PRC Board members Engr. Miguel Marasigan and Engr. Victo-

riano Alojado each concurred with Orola’s message in their respective speeches, especially about STCW 2010 and its implications for mar-itime professionals. In the post-event interview, Orola shared that he personally feels very optimistic for this year’s batch of new marine officers. He predicts that they are in for a whole new range of lessons and experi-ences as they embark on real life after schooling. “There are so many things that they don’t teach you in school, stuff that you only learn in training and from doing.” PRC announced that in the August 2014 Board examina-tions, 26 out of 37 passed the Chief Marine Engineers Officers Licen-sure examination; 126 out of 209 passed the Second Marine Engi-neer Officers Licensure examina-tion, while 260 out of 458 passed the Officer-In-Charge of an Engi-neering Watch Licensure exami-nation. The Board for Marine Engi-neer Officers is composed of Engr. Miguel Marasigan (OIC), Engr. Vic-toriano Alojado, Engr. Ferdinand Pascua and Engr. Eldefonso Uba.

-(Joana Chrystal Ventura)

C/E Tomas Orola

35TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

cleaner, more efficient, and less expen-sive than the manned ocean freighters that transport most of the world’s car-go today. If this project succeeds, these uncaptained vessels could become a key link in a human-free global supply chain of consumer goods. The compa-ny best known for its sleek luxury cars, Rolls Royce envisions a world where a single tap on a smartphone could set a massive cargo ship in motion half a world away. The company believes that one day, the industry will rely on fully unmanned ships for the transport of goods across the world’s oceans. Esa Jokioinen, the incumbent head of the Blue Ocean development team of Rolls-Royce, explains how a remote navigation system could work for ships as large as 600,000 tons. “The captain would sit at a shore location, receiving real-time data from sen-sors over a secure communications link. With multiple cameras around the vessel, a full picture is available, including a bird’s-eye view of the ves-sel in relation to its surroundings.” In other words, once the technology is in place, a ship moving goods from Hong Kong to Los Angeles could be controlled from a facility in Topeka, Kansas—or anywhere else. A major portion of the train-ing for new ship captains takes place on land, and their team has developed an advanced 360-degree bridge-simulator systems, currently in use for education purposes. “These use complex math-ematical models to provide the virtual world of a ship at sea and its response to control inputs.” Since human control of the ship is transferred from the ship’s bridge to a remote cockpit on shore, the responsibility of avoiding a collision still remains in the hands of the captain rather than automated machinery. The prospect of unmanned drone ships remotely navigating the world’s sea-lanes may sound like sci-ence fiction, but the shipping industry has been seriously discussing the pos-sibility for the past 10 years. The una-bated increase in fuel costs in recent years means that slower voyages are more economical but longer jour-neys are less attractive to crew mem-bers. The savings generated by less fuel-consuming voyages are invaria-bly spent in looking for a competent crew willing to spend longer tours on board. The industry estimates that 44 percent of freighter costs are associ-ated with human crews. Rolls Royce

from page 6

The Dawn of Drone...

JOB OPENING: WELDING TRAINING OFFICERwith the following responsibilities:

Conduct and implement various training programs / courses of weldingin areas of SMAW, TIG, MIG/MAG and Oxy-Acetelyne processes;

Set and maintain workshop facilities and other improvements;Assist in the Assessment of welding test results;

Carry out of town assignments for NTC-MCarries out substantial review of welding courses at least once a year

Interested applicants may drop by or call the Human Resources Department, at NTC-M building, TESDA Complex East Service Road Taguig City, Tel. No.: (632) 812-0742 or (63) 0917-5222472

He or she must be:A Unitor certified Welder DNV class 6-g

With extensive welding experience of at least 5 yearsAll around working knowledge of Welding Technology

and Willing to travel

SHIP AND CARGO HANDLING COURSES01A Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)01B Basic Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)02 Advanced Training for Oil Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)03 Ship Maneuvering and Handling (5 Days)04 Advanced Training for Chemical Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)05 Ship Simulator and Bridge Teamwork – STCW (5 Days)06 Advanced Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (10 Days)06A LNG Familiarization for Deck & Engine Ratings ** (4 Days)06B LNG Cargo Handling Operations * (5 Days)06C LPG Cargo & Ballast Handling * (5 Days)08 Navigational Watchkeeping & Collision Avoidance * (5 Days)09 Bridge Team Management (5 Days)10 Ship-to-Ship Lightering * (5 Days)11 Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems – STCW 2010 (5 Days)12A Dynamic Positioning System – Basic (5 Days)12B Dynamic Positioning System – Advanced (5 Days)13 Fixed Hydraulic Ship Crane Operator Course – G20 (3 Days)13A Offshore Crane Training Course – G5 (5 Days)- Shiphandling with High Lift Rudder (5 Days) | Refresher * (2 Days)- BRM w/ Shiphandling (3 Days)- Crane Simulator Training * (5 Days)- ECDIS – Kongsberg Familiarization* (2 Days)

MANAGEMENT COURSES21 Shipboard Management * (10 Days)22 Maritime Administration (5 Days)23 Maritime Crew Resource Management for Deck & Engine Officers – (BRM/ERM) ** (4 Days)26 DNV- ISM Course * (3 Days)27A Maritime Risk Management & Incident Investigation (3 Days)

SAFETY COURSES61 Ship Security Officer Course (3 Days)61A Gangway Watch Security Course *** (1 Day)61B Ship Security Awareness Training and Seafarers With Designated Security Duties (1 Day)62 Company Security Officer Course * (3 Days)63 Gas Measuring Equipment Course (2 Days)64A Safety Representative and Working Environment Committee – Formerly PEC (5 Days)65A GMDSS / GOC – STCW (15 Days)65B GMDSS Refresher Course * (5 Days)14 Basic VHF Radio Communication (2 Days)

TECHNICAL / ENGINEERING COURSES41 Engineering System * (5 Days)49 Bilge Water & Waste Oil Operation Management (5 Days)50 AMOS –Windows (5 Days)- AMOS-W Refresher * (3 Days)51A Auxiliary Boiler Operational Maintenance * (3 Days)57 Corrosion Protection and Paint Maintenance ** (4 Days)- Paint Course Practicum * (1 Day)- Sandblasting Trade Test* (1 Day)- Hydroblasting * (1 Day)58A Star – IPS (3 Days)58B BASSnet HR – Payroll * (2 Days)58C BASSnet SAFIR * (2 Days)58D BASSnet Document Manager * (2 Days)58E BASSnet Maintenance & Procurement * (3 Days)59 TM Master v2 – ONBOARD (3 Days)

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMShip’s Catering Services NC I (Messman Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward Assessment)Deck / Engine / Electrical Officers Evaluation ProgramSwedish Maritime Legislation Examination

ELECTROTECHNICAL COURSES42 Control Engineering – Module 1 (10 Days)43 Control Engineering – Module 2 (5 Days)44 Introduction to Marine Electro-technology (10 Days)45 Marine Electro-technology (5 Days)46 Electrical Equipment & Schematics (10 Days)46A Marine Refrigerant Transition & Recovery ** (3 Days) Marine Refrigeration & Air Conditioning - 5 Days*70 Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)71 Electro-Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)72 Programmable Logic Control for Marine Application * (5 Days)73 Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)74 Electro-Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)- Marine Electrical Maintenance * (10 Days)- Ex / Exi for Marine Application * (2 Days)

ALFA LAVAL47A Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 1 (4 Days)47B Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 2 (5 Days)48A Alfa Laval Auxiliary Machinery Course (Customized )*48C Fuel Management *

FRAMO CARGO PUMPS52 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Officers (5 Days)53 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Ratings (5 Days)

CULINARY COURSES81A Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook) MLC 2006 (10 Days)82A Ship’s Catering Services NC I1 (Messman) MLC 2006 (10 Days)- Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward) MLC 2006 *- Scandinavian Cooking Course * (5 Days)

WELDING COURSES83A Advanced Welding Course – Various Onboard Welding Processes (10 Days)83B Electrode Welding and Cutting (5 Days)83C Welding and Brazing of Stainless Steel (5 Days)83D Gas Welding / Cutting and Brazing (5 Days)83E Tig Welding and Brazing of Seawater Pipe (5 Days)83F Mig and Mag Welding (5 Days)83G Basic Welding and Fabrication (10 Days)83H Upgrading for Shipfitters (10 Days)83I Trade Test 1 – Basic Test of Welding Skills (2 Hours)83J Trade Test 2 – Advanced Test of Welding Skills (1 Day)83K Training / Testing for DNV Welder Certification83L Arc Welding and Gouging – Sea Fastening (5 Days)83M Basic Welding and Metalworking (20 Days)83N Advanced Welding and Pipe Fabrication (10 – 15 Days)83O Fitter / Fabricator Test (1.5 Days | Max 12 Hours)83P Plasma Cutting Process (1 Day)83Q Pipe Welding Practicum83R Welding Inspection Course for Ship Officers (3 days)

OTHER COURSESMarine Engineering Auxiliary Machineries * (5 Days)Energy Management Awareness Course * (3 Days)Environmental Awareness Training * (3 days)Diesel Engine Course * (5 Days)Engineering Knowledge for Deck Officers * (4 Days)Maritime Leadership Training* (4 Day)Shipboard Time Management * (2 Days)Bosun’s Course *

NOTE:* Course conducted only upon request** Course starts every TUESDAY of scheduled week.*** Course conducted on THURSDAY and FRIDAY of scheduled week

2014 COURSE PROGRAMS

Visit our blog: http://ntcm360.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/norwegiantrainingcenter-manila www.ntcm.com.ph @ntcm360

JOB OPENING: WELDING TRAINING OFFICERwith the following responsibilities:

Conduct and implement various training programs / courses of weldingin areas of SMAW, TIG, MIG/MAG and Oxy-Acetelyne processes;

Set and maintain workshop facilities and other improvements;Assist in the Assessment of welding test results;

Carry out of town assignments for NTC-MCarries out substantial review of welding courses at least once a year

Interested applicants may drop by or call the Human Resources Department, at NTC-M building, TESDA Complex East Service Road Taguig City, Tel. No.: (632) 812-0742 or (63) 0917-5222472

He or she must be:A Unitor certified Welder DNV class 6-g

With extensive welding experience of at least 5 yearsAll around working knowledge of Welding Technology

and Willing to travel

SHIP AND CARGO HANDLING COURSES01A Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)01B Basic Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)02 Advanced Training for Oil Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)03 Ship Maneuvering and Handling (5 Days)04 Advanced Training for Chemical Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)05 Ship Simulator and Bridge Teamwork – STCW (5 Days)06 Advanced Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (10 Days)06A LNG Familiarization for Deck & Engine Ratings ** (4 Days)06B LNG Cargo Handling Operations * (5 Days)06C LPG Cargo & Ballast Handling * (5 Days)08 Navigational Watchkeeping & Collision Avoidance * (5 Days)09 Bridge Team Management (5 Days)10 Ship-to-Ship Lightering * (5 Days)11 Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems – STCW 2010 (5 Days)12A Dynamic Positioning System – Basic (5 Days)12B Dynamic Positioning System – Advanced (5 Days)13 Fixed Hydraulic Ship Crane Operator Course – G20 (3 Days)13A Offshore Crane Training Course – G5 (5 Days)- Shiphandling with High Lift Rudder (5 Days) | Refresher * (2 Days)- BRM w/ Shiphandling (3 Days)- Crane Simulator Training * (5 Days)- ECDIS – Kongsberg Familiarization* (2 Days)

MANAGEMENT COURSES21 Shipboard Management * (10 Days)22 Maritime Administration (5 Days)23 Maritime Crew Resource Management for Deck & Engine Officers – (BRM/ERM) ** (4 Days)26 DNV- ISM Course * (3 Days)27A Maritime Risk Management & Incident Investigation (3 Days)

SAFETY COURSES61 Ship Security Officer Course (3 Days)61A Gangway Watch Security Course *** (1 Day)61B Ship Security Awareness Training and Seafarers With Designated Security Duties (1 Day)62 Company Security Officer Course * (3 Days)63 Gas Measuring Equipment Course (2 Days)64A Safety Representative and Working Environment Committee – Formerly PEC (5 Days)65A GMDSS / GOC – STCW (15 Days)65B GMDSS Refresher Course * (5 Days)14 Basic VHF Radio Communication (2 Days)

TECHNICAL / ENGINEERING COURSES41 Engineering System * (5 Days)49 Bilge Water & Waste Oil Operation Management (5 Days)50 AMOS –Windows (5 Days)- AMOS-W Refresher * (3 Days)51A Auxiliary Boiler Operational Maintenance * (3 Days)57 Corrosion Protection and Paint Maintenance ** (4 Days)- Paint Course Practicum * (1 Day)- Sandblasting Trade Test* (1 Day)- Hydroblasting * (1 Day)58A Star – IPS (3 Days)58B BASSnet HR – Payroll * (2 Days)58C BASSnet SAFIR * (2 Days)58D BASSnet Document Manager * (2 Days)58E BASSnet Maintenance & Procurement * (3 Days)59 TM Master v2 – ONBOARD (3 Days)

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMShip’s Catering Services NC I (Messman Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward Assessment)Deck / Engine / Electrical Officers Evaluation ProgramSwedish Maritime Legislation Examination

ELECTROTECHNICAL COURSES42 Control Engineering – Module 1 (10 Days)43 Control Engineering – Module 2 (5 Days)44 Introduction to Marine Electro-technology (10 Days)45 Marine Electro-technology (5 Days)46 Electrical Equipment & Schematics (10 Days)46A Marine Refrigerant Transition & Recovery ** (3 Days) Marine Refrigeration & Air Conditioning - 5 Days*70 Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)71 Electro-Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)72 Programmable Logic Control for Marine Application * (5 Days)73 Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)74 Electro-Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)- Marine Electrical Maintenance * (10 Days)- Ex / Exi for Marine Application * (2 Days)

ALFA LAVAL47A Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 1 (4 Days)47B Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 2 (5 Days)48A Alfa Laval Auxiliary Machinery Course (Customized )*48C Fuel Management *

FRAMO CARGO PUMPS52 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Officers (5 Days)53 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Ratings (5 Days)

CULINARY COURSES81A Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook) MLC 2006 (10 Days)82A Ship’s Catering Services NC I1 (Messman) MLC 2006 (10 Days)- Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward) MLC 2006 *- Scandinavian Cooking Course * (5 Days)

WELDING COURSES83A Advanced Welding Course – Various Onboard Welding Processes (10 Days)83B Electrode Welding and Cutting (5 Days)83C Welding and Brazing of Stainless Steel (5 Days)83D Gas Welding / Cutting and Brazing (5 Days)83E Tig Welding and Brazing of Seawater Pipe (5 Days)83F Mig and Mag Welding (5 Days)83G Basic Welding and Fabrication (10 Days)83H Upgrading for Shipfitters (10 Days)83I Trade Test 1 – Basic Test of Welding Skills (2 Hours)83J Trade Test 2 – Advanced Test of Welding Skills (1 Day)83K Training / Testing for DNV Welder Certification83L Arc Welding and Gouging – Sea Fastening (5 Days)83M Basic Welding and Metalworking (20 Days)83N Advanced Welding and Pipe Fabrication (10 – 15 Days)83O Fitter / Fabricator Test (1.5 Days | Max 12 Hours)83P Plasma Cutting Process (1 Day)83Q Pipe Welding Practicum83R Welding Inspection Course for Ship Officers (3 days)

OTHER COURSESMarine Engineering Auxiliary Machineries * (5 Days)Energy Management Awareness Course * (3 Days)Environmental Awareness Training * (3 days)Diesel Engine Course * (5 Days)Engineering Knowledge for Deck Officers * (4 Days)Maritime Leadership Training* (4 Day)Shipboard Time Management * (2 Days)Bosun’s Course *

NOTE:* Course conducted only upon request** Course starts every TUESDAY of scheduled week.*** Course conducted on THURSDAY and FRIDAY of scheduled week

2014 COURSE PROGRAMS

Visit our blog: http://ntcm360.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/norwegiantrainingcenter-manila www.ntcm.com.ph @ntcm360

JOB OPENING: WELDING TRAINING OFFICERwith the following responsibilities:

Conduct and implement various training programs / courses of weldingin areas of SMAW, TIG, MIG/MAG and Oxy-Acetelyne processes;

Set and maintain workshop facilities and other improvements;Assist in the Assessment of welding test results;

Carry out of town assignments for NTC-MCarries out substantial review of welding courses at least once a year

Interested applicants may drop by or call the Human Resources Department, at NTC-M building, TESDA Complex East Service Road Taguig City, Tel. No.: (632) 812-0742 or (63) 0917-5222472

He or she must be:A Unitor certified Welder DNV class 6-g

With extensive welding experience of at least 5 yearsAll around working knowledge of Welding Technology

and Willing to travel

SHIP AND CARGO HANDLING COURSES01A Basic Training for Oil and Chemical Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)01B Basic Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (5 Days)02 Advanced Training for Oil Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)03 Ship Maneuvering and Handling (5 Days)04 Advanced Training for Chemical Tanker – STCW 2010 (10 Days)05 Ship Simulator and Bridge Teamwork – STCW (5 Days)06 Advanced Training for Liquefied Gas Tanker - STCW 2010 (10 Days)06A LNG Familiarization for Deck & Engine Ratings ** (4 Days)06B LNG Cargo Handling Operations * (5 Days)06C LPG Cargo & Ballast Handling * (5 Days)08 Navigational Watchkeeping & Collision Avoidance * (5 Days)09 Bridge Team Management (5 Days)10 Ship-to-Ship Lightering * (5 Days)11 Electronic Chart Display & Information Systems – STCW 2010 (5 Days)12A Dynamic Positioning System – Basic (5 Days)12B Dynamic Positioning System – Advanced (5 Days)13 Fixed Hydraulic Ship Crane Operator Course – G20 (3 Days)13A Offshore Crane Training Course – G5 (5 Days)- Shiphandling with High Lift Rudder (5 Days) | Refresher * (2 Days)- BRM w/ Shiphandling (3 Days)- Crane Simulator Training * (5 Days)- ECDIS – Kongsberg Familiarization* (2 Days)

MANAGEMENT COURSES21 Shipboard Management * (10 Days)22 Maritime Administration (5 Days)23 Maritime Crew Resource Management for Deck & Engine Officers – (BRM/ERM) ** (4 Days)26 DNV- ISM Course * (3 Days)27A Maritime Risk Management & Incident Investigation (3 Days)

SAFETY COURSES61 Ship Security Officer Course (3 Days)61A Gangway Watch Security Course *** (1 Day)61B Ship Security Awareness Training and Seafarers With Designated Security Duties (1 Day)62 Company Security Officer Course * (3 Days)63 Gas Measuring Equipment Course (2 Days)64A Safety Representative and Working Environment Committee – Formerly PEC (5 Days)65A GMDSS / GOC – STCW (15 Days)65B GMDSS Refresher Course * (5 Days)14 Basic VHF Radio Communication (2 Days)

TECHNICAL / ENGINEERING COURSES41 Engineering System * (5 Days)49 Bilge Water & Waste Oil Operation Management (5 Days)50 AMOS –Windows (5 Days)- AMOS-W Refresher * (3 Days)51A Auxiliary Boiler Operational Maintenance * (3 Days)57 Corrosion Protection and Paint Maintenance ** (4 Days)- Paint Course Practicum * (1 Day)- Sandblasting Trade Test* (1 Day)- Hydroblasting * (1 Day)58A Star – IPS (3 Days)58B BASSnet HR – Payroll * (2 Days)58C BASSnet SAFIR * (2 Days)58D BASSnet Document Manager * (2 Days)58E BASSnet Maintenance & Procurement * (3 Days)59 TM Master v2 – ONBOARD (3 Days)

ASSESSMENT PROGRAMShip’s Catering Services NC I (Messman Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook Assessment)Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward Assessment)Deck / Engine / Electrical Officers Evaluation ProgramSwedish Maritime Legislation Examination

ELECTROTECHNICAL COURSES42 Control Engineering – Module 1 (10 Days)43 Control Engineering – Module 2 (5 Days)44 Introduction to Marine Electro-technology (10 Days)45 Marine Electro-technology (5 Days)46 Electrical Equipment & Schematics (10 Days)46A Marine Refrigerant Transition & Recovery ** (3 Days) Marine Refrigeration & Air Conditioning - 5 Days*70 Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)71 Electro-Pneumatics for Marine Application * (5 Days)72 Programmable Logic Control for Marine Application * (5 Days)73 Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)74 Electro-Hydraulics for Marine Application * (5 Days)- Marine Electrical Maintenance * (10 Days)- Ex / Exi for Marine Application * (2 Days)

ALFA LAVAL47A Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 1 (4 Days)47B Alfa Laval Marine & Power Auxiliary Machinery Systems – Module 2 (5 Days)48A Alfa Laval Auxiliary Machinery Course (Customized )*48C Fuel Management *

FRAMO CARGO PUMPS52 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Officers (5 Days)53 FRAMO Operation & Maintenance – for Ratings (5 Days)

CULINARY COURSES81A Ship’s Catering Services NC II (Ship’s Cook) MLC 2006 (10 Days)82A Ship’s Catering Services NC I1 (Messman) MLC 2006 (10 Days)- Ship’s Catering Services NC III (Chief Steward) MLC 2006 *- Scandinavian Cooking Course * (5 Days)

WELDING COURSES83A Advanced Welding Course – Various Onboard Welding Processes (10 Days)83B Electrode Welding and Cutting (5 Days)83C Welding and Brazing of Stainless Steel (5 Days)83D Gas Welding / Cutting and Brazing (5 Days)83E Tig Welding and Brazing of Seawater Pipe (5 Days)83F Mig and Mag Welding (5 Days)83G Basic Welding and Fabrication (10 Days)83H Upgrading for Shipfitters (10 Days)83I Trade Test 1 – Basic Test of Welding Skills (2 Hours)83J Trade Test 2 – Advanced Test of Welding Skills (1 Day)83K Training / Testing for DNV Welder Certification83L Arc Welding and Gouging – Sea Fastening (5 Days)83M Basic Welding and Metalworking (20 Days)83N Advanced Welding and Pipe Fabrication (10 – 15 Days)83O Fitter / Fabricator Test (1.5 Days | Max 12 Hours)83P Plasma Cutting Process (1 Day)83Q Pipe Welding Practicum83R Welding Inspection Course for Ship Officers (3 days)

OTHER COURSESMarine Engineering Auxiliary Machineries * (5 Days)Energy Management Awareness Course * (3 Days)Environmental Awareness Training * (3 days)Diesel Engine Course * (5 Days)Engineering Knowledge for Deck Officers * (4 Days)Maritime Leadership Training* (4 Day)Shipboard Time Management * (2 Days)Bosun’s Course *

NOTE:* Course conducted only upon request** Course starts every TUESDAY of scheduled week.*** Course conducted on THURSDAY and FRIDAY of scheduled week

2014 COURSE PROGRAMS

Visit our blog: http://ntcm360.blogspot.com www.facebook.com/norwegiantrainingcenter-manila www.ntcm.com.ph @ntcm360

COMPLIANCE OFFICER - will be responsible for the design and continuous development of course programs offered by NTC-M both for regular participants and NSA cadets, ensuring their compliance with the requirements of STCW ’78 as amended and other applicable rules and standards.

The Candidate: • Acollegegraduate,preferablyabachelorinmaritimefieldofeducation; •Havesufficientknowledgeandunderstandingofmaritimeeducationalsystem; •Musthaveanexperienceincoursecurriculumdevelopment,educational measurementandevaluation; •HolderofvalidPRCidentification; • Completed6.09and3.12IMOModelCourses; • Preferablywithteachingexperienceinmaritimerelatedfield; •Genuineinterestincoursedevelopment.

JOB OPENING

further explained that the improved navigation, and removal of the habita-tion space and life support that comes with unmanned systems, will increase efficiency in each ship by up to 20 per-cent aside from a corresponding 20 percent reduction in emissions. It was only recently that the European Union has become convinced of the inevitability of uni-versally unmanned cargo freighters.

The EU subsequently invested $4.8 million to establish a project denom-inated as MUNIN (Maritime Un-manned Navigation through Intelli-gence in Networks). MUNIN aims to develop and verify a concept for an autonomous ship, which is defined as a vessel primarily guided by auto-mated on-board decision systems but controlled by a remote operator in a shore side control station. The main

objective of MUNIN is to see how far we can automate all functions of the ship,” says MUNIN Project Coordina-tor Ornulf Jan Rodseth. Thus while “drone technolo-gy” holds out the promise of comfort and ease in all its alluring poses, the prospect of its eventual relegation of man into a virtual non-entity stands as its most daunting, if not insur-mountable obstacle.

36 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

After fruitful years of connec-tion, Centennial Transmarine

Inc. and the Mideast Ship Man-agement Ltd. are taking another step forward in aiming for devel-opment in the maritime industry. CTI and Mideast have once again unified as the MOA Renewal Ceremony was held last August 12 at the Hyatt Hotel, Manila. With the theme “Gearing Towards Stronger Relationship,” the contract signing was led by Mideast president Robert Houston and Fleet personnel manager Mark Buchanan together with President Eduardo Jabla and Atty. Jun Espinosa of CTI. The seven-year partnership of CTI and MIDEAST started in 2007. Since then, they have continued strengthening their ties in their al-most a decade of being together in the industry. “The relationship doesn’t change at all. With seven years, the CTI absolutely did a great job,” Mid-east President Houston said.

Joining the said event were some of the staff of CTI-Mideast Management. The contract signing was followed by classic cocktails and a press conference

Growing fast

“At Mideast, we’re do-ing very well. The company is growing. It’s going to get

bigger and bigger. We have 43 ships; by mid-year about 70 ships and over a hundred as Mideast grows,” affirms President Houston. Mideast Ship Management Ltd is one of the largest ship manage-ment companies of the world and served as in-house ship manager of The National Shipping Company of Saudi Arabia (Bahri) which owns a fleet of 23 chemical carriers ,17 VLCC, six RoRo and five bulk carriers through its subsidiary the National Chemical Carriers (NCC) established in partnership with SABIC (Saudi Arabia Basic Industry Corporation). Mideast also merged opera-tions with Vela International Marine taking 20 ships and its management. It has now become a fully integrated ship-owning company that caters services with full of expertise in the international tanker industry.

All-Filipino crew onboard

In the maritime industry, the

CTI

numbers of Filipino seafarers on-board are evidently increasing. They have remained to be of high calib-er in the seafaring market. Thus, Mideast employs Filipino crew and always looks forward to engaging young cadets in their fleet. “I’m very comfortable with Filipinos,” President Houston stated “We’ve been working for seven years, and when we came here, the thing was to get more and more senior of-ficers from the Philippines. We’ve got a lot more junior Filipino officers that soon will be senior officers. All our junior officers are Filipinos.”. President Houston also said that Filipino seafarers are always dedicated to their job and hard-working. “We keep on coming back and we increase Filipino seafarers onboard,” he noted.

Maximizing the standards

As part of Mideast’s success, CTI made a great role in produc-ing promising cadets and staff that showcase their expertise in the field. According to CTI COO Capt. Jeffrey P. Solon, the grateful loyal-ty of Filipino cadets is one of their main assets in the industry. Further-more, Filipinos can speak English fluently enabling them to interact with different nationalities As part of the cadet program, the company grants financial support, scholarship program and education- -(Jona Antonino)

We invest on young and dynamic Filipino Cadets

al loans. They are also keen on giving competent trainings and programs that will support the cadets into the ladder to become senior officers. Their main goal is to pro-vide the cadets with proper training which are fitted according to their needs that will motivate them to become more effective and efficient professional seafarers. “We give them more trainings to be future senior officers. We want-ed to bridge the gap of their college years to become cadet officers,” CTI president Eduardo Jabla added. Moreover, Mideast is spon-soring cadets at Davao Merchant Marine Academy (DMMA) and oth-er maritime schools in Mindanao where a majority of their cadets come from.

The broader perspective

With seven years of collab-oration, CTI and Mideast prove that they can stand out alongside in producing promising cadets in the industry. “There are lots of manning companies nowadays and the com-petition is very tough. But then, we assure you that the quality of of-ficers we produce can definitely vie in the professional world. We always set good standards and one of our main goals is to make them happy,” CTI president Jabla ended.

With Signatures Affixed, a start of Stronger Relationships

Stronger Team

37TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

alternative route to steer clear of the typhoon’s path. But petitioners insist that Go was aware of this risky proposi-tion: “Go never acted surprised or alarmed upon being informed that the M/V Princess of the Stars was taking the regular route. It was not news to him that the Stars was not supposed to be in the regular route. This fact alone blatantly shows fore-knowledge of accused Go that cap-tain Florencio Marimon never in-tended to take the Stars through the alternate route but was merely a ruse to obtain a departure clearance from the Philippine Coast Guard.” There are also some industry insiders who claim an even more sin-ister involvement on the part of Go: allegedly, when the captain proposed to Sulpicio officers that he would be steering along the safer alternative course, he was categorically forbid-den from doing so because the new

route would consume an additional P500,000 worth of fuel. An eyewit-ness purported to have heard Go himself sarcastically give permission for the captain to take the long way around, as long as he (Marimon) was willing to pay for the extra cost out of his own pocket. While the account is assumedly not admissible in court, it only strengthens the families’ resolve to see justice done. Aside from the victims’ fam-ilies, the Office of the Solicitor Gen-eral (OSG) has also filed its own MR. The OSG insists that “there is prob-able cause for respondent Go to be indicted for the crime of reckless im-prudence resulting in multiple hom-icide, physical injuries and damage to properties.” The OSG motion were signed by petitioners Purita Hibe, Nissan Laurel, Estella Geli, Arlene Olang, Jospehine Paadua, Vicenta Chua, Illuminada Timajo, Lilybeth Cunanan, Elorde Illustrisimo, Bob Illut, Ernesto Clarin, Evelyn Bajet, Larina Matriz, Celerna Calayag and Sonia Manzanilla. Both MRs —the victims’ families and the OSG’s — sought for the elevation of the case

to the SC en banc for the decision of the high tribunal’s 15 justices, on the grounds that it pertains to a matter of paramount national interest. The OSG argues that the Court of Appeals (CA) erred in its April 2013 ruling which declared no probable cause for indictment. This 2013 ruling invalidated the 2009 DOJ resolution which found probable cause to charge Go with criminal liability. According to their petition, Go failed to implead an indispensable party as a par-ty-respondent in his petition for certiorari thus rendering the CA’s ruling null and void for want of au-thority to act. The M/V Princess of the Stars sailed from the Port of Manila, bound to Cebu City on June 20, 2008 with 849 people onboard; more than 700 were passengers, 111 were crew members and 29 were contractors. At about noon the following day, it encountered rough seas off the coast of Romblon due to the Typhoon Frank, eventually capsizing at 6pm. Only 32 survived; more than 300 were confirmed dead and more than

five hundred remain missing until now, their bodies presumed to be buried inside the wreck. The sinking is only one of the more than 50 mar-itime mishaps involving Sulpicio’s fleet, the most notable of which is M/V Dona Paz 1987 tragedy which holds the world record for the worse maritime disaster in peacetime. No member of the Go family has ever been found criminally liable for any of these, despite causing more than 5000 deaths throughout the years. In 2009, Sulpicio Lines Inc. changed its name to Philippine Span Asia Carrier Corporation through a di-rector’s certificate submitted to the Securities and Exchange Commis-sion (SEC) bearing the signatures of Enrique S. Go, Eusebio S. Go, Victoriano S. Go, Dominador S. Go, Ricardo S. Go and Edward S. Go. Under its new moniker, the company was again involved in an-other disaster on August 16, 2013 when its cargo ship M/V Sulpicio Ex-press Siete collided with 2Go-owned passenger ferry M/V St. Thomas Aquinas. There were more than 150 casualties in the said incident.

from page 19The ever-ending path to justice...

38 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

HEALTH TIPSELPIDIO C. NOLASCO, MD, FPCS, PACSGeneral & Cancer Surgeon, Laparoscopic SurgeonPresident & Medical Director, Nolasco International Medical & Diagnostic Clinic

Since many people are alone when they suffer a heart attack, with-

out help,the person whose heart is beating improperly and who begins to feel faint, has only about 10 sec-onds left before losing conscious-ness. However,these victims can help themselves by coughing repeat-edly and very vigorously. A deep breath should be taken before each cough, and the cough must be deep and prolonged, as when producing sputum from deep inside the chest. A breath and a cough must be repeated about every two seconds without let-up until help arrives, or until the heart is felt to be beating normally again. Deep breaths get oxygen into

the lungs and coughing movements squeeze the heart and keep the blood circulating. The squeezing pressure on the heart also helps it regain nor-mal rhythm. In this way, heart attack victims can get to a hospital. Tell as many other people as possible about this. It could save their lives!! A cardiologist says If every-one who sees this post shares it to 10 people, you can bet that we’ll save at least one life. Rather than sharing jokes only please contribute by for-warding this info which can save a person’s life. Warning: Do not depend facebook posts on emergency situ-ations, consult with your doctor be-fore practicing in real life

How to Survive a Heart Attack When you Are Alone

kaya narating niya kung ano ang meron siya ngayon. Kaya naisipan kong humingi ng advice sa inyo. Abangan ang sagot ko kay Ginoong HA sa susunod na isyu ng Tinig ng Marino. Kung gusto mong mag-in-vest sa isang negosyo, bisitahin ang www.kskcoop.com o tumawag sa 6373731/41 at magtanong sa mga oportunidad na pinaka-angkop sa iyo. MAY BAGONG NANGYA-YARI SA PISOBILITIES! Sundan ito sa Light Network tuwing Martes, 8:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at sa GMA News TV tuwing Sabado, 6 a.m. - 6:30 a.m. Bisitahin ang www.colay-cofoundation.com para sa schedule ng aming mga seminar. Mag-text din sa 09178188857 o tumawag sa 637-3731/41. Sali na sa Pisobilities: Wealth Within Your Reach seminar sa ika-12 ng Setyembre, at simulan mo na ang iyong paglalakbay tungo sa yaman! Mabibili mo rin ang aming mga libro mula sa amin o sa mga bookstore.

from page 18

PISOBILITIES

39TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

to open for traffic in 2015. The present locks, which will be 100 years old, will then be able to give engineers greater access for mainte-nance and are projected to contin-ue operating indefinitely (Popular Mechanics Issue, Feb. 2010) However, despite this fu-ture development proposal, Pan-ama Canal is facing a gargantu-an challenge because on June 15, 2013, Nicaragua awarded the Hong Kong-based HKND Group, a 50-year concession to develop a canal through the country (De Cordova, Jose June 2013) - THE NICARA-GUA CANAL.

NICARAGUA REVIVES ITS CANAL DREAM

From the main article of Nicaragua Canal, July 2014: “The Nicaraguan parliament has ap-proved a plan to let a Hong Kong based company design and build a competing canal. According to the deal, the company will also be responsible for taking care of the canal during the next 50 years. The government of Nicaragua hopes this will boost the economy, but the opposition is afraid of failure”. Is this the basis of the question Is it a dream? Is it a reality? The same article continues to report that “On July 7, 2014, Wang Jing, Chairman of the HK Nicaragua Canal Development In-vestment Co. Ltd (HKND Group), informed during a discussion group with students from the National Engineering University in Mana-gua, that a route for Nicaragua’s proposed canal has been approved. The construction work is expected to start in December 2014 and will be completed in five years.”

NICARAGUA CANAL : DREAM VS. REALITY

From the insight of IHS Maritime Editorial dated July 17, 2014, “The latest in a long line of plans to build a canal across Nic-aragua took another step forward last week with the announcement of a chosen route.” Theoretically, “The construction of Nicaragua’s

Gran Canal Inter-Oceanico, just a short sail north of Panama Ca-nal would be a huge plus for both shipping and dredging.” But real-istically, Nicaragua’s dream is not likely to become a reality.

THE VERDICT ON “DAVID VS GOLIATH” COMPETITION

Since the Panama Canal is only 77 Km long, just imagine the ambitious plan and cost to con-struct a 278 km long across Lake Nicaragua. The official cost es-timate for what has been dubbed

“The biggest construction project history of mankind” is $ 40 B, al-though some outside estimates are more than double that sum accord-ing to IHS . Of course with these two adjacent canals, it would surely invite and open up Asia-Americas routes for VLCCs, VLGCs, ULCSs, Valemaxes, and QMax LNG carri-ers, adds the HIS Editorial. With this business oppor-tunity in mind, what will stop The Panama Canal Authority to recom-mend for another lock or the fourth Lock Plan, expanding vessel-size al-lowances beyond those of the third

set now being constructed. The heat is on. Business is war. For sure, the two largest adja-cent canals would grab and court the same customers and squeeze profit margins. From our basic eco-nomics, consumers stand to gain most from greater competition. Fair and open competition means lower prices and greater choice. And the winner to this David vs. Goliath Construction are of course the big shipping lines, the ever-larger vessels and those dredging companies, contractors, and business opportunist.

from page 13

Panama and Nicaragua Canal...

40 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

An alarming practice of using sea-going vessels as a means

to transport large amounts of illegal drugs continues to be a flourishing business. However, drug control op-erations are becoming more adept at catching perpetrators. Government authorities all over the world are re-porting record hauls of ships appre-hended in the act of large-volume drug smuggling. The most recent incident just happened this August in Burma when the Navy intercept-

ed a ship carrying about $2.4 worth of ecstasy tablets. Burmese police said that the ship was intercepted near the town of Kawthoung, which lies close to the border shared by Thailand and Bur-ma. Police Brigadier General Kyaw Win, one of the officers of the drug control committee for the home af-fair ministry, stated that this haul is believed to be the largest ever discov-ered for this kind of drug in Burma. Burma is known to be one

of the largest producers of heroin and methamphetamine in the re-gion. Drug production has surged in recent years especially in hidden jungle laboratories situated in war-torn borderlands. Meanwhile, in the first week of August this year, charges were pressed against three Span-ish naval officers found responsible for stashing 127 kilograms of co-caine onboard a Spanish Armada training ship, the Juan Sebastian Elcano. A joint operation between the Spanish Armada and the U.S. Homeland Security discovered that Columbian traffickers have estab-lished a modus operandi for using sailors as drug mules. Columbian traffickers would allegedly capture or approach sailors from foreign ships docked in Columbian ports to transport drugs in exchange for money; the amount paid was calcu-lated based on the number of kilo-grams safely transported.

The discovery is doubly embarrassing to Spain as the Juan Sebastian Elcano serves as the country’s floating embassy. The Spanish navy itself calls it “our most emblematic and symbolic vessel”. The tall ship, which is currently the 3rd-largest in the world, has hosted numerous dignitaries and high-ranking officials. There have been other no-table narcotic crackdowns in other parts of the world as well. A year ago, drug smugglers set fire to the freight-er Gold Star in an ill-guided attempt to destroy the 30 tons of hashish that it carried onboard, as the Italian coastguard gave chase. As the Tan-zania-registered vessel burned, nine persons onboard jumped overboard but they eventually had to be rescued by the very same authorities that they were trying to evade.

continued on page 55

Seizure of Ships Used for Mass Transport of Cocaine, Ecstasy Becoming More Common

Now on the fourth year of its session, the indomitable call

for action to all concerned and in-volved in the maritime industry, particularly in the seafaring sec-tor, is again shouting out loud for the active participation of lead-ers, stakeholders and the seafarers themselves to sit down, talk and most of all, work positively for the betterment of the sector they be-long to. This year as the call gets louder and farther, reaching the islands of the entire nation, the Philippine government public servants, the various agency offi-cials, and maritime aces will occu-py the front seats to heed the call, understand and create possible resolutions to conflicting issues

should the need arise. Being a staunch participant of the National Maritime Week Cel-ebration 2014 slated on September 22-28, the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) in collaboration with Lun-eta Sefarers’ Center (LUSWELF), and in cooperation with the DZIQ 990AM Radio Inquirer and UNTV Serbisyo Publiko, the “4th Philip-pine Seafarers’ Congress” on the 22nd of September 2014 will again take the stage at the Luneta Seafar-ers’ Center. Honorable Senator Grace Poe, Mayor Joseph Estrada and Vice Mayor Isko Moreno of the host city, Manila, Congresswoman. Emmeline Aglipay, OWWA Administrator Re-beca Cazaldo, Mr. Don Bagatsing, chairman, Luneta Seafarers Welfare

Foundation LUSWELF, the host venue, Engr. Nelson Ramirez, pres-ident, United Filipino Seafarers and several maritime proponents will converge for to hear the voice of the seafarers that continue to reverber-ate over the years. In line with this, MAGNA

CARTA FOR SEAFARERS, the draft that seeks to ensure the protection of the rights and welfare of the Fili-pino seafarers by instituting mecha-nisms that implement standards and

continued on page 46

asianjournal.com

A Congress Of, For and By the Seafarers is Ready for the Meet

by Joana Chrystal Ventura

by Mia Lapis

42 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

The families of the victims of the April SEWOL ferry accident

vowed in the beginning of August that they will fight back if forced to budge from their protest in Gwangh-wamun Square during Pope Francis’ August 14-18 visit to South Korea. Negotiations between the families and the Korean authorities were suc-cessful, however, and compromises were reached so no untoward events marred the historic 5-day occasion. The area occupied by the group is traditionally used as a cer-emonial plaza. It sits right in the center of the grounds where the scheduled beatification of the 124 Korean martyrs was to take place. The protestors, composed of the bereaved families and their sup-porters, had been camped out in the ceremonial plaza in tents for three weeks prior their declaration. The

group is demanding the early parlia-mentary passage of a special bill that would allow the conduct of an inde-pendent, transparent probe into the accident which caused the deaths of 304 people, most of whom were high school students on a school field trip. The proposed bill was sup-posed to have passed the week be-fore, but it was stalled in the Nation-al Assembly after opposing political parties failed to reach an agreement on some of its provisions. The protestors sent a letter to Pope Francis, explaining their refusal to vacate the square, asking his understanding, and urging him to help their cause with the govern-ment. Aside from the letter, some asked the Pope to help them under-stand why their children had to die in the way that they did. Park Jung Hye-sook, a mother who lost her

18-year old son, said that the Kore-an government has “no political will to seek the truth”. The Catholic Church, for its part, has made it clear that it had no plans for forcible eviction. In the end, the protestors agreed to take out all but two of their tents. In exchange, the government-civil-ian Committee for the Papal Visit

to Korea accepted their request to allow some 600 of their member to attend the beatification ceremony. Pope Francis himself made well-received gestures to reach out to the bereaved families. During the procession before the open-air mass

continued on page 57

Families of SEWOL Tragedy Consoled by Pope during Papal Visit

by Joana Chrystal Ventura

43TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Channel 9 - DestinyChannel 58 - SkyChannel 92 - CignalChannel 37 - UHF

Don't fail to watch the UNDISPUTED Maritime Television Show two time “Anak TV Seal Awardee" TINIG NG MARINO at UNTV every Saturday at 6:15 to 7 P.M.. Channel 37 on UHF, Channel 9 on Destiny Cable , Channel 58 Sky Cable, Channel 92 on Cignal, Channel 58 on Digibox and millions all over the world are watching via livestreaming on

www.untvweb.com.

NEW TIME SLOT OF TINIG NG MARINO on TV is

every Saturday 6:15 to 7:00 P.M.

TINIG NG MARINO on UNTV will be having a new format of our show. We will include in our episode the greetings of seafarers who are currently on board. We are inviting you to post a video clip to my facebook account and pages or send through my email address [email protected] or [email protected]. Do it this way.

(1) Batiin ninyo ang ating programa sa television TINIG NG MARINO at batiin din ninyo ang aking co-host na si Ms. Annie Rentoy at si Kuya Daniel Razon being the chairman of the UNTV Station na nagbigay sa atin ng programa.

(2) Banggitin ninyo ang pangalan ng inyong barko at saan kayo sa mga oras na yan.

(3) Banggitin ninyo ang mga crew ng inyong barko.(4) Batiin din ninyo ang inyong mga pamilya dito sa Pilipinas.

IMPORTANT: Ingatan po na huwag gumamit ng masasamang linguahe. Ang dalawang mapipiling greetings ay isasama agad namin ito sa aming next episode. Ang ibang mga video ay sa mga susunod na episode.

ATTENTION TO ALL FILIPINO SEAFARERS AROUND THE WORLD!

NPR explains to co-host Annie Rentoy the advantages and disadvantages of African and foreign maritime students in the country and why they prefer to study in our maritime institution.

Mr. Anfred Yulo of LUSWELF discusses the upcoming activities of the 4th Seafarers Congress and Motorcade of UFS and LUSWELF for the National Seafarers Day at the LUSWELF, T.M. Kalaw, Ermita, Manila.

NPR and Guest Engr. Rainero Morgia discussing to co-host Annie Rentoy on the emerging capacity of the Philippines as a top shipbuilder industry in Asia and making its way to be in the top list in the world.

Capt. Jess Morales proudly shares the current development and programs of the Integrated Seafarers of the Philippines to help Filipino seafarers when they retire.

44 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

A warrant for the arrest of former Tinig Ng Marino managing edi-

tor Rey Gambe was issued by the Ma-nila Regional Trial Court Branch 17. The order for Gambe’s arrest was issued by Presiding Judge Felici-tas O. Laron-Cacanindin on August 11, 2014. Gambe is facing 11 criminal cases of qualified theft for alleged em-bezzlement of Tinig ng Marino funds. The five warrants of arrest issued against TNM’s former Manag-ing Editor, who went AWOL some-time around February 23,2012, was issued after the court determined that there was probable cause that a crime has been committed and that a respondent, in this case, Gambe, is probably guilty thereof, and should stand for trial. The arrest warrants are en-forceable by police officers anywhere in the Philippines. On the strength of said warrants, law enforcers may ar-rest Gambe on any day, at any time of the day or night. The warrant must be executed within 10 days from re-ceipt of the authorities, and must be returned to the court if they fail to execute the warrant. However, the warrant does not lose its effectivity af-ter the 10-day period. The court said, “...you should retain in your office for further implementation, unless it was recalled by this Court.”

WHAT WENT BEFORE

On May 3, 2012, United Fil-ipino Seafarer president Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez, in behalf of the UFS, filed a complaint against Gambe for qual-ified theft. UFS is the publisher of TNM. Ramirez was authorized by the UFS Board of Directors to file the said criminal case against Gambe. The complaint was filed about two months from their discov-ery that Gambe had surreptitiously opened a separate bank account for Tinig ng Marino, issued several un-authorized Statements of Account to TNM advertisers, and siphoned the advertisers’ payments to said bank ac-count under his control. Subsequently, an informa-

Arrest Warrant Out for Rey Gambe

tion was filed against Gambe before the Regional Trial Court of Manila.

QUALIFIED THEFT Theft is the taking of per-sonal property of another without the latter’s consent, and with intent to gain. It is defined and punished under Articles 308 and 309 of the Re-vised Penal Code. Theft becomes qualified when it is committed by (1) a domestic serv-ant, or (2) with grave abuse of confi-dence, or (3) if the property stolen is motor vehicle, mail matter or large cat-tle or consists of coconuts taken from the premises of a plantation, fish taken from a fishpond or fishery or if prop-erty is taken on the occasion of fire, earthquake, typhoon, volcanic erup-tion, or any other calamity, vehicular accident or civil disturbance. (Article 310, Revised Penal Code, as amended by Batas Pambansa 71) Gambe was charged with qualified theft because he occupied a crucial position in the management of TNM and its publisher reposed trust in him. The UFS alleged that he took advantage of his position and violated the confidence of TNM’s publisher, in the commission of the crime.

BAIL

Gambe is allowed to post bail (either in cash, property bond or by surety bond acceptable to the court) to secure his temporary liberty. In Criminal Case No. 14-307514, the amount of bail is set at P50,000; in Criminal Case Nos. 14-307515 and 14-307517 for two counts of qualified theft, bail is set at P44,000 for each count; in Criminal Case Nos. 14-307516, 14-307518, and 14-307520 for three counts of qualified theft, the amount of bail is P40,000 for each count; in Criminal Case Nos. 14-307519, 14-307521, 14-307523, and 14-307524; and lastly P46,000 is the required amount of bail for Criminal Case No. 14-307522. As of press time, Gambe has not yet been placed in custody nor surrendered to authorities.

by Ruth Cervantes

WANTED!for QUALIFIED THEFT

ROBERT REY GAMBEformer TNM Managing Editor

For any information on the whereabouts of this person, a reward of Php20,000.00 will be giv-en by Tinig ng Marino. Please contact, UFS Of-fice 525-5806 / 524-48888 or Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez at 0922-8689457 / 0917-7944264 and/or 0939-9148779.

Sa nagnanais magkaroon nito, ito’y mabibili ito sa Norwegian Training Center-Manila (NTCM) o kaya’y tumawag sa numerong (0918) 909-0083 o magpadala ng pribadong mensahe sa: [email protected] / [email protected]

Lubos na gumagalang,Jaime B. Morales, CME,MSBM

Php 20,000 REWARD!

45TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

The labor department, risking usurpation of vested powers

given to Maritime Industry Au-thority (MARINA) under a new law as sole maritime authority, has begun inspection of domestic sea carriers for compliance with the in-ternationally recognized Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) of 2006. Labor Secretary Rosalinda Baldoz said at least 60,000 Filipino seafarers could soon look forward to safer sea travel after her agency has completed its assessment. Baldoz did not say how this would impact on sea passen-gers who end up dead when ship operations go haywire. Baldoz said they will begin the assessment of the first two local ships to ensure they pass MLC standards. She said at least 17 Philippine domestic ships have applied for the is-

suance of certificate of compliance. “This is the first time we will be inspecting domestic ships… Now, we are beginning to enforce its (MLC) provisions to provide our seafarers decent work,” Baldoz said. “Hopefully this will mini-mize sea accidents,” she added.Baldoz said the inspection will cov-er the 8,981 Philippine registered ships in domestic shipping except warships, naval auxiliaries, govern-ment ships, and fishing vessels.

DOLE and its partner or-ganizations have earlier prioritized the two-phase evaluation of Philip-pine-registered ships (PRS), which travel in international waters. “We are almost over with the overseas (ships). We are now focusing on domestic ships,” Bal-doz said. As of August 15, Baldoz said 140 PRS have presented the necessary MLC requirements and have been issued with the Decla-

ration of Maritime Labor Com-pliance (DMLC) by DOLE for the first part of the evaluation. She said another 96 PRS have completed the assessment and received their Maritime Labor Cer-tificate (MLC). “With these developments, we are on track in the implementa-tion of the MLC 2006, the vital in-strument which affords protection to approximately 368,158 overseas Filipino seafarers,” Baldoz said.Baldoz issued the update yesterday, a year after the ratification of the MLC 2006. The MLC of 2006 requires the 61 International Labor Or-ganization (ILO) member states, which include the Philippines, to comply with the stipulated “com-prehensive welfare and protec-tion” for seafarers worldwide.

DOLE beats MARINA in assesing MLC compliance of 9,000 domestic ships?

by Kidon Alcober

46 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

provide compulsory benefits set by the MLC, 2006 will be discussed in length by Cong. Aglipay. The Mod-ern Technology in Seafaring Indus-try will be presented by Mr. Spyro Ravanapolus, COO of Michaelmar Philippines Inc. Current issues on maritime piracy will be discussed by Mr. Rancho Villavicencio, Direc-tor Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme –Asia. Phil-ippine Merchant Marine Academy Rear Adm. Richard U. Ritual will talk about “Compliance and Re-quirements of Maritime Schools,” such topic the latest trending in the maritime linkage. Consequently, an open fo-rum is ready and open to all par-ticipants to freely express their opinions, raise questions, seek ex-planation, resolve conflicts and raise awareness on the issues and chal-lenges facing the industry that cat-apulted the country in the world’s record of competent merchant mar-iners; and the the sea-based Filipi-

from page 40

A Congress Of, For...no workers, as the highest grosser in terms of financial contributions to the economy, benchmarking a $2.746 billion during the first se-mester of the year and is expected to hit the remittances from Filipino seafarers to $5.5 billion this year. Resolutions on matters that are dissected in this annual seafarers’ congress will be summed up at the culmination of the meeting. This year’s theme is, “In-novating our way to Progress”. The organizers’ seek to promote the in-terest of the industry, particularly the industry’s most important asset of all – the Filipino seafarers. They aim to empower the Filipino seafarers with relevant and accurate information. With the organizers’ unwavering com-mitment to give Filipino seafarers and the general maritime public relevant, accurate and quality in-formation that they deserve, the event is expected to be a real in-dustry humdinger. They also seek to promote the interest of the in-dustry, particularly the industry’s most important asset of all – the Filipino seafarers. As with the pre-

vious years’ tally , some 2,000 sea-farers attended the event, and the volume is increasing. The UFS start up the 4th Seafarers’ Congress with a jovial motorcade from 6:00 a.m. until 8:00 a.m., participated in by several ship-manning agencies and maritime organizations, sponsors and media partners. Participants will assemble at the LUSWELF, T.M. Kalaw St., at 5 o’clock in the morning. Other much-awaited ac-tivities to be held at the LUSWELF ground during the week-long mar-itime celebration are the following: Boodle Fight, a military ceremoni-al “eat-to-gether with bare hands” that signi-fies broth-erhood on S E P T E M -BER 24, 2014 that will start at 11:45 AM; C o n s u l t a -tion on Leg-islation with

Congressman Walden Bello, OFW Partylist on September 25 at 10:00 a.m, and the Karaoke Challenge Fi-nals on September 26 at 10:00 a,m, with Entertainment and Raffle of Prizes in between the program pro-vided by the sponsors. Presidential Proclamation 1094 series of 1997 declared that every last Sunday of September of every year as National Seafarers’ Day (NSD), which amended Presi-dential Proclamation No. 828 series of 1996. It was created to recognize the major role of the Filipino seafar-ers in the local and global maritime industry.

Tuna industry players have scored the failure of govern-

ment agencies to issue the imple-menting rules and regulations (IRR) for Republic Act (RA) 9379, the law governing the han-dline fishing sector enacted sev-en years ago. In a press conference over the weekend for the 16th National Tuna Congress, indus-try stakeholders expressed their frustration over the inaction of the Department of Agriculture (DA) and the Department of Transportation and Communi-cations (DoTC) in finalizing the law’s implementing guidelines.“It’s frustrating that after sev-en years, we’re still waiting for the IRR to come out,” Rosanna

Bernadette B. Contreras, execu-tive director of the Soccsksargen Federation of Fishing and Allied Industries, Inc. (SFFAII), told re-porters in Filipino. Former president Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo signed RA 9379 on March 8, 2007. Marfinio Y. Tan, former SFFAII president, hit the Mar-itime Industry Authority (Ma-rina), an attached agency of the DoTC, for the delay in the issu-ance of the IRR. “We’ve been waiting for that IRR… The problem is actu-ally with Marina, they’re not giv-ing focus on it,” Tan said in the same press conference. Given the situation, SF-FAII is lobbying for a seat in the

board of Marina to hasten action on policies involving the industry. Tan said the private sec-tor group can also help explain things to the government agency if problems involving the hand-line fishing sector arise if they are on Marina’s board. R a u l G o n z a l e s , spokesman of the Alliance of Tuna Handliners (ATH) said that in the absence of the IRR, fishing vessels have been prone to appre-hension by mar-itime authorities.

“If we have the IRR, we can avoid these apprehensions,” he said. Handline fishing is a tra-ditional method that employs hook-and-line to catch large, mature tuna, including the sashi-mi-grade kind.

Tuna industry smells something ‘fishy’ in delay of IRR

by Kidon Alcober

48 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

From the Boy Scout motto “al-ways be prepared”, the best way

to face an emergency at sea is to be prepared for it. Therefore it is good to know this life-saving information even to those who are planning to make a sea travel in the future (do-mestic or international). In times of sea emergency, the smallest of things may become the greatest saver. They are what we call maritime life-saving appliances (LSA) or equipment and its accesso-ries. These life savers, although they only make-up 10 percent of the entire ship’s cost and structure, they become 100 percent of the entire ship’s de-pendability in a most likely event of disaster, mishap, fire, collision and all other types of emergencies. In reality, we wish that these life-saving equipment may never be used during the entire serviceability of the ship. These life-saving equipment are mostly lifeboats, life rafts, life jack-ets, immersion suits, lifebuoys, sur-vival kits and other accessories. To choose the right equipment at the outset, all aspects have to be consid-

ered – from design, quality and main-tenance. For when it comes to life-sav-ing equipment, the advice you get is just as important as the products. Generally, and with refer-ence to the LSA Code, they must be constructed with proper workman-ship and materials, not damaged in stowage throughout a various range of temperature (-30C to 65C), and where applicable not rot-proof, corrosion-re-sistant, and not be unduly affected by seawater, oil or fungal attacks, can withstand temperature range from -1C to 30C when immersed in seawater, resistant to sunlight, be highly visible color (orange or red orange) on all parts for easy detection, and be clear-ly marked with approved information. They have to be class-approved.

LIFEBOATS According to Wikipedia, a life-boat “is a kind of boat that is used to escape a larger sinking structure such as a cruise ship, commercial vessel or aircraft that has landed in water.” All lifeboats shall be of such forms and proportions (totally en-closed lifeboats are now being used

and mandatory) that they should be stable in a seaway and sufficient free-board when loaded with their full complement of persons and equip-ment. All lifeboats shall have rigid hulls and shall be capable of main-taining positive stability when in an upright position in calm water and loaded with their full complement of persons and equipment and holed in any location below the waterline, as-suming no loss of buoyancy material no other damage. Each lifeboat shall be fitted with a class approved certificate and containing at least the manufactur-er’s name and address, model and number, month and year of manu-facture, number of approved-persons capacity (most common are 10, 16 or

25 person- capacity ), boat markings, and of course the necessary lifeboat equipment, survival kit, first aid and emergency signs.

LIFE RAFTS A life raft is a piece of life-saving safety equipment which is

LIFESavers AT SEAby Engr. Rainero B. Morgia, MScEnv

continued on page 53

Way back in 1984 after my stint in Europe, I was sur-

prised that all seafarers in the country were required to take the Basic Safety of Life At Sea (SOLAS) course. As a good soldier, I have to follow what is required by the law. The funny thing during that time, when you would inquire the front desk clerks of the training centers, the first question asked was, how do you like it, sir, with or without attendance. In most cases, the sea-farers would choose the latter. Nowadays, I believe the non-attendance is still being prac-ticed. I know that there are some training centers that are having classes at 10 in the evening. That is according to their records. No matter how you will explain this to me, I won’t bite a story like this hook line and sinker. I won’t be-lieve that there are seafarers who will be taking maritime courses

from seven in the morning up to 10 in the evening. As a saying goes, if you give peanuts, you’ll get monkeys.

Unfair Trade Practicesby Jeremiah Philip Patrimonio

continued on page 58

How can a training center offer a Basic Safety Training for less than Php4,000 when the expenses for every trainee is around Php 4,000?

Do you want me to believe that the owner of this training center is a philanthropist? It’s either you will have a volume of 200 students tak-ing the same course together and the instructor will just demon-strate the usage of foam and Co2 in extinguishing a fire. No hands on training for every student. There are also stories that there are maritime training centers who are giving lectures in one room with two courses. The appropriate man-machine ratio is never implemented in the number of Compressed Air Breathing Ap-paratus (CABA) vis a vis the num-ber of trainees at any given time. The same thing with the num-ber of firefighting outfits vis a vis the number of trainees, number of simulator or stations vis a vis number of trainees.

49TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

The Philippines is considered a major supplier of maritime

labor globally. Per POEA data, 367,166 Filipino seafarers were de-ployed abroad in 2013, comprising almost 30 percent of the global maritime labor force. Given the important role of Filipino seafarers, the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan (SVBB) law offices remains to be one of the leading movers advocating sea-farers’ rights through initiatives showcasing its commitment to the principle of social justice. SVBB cel-ebrated its 38th year on August 1, 2014 at the Makati Sports Club. The SVBB cooperates with various stakeholders in ensuring better protection and more ben-efits for seafarers, often working with government and non-gov-ernment agencies. Ably support-ed by an excellent staff, it responds to seafarer matters requiring legal expertise and assists seafarers in the prosecution of their cases. The SVBB has played an instrumental role in assisting fam-ilies of those who perished in the tragic sinking of several vessels in transit namely the “MV Sea Pine” in October 1978 in Japan, the “MV An-tiparos” in January 1981 in South America, the “MV Elma Tres” in November 1981 in Germany, and the “MT Maasguar” in March 1989 also in Japan. The SVBB likewise assisted in facilitating the claims of seafarers who died or were injured

during the sinking of the oil rig “DB 29” in the South China Sea in Au-gust 1991. Taking its vision of cham-pioning seafarers’ rights to heart, the firm,entered a formal collab-oration in 2005 with the Apostle-ship of the Sea (AOS)-Philippines, an office of the Episcopal Commis-sion of Pastoral Care of Migrants and Itinerant people (ECMI) of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines. The SVBB also partici-pates in the activities of various maritime organizations, unions and non-government organiza-tions such as the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS), Ph Maritime Law Association of the Philippines (MARLAW), and Luneta Seafarers Welfare Foundation (LUSWELF), Bantay OCW, Sailors Society, the local CBCP Migrants desks and the different seafarers’ families/wives organizations to promote the well-being of seafarers and the working class as a whole. SVBB likewise believes that the best way to afford legal protection to seafarers is for them to be informed of their legal rights. SVBB carries this out through lec-tures on seafarers’ welfare and legal rights in maritime schools, organizations, seafarers’ dormito-ries, and parishes all over the Phil-ippines and through legal publica-tions and radio programs. SVBB’s Atty. Augusto R. Bundang is a col-

SVBB celebrates 38th anniversary

umnist of Tinig ng Marino. During the past 19 years, SVBB has been actively participat-ing in the annual AOS-led National Seafarers Day (NSD) which is cel-ebrated during the last Sunday of September through various activi-

ties nationwide, including but not limited to the holding of a grand parade ecumenical mass, memo-rial at sea, oratorical contest, and the search for the top ten maritime students of the Philippines. SVBB is part of the NSD committee.

20th Anniversary

Search for Outstanding Tinig ng Marino Awards 2014

Outstanding Manning AgencyOutstanding Maritime SchoolOutstanding Training CenterOutstanding Master MarinerOutstanding Marine EngineerOutstanding Public ServiceOutstanding Maritime SafetyOutstanding in Marine Environmental Protection

Email your nominatios at [email protected] or [email protected] will be on December 2014

51TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

No holds Barred Maritime Radio Program.Tinig ng Marino on air every Sunday at Radyo Inquirer 990AM band from 10 a.m. to 11 am.

NPR with the Attorneys of Sapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law firm, the official UFS legal part-ner since 1994. From left to right: Atty. Romeo Duran, Atty. Romeo Fortea, Atty. Neptali Bulilan, Atty. Dennis Gorecho, NPR, Atty. Ignacio “ Champ” Sapalo and Atty. Augusto Bundang

Prominent figures of batch 67 during the birthday of their bunkmate Capt. Reynaldo Casareo, president of Cargo Safe-way Inc. From let to right: Capt. Deo Tuñacao, Capt. Sonny Cuevas, NPR, Capt. Vic Sanches, Capt. Rey Casareo, Capt. Rolly Solda, Rear Admiral Fidel Dinioso, Capt. Danny Balanay, Rear Admiral Doming Estera and Capt. Ernie Fidelino.

NPR and the UFS boys together with Satur Ocampo during the Abolish Pork Barrel and 6 Million signature campaign in Luneta during the National Heroes Day celebration.

NPR together with the executives of MLC during the first anniversary of Maritime Labour Convention of the country and its formal compliance held at AMOSUP Convention Center.

NPR as expert witness together with the families of the victims of MV Princess of the Stars of Suplicio Line (now Philippine Span Asia Corp.) during the hearing versus Sulpicio Line at Cebu City.

NPR with Capt. Edith Vera (PCGA) (third from the left) president of Negros Maritime College Foundation Inc. during the 20th Anniversary of NMCFI and her birthday.

Interview with GMA7 Reporter’s Note Book on Maritime Disasters in the Philippines which was aired September 19, 2014.

52 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Sinungaling yan si Ambassador Josef Rychtar. Hindi kami pamilya ng mangongotong!Lahat ng MRT ay maayos ang maintenance. Tignan ninyo yan. Hindi ba MAAYOS yan? Magsalita kayo!

Walaaaaaaaaaaaa nga!!!!Walang CCTV sa NAIA Terminal 3.

Kung mababaril ka sa NAIA Terminal 3, hindi malalaman kung sino ang bumaril sa iyo.....

Hindi ba sumubsob ang nguso ng eroplanong yan????Ang ibig sabihin niyan. Ayos naman. Hindi naman nasunog.

Ang Willys Jeep ay dinala ng mga amerikano sa bansa noong World War II. Nagulat ang mga beteranong kano nang makita nila kung ano ang ginawa natin sa kanilang jeep.

Sosyal ano? kaya nga. ONLI IN DA PILIPINS.

TransPOORtationsWakaranai!!!

I invented motorsaykor

in Japang onriDARAWANG

GURONG. Piriping make

TATRONG GURONG

and make business.

TAKSANG passengers.

Onli In DaPILIPINS

Soichiro Honda

What? What!?We do not allow overloading of passenger ships.The franchise and certificate of convenience will be CANCELLED IMMEDIATELY.Walang bolahan sa MARINA. CROSS MY HEART!

Former MRT GM Al Vitangcol III

NAIA GM Angel Honrado

MARINA Administrator Maximo Mejia Jr.

53TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Three civil society organiza-tions (CSOs) are launching

three regional and sectoral sum-mits against human trafficking in partnership with the Embassy of the Kingdom of the Netherlands and the Inter-Agency Council Against Traf-ficking (IACAT) for the last quarter of this year. These three CSOs are the Blas F. Ople Policy Center (BFOC), International Justice Mission (IJM) and the Visayan Forum Foundation, Inc. (VFFI), which represent the OFW, child, and women’s sectors in IACAT, respectively. “The Netherlands Embassy takes great pride in having this part-nership with the three NGOs at the forefront of the fight against human trafficking in the Philip-pines. Through this summit, we hope to bring together members of civil society, including those

organizations that are working at the grassroot levels, and learn how we can all work together to-wards the common goal of fight-ing human trafficking,” Charge d’ Affaires Joop Scheffers of the Neth-erlands Embassy said. The first summit which kicked off on Aug.29-29 at traders’ Hotel, Pasay City focused on how technology can help prevent and de-tect human trafficking, particularly among Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who often fall victims of trafficking in persons and illegal re-cruitment. An expert from Dutch gov-ernment, Arjan Verhagen who serves as Thematic Liason Officer of Dutch government shares his country’s ex-perience in dealing with the online child exploitation, and technology firms have been invited to showcase their products and services so that

anti-trafficking advocates can see how these may be used to advance their cause. IACAT member-agencies, such as the Philippine Overseas Em-ployment Administration, the Na-tional Bureau of Investigation and the Philippine National Police dis-cussed their respective online-based campaigns agaisnt illegal recruit-ment and human trafficking and

introduced its national hotline 1343 through the commission on Filipi-nos Overseas. Justice Undersecretary Jose Vicente Salazar, in-charge of IACA, said the CSO summits once again highlight the Philippine’s relentless anti-human trafficking campaign which is anchored on a multi-sec-

CSOs launch anti-trafficking summits with help from Dutch Embassy, IACAT

continued on page 55

54 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

NOTICE OF REWARD

A Reward of FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P50,000.00) will be given to anyone whose information will lead to the apprehension of any person who sells or distributes pirated LoadMan and/or BridgeMan Programs. A Reward of FIFTY THOUSAND PESOS (P50,000.00) will be given to anyone whose information will lead to the apprehension of any person who uses pirated LoadMan and/or BridgeMan Programs. The information received shall be treated with utmost confidentiality. Please Contact: Deckmaster Marine Mobile: 0917 591 6901 Landline: 788 9124 E-mail: [email protected]

NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC

DECKMASTER MARINE SOFTWARES, INC. is the registered copyright owner of LoadMan and BridgeMan computer software programs. Persons who purchase, sell or distribute unauthorized or pirated copies of said computer software programs can and will be criminally prosecuted in accordance with Article 217 of the Intellectual Property Code of the Philippines.

ALCUDIA LAW OFFICE Counsel for Deckmaster Marine

55TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

from page 40

Seizure of Ships Used for Mass... US Marine Corps Gen. John F. Kelly says that countries like Canada, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands and France have been providing aircrafts and vessels to aid in the efforts to seize drug-carrying vessels on the high seas. He adds that the governments of Colombia, Panama, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador have been “unbeliev-able partners’ as well, doing what they can to destroy illicit shipments before it can be sent out of their re-spective jurisdictions. Filipino seafarers are not typically involved in reported large-scale drug trafficking operations, until more than eight years later, the Martinique incident is still the most recent one that comes to mind. On March 22, 2006, French Navy and custom officials arrested and de-tained 11 Filipino seamen after dis-covering 1.8 tons of cocaine hidden in the water tank of the M/V Master Endeavor. Captain Lee Macoy, along with crewmembers Ramil Aguilar, Porferio Atienza, Christopher Bay-losis, Joseph Cosare, Basilio Cuyos, Johnny Galapon, Reynaldo Gale-do, Samuel Lubiano, Hermogenes Misa and Efren Nillos were all found guilty by the French court and sen-tenced to prison terms ranging from 5 to 14 years. Upon the instruction of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Philippine Embassy in Paris was able to effect the repatria-tion of five of these seafarers in 2010. Efforts for the reduction of sentences and the earlier release of the others continue up to the present.

toral approach involving partnership with other countries like The Neth-erlands, collaboration with other government agencies, and tie-ups with non-government organizations. Technology firms, such as Viber, Microsoft, Orange Apps, and social advocacy movement, Change.Org, among others, have been invit-ed to participate on the technology and anti-trafficking summit.

The two summit will be hosted by IJM and VFFI in October and November 2014 in Iloilo and Davao, respectively. IJM focuses on child trafficking while VFFI repre-sents the women’s sector in IACAT. In each summit, renowned experts in the field have been invited to shed light on the situation of hu-man trafficking in the Philippines to keep advocates abreast on emerging trends and challenges. Representative from the member-agencies of IACAT which is mandated to prevent and combat trafficking are also expected to attend

the summit in order to give the par-ticipants updated reports on the na-tional government’ program on TIP. The summits are expected to enhance and strengthen coop-eration among the CSOs dedicated in preventing and combating labor, women and child trafficking not only through referrals and exchang-es of information on best practices, but also, in discussing future projects and possible collaborations with IA-CAT and the Dutch Embassy. The Netherlands has forged a strong partnership with the Philip-pine government and Philippine civ-

il society in the field of anti-human trafficking advocacy. “Human trafficking inflicts severe and often long lasting harm on the most vulnerable people of our societies, frequently undetected and concealed to mainstream soci-ety. Thus, partnership and cooper-ation constitute an integral part of anti-trafficking policies and their implementation, both on a nation-al and international level, to make information more accessible and services to victims and potential victims readily-available”, scheffers added.

CSOs launch anti-trafficking summits...

from page 53

56 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Dare the difference! What is the big difference between Tinig ng Marino and

other maritime newspapers? It’s helluva lot of a difference. In terms of volume and

readership reach, Tinig ng Marino can stand and challenge all other maritime papers including the glossy ones as to which is widely circulated or attained an optimum pass-on readership.

As the biggest and the widest in circulation, it can take

any challenge by counting the number of copies that Tinig has printed for each issue. It also reaches the various corners of the world where Filipino seafarers set sail and confront the high seas.

Over the years, Tinig has been consistent on the issues it

has fought for, particularly on its advocacy to inform the public about the real things that is happening in the industry.

It has fearlessly published what other maritime papers

have failed to do. As it exposes anomalies, it also publishes the good things about this dynamic sector.

Most of Tinig articles are even exclusive because we are

there where the action is -- as one of the players in the industry. Being the official publication of the United Filipino Seafarers, Tinig ng Marino has been influential in the the many changes occurring in the country’s maritime industry. The evidence can be easily verified by browsing the UFS website.

It need not engage in cutthroat competition by bringing

advertisement rate down and employing sexy marketing managers. Tinig clients knew they get their money’s worth.

It would be unfair to compare Tinig ng Marino to other

maritime newspapers just as if one were comparing a choice between Rolls Royce and a Kia Pride.

1TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012 p32

Story on page 3

SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012 http:www.ufs.com.ph PHP 20.00 Vol. XVIII No.5

Philippines ratifies

The 2nd Philippine Seafarer Congress

Maritime Labour Convention

TURN TO PAGE 40

Danita PanerAlternative Princess

NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2012 http:www.ufs.com.ph PHP 20.00 Vol. XVIII No.6

TNM Exclusive: Unholy Alliance 4

Seafarers hail congress a success

Story on page 3

TIN PATRIMONIO

►PAGE 22

A real sweetheart

ENTERTAINMENT ►PAGE 42

S e a s o n ’ s G r e e t i n g s

57TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

that was estimated to have been at-tended by 800,000 (including some non-Catholics impressed by Francis’ humble leadership), the pope made a stop by a group of SEWOL trage-dy families staying in what had been left of their dismantled camp. Eye-witnesses said that he climbed down from his vehicle and greeted Kim Young-Oh, a grieving father who has been on hunger strike for more than a month like the other relatives. After pressing the pope’s hand to his fore-head several times, Kim handed the pope a letter which the latter accept-ed and kept in his pocket. Other relatives also had a chance to exchange a few words with the pontiff during the 10-min-ute face-to-face encounter. In the end, the pope gave each a hug and a kiss in farewell with a promise that

he will remember their stories. At the altar itself, Francis offered a special prayer after cele-brating the Assumption Mass: “May the Lord welcome the dead into his peace, console those who mourn, and continue to sustain those who so generously came to the aid of their brothers and sisters. May this tragic event, which has brought all Koreans together in grief, confirm their com-mitment to work together in solidar-ity for the common good.” The MV Sewol ferry cap-sized enroute from Incheon to Jeju on April 15, 2014. Of the 476 people onboard, more than 300 died while around 172 were rescued by fishing boats and commercial vessels which arrived first on the scene. Many of the victims were high school stu-dents from Danwon High School. The direct causes for the capsizing are assumed to be overloading and failure to properly secure cargo. Dur-

ing the fatal journey, the MV Sewol was found to have been carrying more than three times her limit, and only one-fourth of her recommend-ed ballast weight. The ferry was on a frequently travelled route in familiar waters, which were calm at that time. While the area was relatively close to shore, it was free of rocks and reefs. The most unacceptable part about the tragedy was that the loss of so many could have been prevented had the crew attempted to evacuate the mostly under-aged passengers rather than jump ship to save them-selves. Some media reports say that the vessel took a sharp turn which caused its cargo to shift, and the ves-sel to start listing. A surviving crewman re-ported that after spending 30 min-utes to right the ship when it started listing, Sewol’s captain, Lee Joon-seok agreed that it was time to aban-don ship but did not see to it that the

order was communicated to pas-sengers. Instead, he abandoned his command about two minutes after determining that the ship could no longer be righted and there was res-cue footage showing his early flight. Meanwhile, ship communi-cation officer Kang Hae-seong told passengers to remain where they were to prevent panic. Orders repeat-edly blared over the public address system exhorted everyone to stay in their cabins and below decks even as the vessel slowly sank. For almost an hour, the water gradually rose as the students dutifully obeyed. Lee and three other officers are facing criminal charges for hom-icide through willful negligence. They will face the death penalty if found guilty. Eleven other crew-members are charged with counts of negligence and abandoning ship, offenses which can land them many years in prison.

from page 42

Families of SEWOL...

58 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014by AlvinPatrimonio Prominent Seafarers

Engage in Sports

Capt. Reynaldo Casareo, president of Cargo Safeway Inc. (CSI), finished 42 K run of the 18th National Milo Marathon last July 27, 2014. Out of 2541 runners, who made it to the cut of time, Capt. Casareo ranked 2462 and belongs to the only two septuagenarian (70 years and up) finisher with the chip time of six hours and one minute. Likewise, 66 of his train-ees out of 90 who registered (Ma-rine under graduates) finished the 42K at five hours and below

MarineSeptuagenarian runner finishes

42K run

Capt. Rey Casareo

NPR, Erick Lauren, Vice Admiral Tolentino, Capt. Danny Tampus and caddies Gina Tolentino and Arlene Amparo at the greens of Eagle Ridge

Capt. Jess Morales after a full swing on the tee

NPR’s signature swing

On the greens of the golf courses after sailing on the wide blue oceans

The sunbaggers before the start of the game

from page 48

Unfair Trade practices

which is the CSI simple requirements. Capt. Casareo is scheduled to run in the prestigious Tokyo Interna-tional Marathon in February 2015.

Vice Admiral Tolentino on the full swing shot

Erick Lauren goes for the longest drive

The cut throat competi-tion has produced indecent re-sult where rebates have become a malady, a sine qua non in almost every training center rather than an exception of the rule. Declared instructors/assessors in the enrol-ment reports are actually on board a ship and currently sailing in the Pacific Ocean but his shadow or his spirit still appears in the train-ing center giving lectures. Tinig Ng Marino suggests that a CCTV must be installed in every training center that can be monitored by MARINA personnel 24/7 even if the training center is located in the province. If we ap-ply this system, I believe, there will be no more training centers giving lectures in the wee hours of the night. This rotten system must be stopped now. Stop unfair trade practice.

59TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

APO, MARINA Submit Counter Affidavit on SIRB Case filed by NPR

In the interest of fair play, we are pleased to inform the reading pub-

lic of the recent developments on the cases filed by UFS against MARINA and APO in connection with the de-layed delivery of the Seafarer’s Iden-tification and Record Books (SIRB). On July 17, 2014, Mr. Jaime Hemedes Aldaba, executive vice pres-ident and general manager of APO Production Unit, submitted his an-swer to the complaint filed by TNM’s Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez on May 8, 2014. In his counter-affidavit, Mr. Aldaba claims that the allegations against him are “false, totally unsub-stantiated, and are patently speculative and conjectural.” APO Production Unit was the duly-qualified printer engaged by MARINA and is therefore solely responsible for the printing and de-livery of the SIRB and stickers for fis-cal year 2014. In his affidavit, Aldaba proudly proclaims that his company is a “recognized government printer” that is duly authorized to undertake the printing of accountable forms, sensitive, high quality or high volume printing requirements for the gov-ernment.“ He also claims that APO and MARINA “have an established business relationship for the past six years, emphasizing the fact that APO has supplied MARINA with a total of 130,000 SIRBs in 2008 and 2009 alone”. If we are to believe his claim of efficiency, then who should be held liable for the delayed delivery of the SIRB? Who should take the blame for the paper print-out issued by MARINA in lieu of the actual SIRB? This SIRB fiasco has made our Fil-ipino seafarers the laughing stock of the maritime industry aside from ex-posing our countrymen to the perils of forced unemployment. Aldaba narrated that it was on January 23, 2014 that APO re-ceived the Request for Quotation (RFQ) dated January 20, 2014 from MARINA. “The 2014 RFQ states that the MARINA needed 200,000 SIRBs and stickers, and asked APO to quote [our] lowest price therefore. The 2014 RFQ was accompanied by a docu-

ment entitled Procurement of Seafar-er’s Identification and Record Book (SIRB) and Stickers of the Maritime and Industry Authority for FY 2014 Technical Specification and Terms of Reference (TOR) dated January 13, 2014. The 2014 TOR identified the ap-proved budget for the contract (which was P60,000,000.00) and prescribed the specifications for the SIRBs and stickers as well as the schedule for the deliveries thereof.” Aldaba said that APO sub-mitted its Offer to Print in response to the 2014 RFQ on February 3, 2014. “APO stated that it could deliv-er the 200,000 SIRBs and stickers to the MARINA at the price of P295.00 per booklet, or for the aggregate sum of P59,000,000.00. Thus, not only was APO’s quotation within the MARINA’s approved budget of P60,000,000.00, it even incorporated or factored in sav-ings for the MARINA in the sum of P1,000,000.00. In a glaring display of selec-tive recollection, Aldaba purposely omitted the evaluation made by the BAC-TWG (Bids and Awards Com-mittee, Technical Working Group) on the bids submitted by APO and NPO (National Printing Office). The eval-uation indicated that APO did not submit the delivery schedule, where the BAC-TWG gave them a “0” rat-ing. The evaluation was con-tained in a BAC-TWG Memorandum dated February 4, 2014 which forms part of the joint counter-affidavit submitted by Dr. Maximo Q. Mejia, et al. on July 11, 2014. APO’s failure to submit the proposed delivery sched-

ule in its bid should have raised a red flag. This fact alone proves that APO is unsure of its competence to pro-vide a certain date for the delivery of the SIRB. Despite this deficiency, MA-RINA decided to award the contract to APO on the basis of APO being the lowest bidder which will generate a measly savings of P1,000,000.00 for MARINA. All told, the lowest bidder who “factored in savings for the MA-RINA in the sum of P1,000,000.00” did more harm than good. If APO was confident, given its track record on the printing of SIRBs for MARI-NA in 2008 and 2009, why then did they not submit a delivery schedule in their Offer to Print? Article 1339 of the Civil Code of the Philippines states that “Failure to disclose facts, when there is a duty to reveal them, as when the parties are bound by confidential rela-tions, constitutes fraud.” According to the Mem-orandum of Agreement between APO and MARINA, the stipulated delivery schedule of the first 40,000 (which was 20 percent) of the SIRBs and stickers was supposed to start on February 26, 2014. Aldaba howev-er claims that “I signed the MOA on behalf of APO on February 27, 2014. APO received the MARINA’s Notice to Proceed dated February 7, 2014, which directed APO to proceed immediately with the printing and delivery of the SIRBs and stickers also on February 27, 2014. Considering the impossibil-ity of following the February 26, 2014 delivery date for the first 40,000 SIRBs and stickers, APO instead undertook

to deliver 100,000 SIRBs and stickers to the MARINA on April 15, 2014”. The contract is the law be-tween the parties. Considering that the MOA between the MARINA and APO was signed only on Feb. 27, 2014, it follows then that APO knew beforehand that they will definitely renege on the initial batch of 40,000 SIRBs that was expected to be deliv-ered on February 26, 2014. Why did APO not raise the issue of the de-livery of the first 40,000 copies of the SIRB? Why did APO sign the MOA despite “the impossibility of following the February 26, 2014 delivery date for the first 40,000 SIRBs and stickers?” Under the circumstances, the most prudent thing that APO should have done was to ask for the reformation of the contract, which was the MOA between the MARINA and APO. “Reformation is a remedy in equity by means of which a written in-strument is made or construed so as to express or conform to the real intention of the parties when some error or mis-take has been committed.” (53 Corpus Juris 906) According to the Civil Code of the Philippines, “When, there hav-ing been a meeting of the minds of the parties to a contract, their true inten-tion is not expressed in the instrument purporting to embody the agreement, by reason of mistake, fraud, inequita-ble conduct or accident, one of the par-ties may ask for the reformation of the instrument to the end that such true intention may be expressed. x x x (Art. 1359, Par. 1)“ Aldaba argued strongly that no criminal liability arises from the delays APO incurred in delivering the SIRBs. He candidly admitted that “I do not deny that APO was unable to deliver the required number of SIRBs to the MARINA for two delivery peri-ods [a total of 100,000 SIRBs, 40,000 of which should have been delivered on or before February 26, 2014, and 60,000 of which should have been delivered on or before April 15, 2014]. However, as I explained at paragraphs 19-21 above,

by Atty. Elviro “Jun” C. Perez II

continued on page 60

60 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

Online

From left to right: O/S Jayson Garcia, C/Ck Sammil Completo, OLR Ian Domin-go, 3/O Jeromy Guilaran, AB Ricky Pinalber, AB Victorino Manua, AB Vibiano

Palapas, OLR Jessie Ajoc, 3AE Cesar Caliwan

M.T. PRINCESS CRYSTAL

not only has APO been able to “make-up” those deliveries, APO is now on track to deliver all remaining SIRBs to the MARINA by September 10, 2014 – or more than an entire month ahead of the October 15, 2014 deadline set in the 2014 MOA.” Even if APO will be able to comply by delivering ”all remaining SIRBs to the MARINA by Septem-ber 10, 2014 – or more than an entire month ahead of the October 15, 2014 deadline set in the 2014 MOA”, the fact remains that they were in breach of their obligation by failing to meet the first two delivery periods. Res ipsa loquitur. To be continued…

Part 2 shall discuss the joint counter affidavit of MARINA.

Share ko lang experience ko sa SIMS sa pagkuha ng BT CERTIFICATE

noong September 8, 2014. Sabado palang, Sept 6 2014 tapos na ako mag practicum sa cavite,.. then monday daw ang release ng mga certificate.. so punta ako with my col-leagues monday early morning.. We’ve been there 7am palang.. yung iba ko kasama 5am palang andun na,.. binigyan kami ng queuing number around 7am.. 9am na wala pang nirerelease na BT certificate! Nung nagtanong kami, hindi pa daw napipirmahan ng president ng SIMS (Southerm Institure of Marime Studies), balik nalang daw kami after lunch 1:30pm..(Kung hindi pa kami magtatanong, hindi pa nila sasabihin). Bumalik kami ng 1:30pm gaya ng sabi nila,..naghintay kami, hanggang 2pm.. nung lumapit kami sa releas-ing,wala pa daw pirma.. kung hindi pa namin tinaasan ng boses hindi pa sila aakyat sa head nila... sa wakas nag re-lease sila! pero pa isa isa! ang masama pa neto, una pa nabigyan ang mga 12nn na dumating!!! tinanong ko,.. bakit ganon? diba may number? di nila masagot.. walang masabi at hindi namamansin.. yung kasama ko na 5am palang andun na sa SIMS nabigyan ng BT CERTIFI-

CATE 3:30 ng hapon.. pagdating ng mga BT CERT namin ng 4pm, kulang kulang na! walang ER at TCROA! yung mga unang nabigyan, kumpleto ang release sakanila! nagalit ako at tumaas ang boses ko, hindi nila masabi ang dahilan kung bakit walang TCROA, ang sabi lang nila nagkaproblema daw.. BADTRIP LEV-EL 99%! kulang kulang na nga, hindi pa marunong maghandle ng mga complain ng mga trainees! umakyat ako at sumu-god sa 2nd floor sa office nila at sinabi ko bakit naman ganon?! agad akong nilapitan ng isang babae at pinapasok ako sa office nila sa loob at binigyan ako ng TCROA..( kung hindi ka marunong dumiskarte, gagawin ka nilang tanga at pababalik-balikin).. Bumalik ako sa baba,.. sabi ko, “AKALA KO BA MAY PROBLEMA TCROA?” no comment mga nasa releas-ing....(kawawa yung mga pinabalik ka-nina, hindi pa rin nabigyan ng TCROA, hindi maka apply ng COP)Then kanina pumunta ako ng MARINA para mag apply ng Seaman’s Book..ngunit hindi kami nakakuha dahil suspended daw ang SIMS sa marina sakanila... may issue daw ang license nila.. bumalik kami ng SIMS para magreklamo, balik nalang daw bukas at pagme-meetingan pa nila daw sa MARI-

NA ang nangyari.. madali lang daw AY-USIN yun.. (ang nakakabadtrip, di man lang kami ininform na ganun pala eh di sana sa iba nalang kami kumuha ng BT training, sana hindi sila tumatanggap ng mga nag eenroll may issue pala sila sa MARINA! at isa pa, PARA SAAN ANG CONTACT NUMBER NA INIIWAN NG MGA TRAINEE!!!??!! WALA MAN LANG ADVISE NA WAG MUNA PU-

Southern Institute of Maritime Studies

MUNTA SA MARINA DAHIL MAY INAAYOS PANG GUSOT! SAYANG ANG PERA, PAGOD AT EFFORT AT ARAW!!! ANG DAMI PANG DAPAT ASIKASUHIN AT MAY PAMILYA PA AKO! NASASAYANG ORAS KO PAB-ALIK BALIK SA SIMS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

Yours truly,SALVADOR CALIDAYAN

Hindi po sila mga patay. Sila po ay ang mga bagong bayani natin na pumipila sa MARINA tuwing umaga!

from page 59

APO, Marina submit...

61TINIG NG MARINOSEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

used to provide emergency transpor-tation to get people from a sinking or endangered vessel. Life rafts are at least collapsible, in contrast to life-boats, which are solid. Typically, life rafts are stored in their collapsible state and they need to be regularly inspected to confirm that they are in compliance and in good working condition. When passen-gers get on board a ship, they should always make sure to determine the lo-cation of life rafts and find out if they have been assigned to a specific life raft or lifeboat in the event of an emergen-cy. (Our domestic shipping lines and vessels should take note of this!). Some life rafts are inflatable. They are made from durable materi-als and may have attached inflation canisters which activate when the tab is pulled. This design is intended to ensure that the raft inflates quickly in an emergency and that the inflation is easy to perform even if no staff from the ship are available to assist.Other life rafts may have collapsible designs such as sides which can be folded down when the rafts are not in use, others are open reversible. They could either be thrown-over-board or davit-launched life raft. Last-ly, every life raft launching appliance shall comply with the requirements as survival craft or rescue boat, ex-cept with regard to embarkation in the stowed position, recovery of the loaded life raft and that manual oper-ation is permitted for turning out the appliance (LSA Code Reference).

LIFEJACKETS and LIFEVESTS, LIFEBUOYS LIFEJACKET is a “safety de-vice designed to keep someone’s nose and mouth above water should the person fall overboard.” Lifejackets are required safety equipment on board boats and passengers are expected to wear them or have ready access to them in the event of emergency. There are a number of life-jacket designs available for various applications and they are available through catalogs and marine equip-ment suppliers. Lifejackets strap se-curely to the body with adjustable straps to hold them snuggly in place, even when people fall from heights. Chambers filled with air, foam core, cork and other light substance force the person up, keeping the head above water (SOLAS). Lifejackets protect people who are unconscious, injured, or fatigued preventing them from slip-ping underwater and drowning while

they wait for rescue.Typically, life jackets are brightly color-ed to make them easier for rescuers to spot. Some have beacons designed to light up when activated, allowing for nightime rescue and the beacons can also be fitted with responders to send a signal to another location. Ad-ditional fittings such as small pouches to hold energy bars or water may be available for some designs. There are now motions or proposals to have lifejackets of shipping vessels be lo-cated under each bed for easy access during emergency like the ones under the aircraft or planes.

LIFEBUOYS Again from Wikipedia, life-buoy, also known as Kisby ring or Perry buoy, is a life-saving buoy de-signed to be thrown to a person in the water to provide buoyancy, and to prevent drowning. Some lifebuoys are fitted with one or more seawater acti-vated lights to aid rescue at night. The lifebuoy is a ring or horseshoe-shaped and has a connect-ing line allowing the casualty to be pulled to the rescuer. They are carried by ships and are also located beside bodies of water that has a depth or potential to drown someone. In summary, all ships must carry certain emergency and life-sav-ing equipment. This equipment must meet minimum standards and must be properly tested and serviced.There are different requirements de-pending on the size and type of ship and where it operates. Emergency and life-saving equipment include things like: life-boats and life rafts, lifebuoys, life-jackets and attachments, buoyancy apparatus, emergency alarm systems and public address systems, marine evacuation systems, radio communi-cations and fire-fighting equipment, IMO symbols and safety signs. Most importantly, we need these as lifelines in sea travel and pray that we will not use them after all.

About the author

Engr. Rene B. Morgia is presently an environmental, health and safety consultant and for-merly the General Manager of Viking Life-Saving Sys-tem Phils a global leader in maritime safety providing and servicing essential safety and rescue equipment for passenger and cargo vessels, offshore installations, the defense and firefighting sector and other maritime industries. He has a Master’s Degree in Environmen-tal, Health and Safety Management at Murdoch Uni-versity, Perth, Western Australia and has more than 20-yr solid experience in PPE’s , environmental and safety products as well as flow control valves in the shipping, oil and gas industry. He is a Professional Steam Engineer (marine and stationary boiler inspector) Licensed under the State of California and also a Registered Chemical Engineer.

from page 48

LIFEsavers at...

62 TINIG NG MARINO SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2014

ANG ALAGA NI BISAYA

HEADLINE BUKAS, NGAYON ANG BROADKAS

ang astig na TATOO ni totoy

PRINSESA O 1 BILYON?

BERI ESI

Good News! Walang Bad news.Tahanang walang hagdan, Inakyat!

Isang bakla, ginahasa, tuwang-tuwa!

Tindera ng suka, tinuyo!Bulag nakapatay, nagdilim daw

ang paningin!Teacher nagkamali, tinuruan.

Basurero nagsampa ng kaso, binasura!Tubero, nagkatulo!

Barkong lumubog, hindi nakatiis,lumutang!

Buntis sinaksak, sanggol nakaiwas!

Hari:Kung sino ang makakalangoy sa ilog na puro buwaya ay papapili-in ko siya. Prinsesa o 1 Bilyon!

(Kabado ang lahat , walang sumubok kahit isa ng biglang tumalon ang isang lalaki at ligtas na nakalangoy)Hari: Magaling! Anu gusto mo? Prinsesa o 1 Bilyon?Lalake: Wala akong pakialam sa anak

mo o sa 1 Bilyon!!! Ang gusto kong malaman ay kung sino ang tarantadong tumulak sa akin!

Pacman: It flash to my nose three time for they buy dead too.

Mommy D: Beri Esi, Eh di ekuals portin.

Pustahan tayo, babasahin ninyo ulit. Hala sige. PAG-ISIPAN NINYO

mga readers.

LUMABAS ANG MATAPANG

Si BEN 10 At si Ben 11

Lasing: Hoy! Sinong matapang?! Labas!Pokmoy: Ako! Bakit? Lalaban ka?Lasing: Pare, Ihatid mo naman ako

sa bahay, natatakot ako kay misis eh.

FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY

USA: Stealing is against the law.

England: Foreigners who are caught stealing will be deported.

Saudi Arabia: Steal and your hands will be cut off.

Philippines: Stealing is FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY.

WALANG GANYAN KATABA!

D igol:K alokohan!Walang taong ganyan

kataba.Aina: Saan mo ba nakuha ang

balitang iyan.Digol: Dito sa dyaryo. Ang

sabi “Bristish tourist lost 2,000 pounds”!

Bisaya:Hulaan mo kung ano ang alaga kong hayop, nagsisimula sa liter I.

Gardo: Isda?Bisaya: Dili man.

Gardo: Alam ko na. Yan ay Ibon?Bisaya: Malapit na.Gardo: ha? Anu nga? Sirit na!Bisaya: eh di IGOL! LoL!

Sa sugalan.....Pedro: Hala pare! Parating na

ang asawa mo mukhang papauwiin ka na!

Juan: Wala iyan kapag nakita ni-yan ang tattoo ko aalis agad iyan!

(Dumating ang misis pinakita agad ni Juan ang tattoo. Nang makita, ay agad umalis si misis.)

Pedro: Bilib na ako sayo pare! Patingin nga ng tatto mo?

TATOO: (“Mauna ka na Boss su-sunod na ako”)

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