Press Release
September 4, 2007

GORDON ASSAILS PRC ON THE PLIGHT OF PINOY SEAFARERS

Senator Richard J. Gordon today assailed the Professional regulatory Commission's (PRC) superfluous requirements for those aspiring to become marine and deck officers.

"This is not the way we should treat our modern heroes. Why are we making it difficult for the seafarers to earn a decent living? The PRC is again in a hot seat. After the leakage of the nursing exams last year and the 2001 marine licensure exam fiasco, the PRC is now adding an unnecessary financial burden to our seafarers." Gordon said.

Gordon, who delivered a privilege speech on behalf of Filipino seafarers against the mandatory management Level Courses (MLC) required by the PRC, explains that the regulation will be an additional financial burden on the 230,022 Filipino seafarers and their families:

Gordon also revealed that in his recent visit to ARMM, he learned that teachers do not receive their salaries due to lack of requirements such as PRC licenses. "What is the PRC doing? Our nurses, our teachers and now our seafarers are suffering from such cruel injustice. We should make people responsible for these anomalies accountable." Gordon said.

According to Senator Gordon, these additional courses are actually upgrading programs, optional at best, for the seafarers. "If it is not required by international standards and laws, why are we requiring our seafarers to take these? Who stands to profit from these?" Gordon inquired. The new regulation passed by the PRC made mandatory MLC for our seafarers. The program includes certain topics that are already integrated in the curriculum of Maritime Schools.

"Dinadagdagan lang nila ang gastusin ng mga seafarers. The brief training courses costs Php 42,000 for the six-week course for marine deck officers. Php 52,000 naman para daw sa walong (8) linggong pagsasanay ng mga marine engineers," Gordon explained.

"Apparently, there is a strong lobby from the training centers to the PRC Board. These centers obviously stand to gain much from the newly-imposed requirements," Gordon said.

Senator Gordon noted that there is no legal basis for the new requirements. "Republic Act. No. 8544, which regulates the practice of the merchant marine profession in our country and mandates national compliance with the STCW as amended, has no provision that justifies the imposition of additional requirements beyond the international convention. All it says is that in case of 'subsequent or future amendments' to the convention, the Board is empowered to amend/revise its rules and regulations," he said.

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