Filipino seamen’s remittances up by 5.5%—TUCP RP sailors on foreign ships to hit .5M in 5 years

MANILA, Philippines—Remittances from Filipino sailors increased by 5.52 percent (or $41.851 million) to $800.535 million in the first quarter versus $758.684 million in the same period in 2008, the Trade Union Congress of the Philippines (TUCP) said Tuesday.

TUCP secretary-general and former Senator Ernesto Herrera said this is higher than the cash wired home by land-based migrant Filipino workers which grew by only 2.03 percent (or $64.697 million) to $3.256 billion in the first quarter compared to $3.191 billion in the same period in 2008.

To read the complete article click here 05/26/2009 Philippine Inquirer

Maritime training not getting government support

CEBU, Philippines - While University of Cebu president Augusto Go is optimistic that foreign shipowners will continue to recruit Filipino seafarers, he is disappointed over the alleged nonchalance of the government, most especially on the aspect of financial resources in training our seafarers.

“There will always be a Filipino sea captain in the seven seas,” Go said as he lamented at how the government lacks support in providing financial assistance to maritime training programs.

Go, who built a dormitory worth P120 million for the 600 Maritime cadets studying at the University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu and Mandaue, said that had he not built such structure, the Norwegian Shipowners Association could have offered the scholarship-to-employment opportunities in Vietnam.

“NSA could have offered such scholarship to Vietnam because the government there is willing to provide a building, a dormitory, and other facilities for the scholars. I built the dormitory for the scholars with zero support from the government,” Go said in an interview with The FREEMAN.

The NSA Philippines Cadet Project covers full payment of the student’s tuition, miscellaneous fees, board and lodging, books, meals and training expenses for the first two years. On their third year, students will undergo apprenticeship with a monthly allowance of not less than P25,000; with their monthly stipend, the students are to finance the fourth year of their education from Norwegian Shipowners Association scholarship-to-employment opportunities

Go said that all their scholars, coming from various provinces and key cities of the country, are “cream of the crop”. With the cadet project, they are assured of employment after their graduation.

So far, only UC, here in Cebu, has been selected by NSA to offer such scholarship.
To read the complete article click here 6/15/09 Philippine Star

Globe, Seanet launches maritime SIM with lowest rates for Pinoy seafarers

Globe strengthens its role as the dependable ally of overseas Filipinos with the launch of the Globe-Seanet Maritime SIM offering the most affordable rates to the Filipino seafarer and his family. This was confirmed by Globe President and CEO Ernest Cu. “It is essential for the Filipino crew to be able to communicate easily while at sea.

For more information on Globe’s services for Filipinos worldwide, log-on to www.globekababayan.com.ph.

To read the complete article click here 6/22/09 Manila Bulletin

Maritime school expands enrolment

MANILA, Philippines—As other industries sink due to the global recession, the Philippine maritime industry has managed to keep afloat, prompting the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (Maap) in Mariveles, Bataan to even expand its capability to accommodate more students.

To read the complete article click here 6/14/09 Philippine Inquirer

Shippers Taking It Slow in Bad Times

Maersk's moves come as shipping companies are struggling to survive the worst collapse of global trade since World War II. Analysts predict that at least one of the world's 20 biggest shipping companies will go bust this year, caught by the global economy's sudden downturn as the industry was ramping up capacity. Global trade is expected to fall 9% in value this year, according to the World Trade Organization. Click this link to read full article Wall Street Journal 4/9/09

From nurses to seamen

DID you know 1: This year’s batch of 300 scholars of the Development Bank of the Philippines’ (DBP) Endowment for Education Program are high school graduates who want to take maritime and technical/vocational courses (read: the scholarship is for the entire course, not just for one year, and there are no strings attached).

Aside from being smart, the main qualification of each scholar is extreme poverty. The sob stories of many of these scholars are for real.

Mind you, DBP actually checks out financial situation of all applicants, starting with the branch manager who talks to the family and friends of the applicant within his/her branch jurisdiction.

Last year, the DBP scholarship focused on nursing but the supply for nurses in the next five to 10 years is expected to exceed demand both here and abroad. Click this link to read full article 6/7/09 Business Mirror

Filipino crewmen ordered: Leave UK

MORE than two-thirds of the British fishing boats on the West Coast could be without a crew within days because the UK Border Agency has ordered all Filipino crewmen on inshore boats to be returned home immediately, an official said Tuesday.

About 500 Filipino seamen work on West Coast boats, and fishing industry leaders say the effect will be “catastrophic” if the situation is not resolved. To read complete article click this here 6/10/09 Manila Standard

World-class RP seamen a force in Japan

FILIPINO seamen are world-class and over 70 percent of Japanese maritime operations are now manned by Filipinos.

Doris Magsaysay-Ho, president and chief executive officer of Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, the largest manning company in the country, said there are over 28,000 Filipinos currently working on Japanese ships who remitted over more than $3 billion last year. To read complete article click this here 6/8/09 Overseas Filipino blog

'No letup in demand for RP seafarers'

What global crisis? While other sectors are taking a beating from the lingering economic crisis, the local maritime industry seems to have been spared from the impact of massive unemployment and downsizing.

On a daily basis, about a thousand jobs are waiting to be filled up in different foreign vessels for local seafarers who enjoy high reputation abroad for being skilled workers.

“Over the last two years, the global maritime industry’s choice for Filipino seafarers has continued, and it will never face a bleak future if you look into the official running count of available jobs being offered to them everyday,” said lawyer Giovanni Lopez, over-all president of the Luneta Seafarer’s Center.

Lopez said employment opportunities—from captains to ratings—are available for local hires at an average rate of 1,000 daily.

To read complete article click this here ABS CBN news 6/6/09

More hirings for Filipino Seaman

Some 600 Filipino seamen were hired daily, despite the global economic crisis, Giovanni Lopez, vice president of the Luneta Seafarer’s Center (LSC), said also on Tuesday. He added that the demand for Filipinos seafarers even increased, and if there were layoffs, they would normally be the last to go —after other foreign workers.
On average, some 1,000 jobs were available daily at the popular seamen’s hub on Kalaw Street, Manila, where 112 manning agencies offer jobs to the thousands of Filipino seafarers who troop to the center everyday. To read complete article click this here Manila Times 6/03/09

Filipino seamen s remittances up by 5.5% TUCP ..

Filipino seamen s remittances up by 5.5% TUCP (Philippine Daily Inquirer) Remittances fromFilipino sailors increased by 5.52 percent (or $41.851 million) to $800.535 million in the first quarter versus $758.684 million in the same

To read complete article click this here 5/26/09 Philippine Inquirer

Cargo Ships Treading Water Off Singapore, Waiting for Work

Charles Pertwee for The New York Times

Sunrise in the Strait between Indonesia and Singapore, where 735 cargo ships were gathered Tuesday because of a sharp decline in global exports. To go out in a small boat along Singapore’s coast now is to feel like a mouse tiptoeing through an endless herd of slumbering elephants. To read complete article click this here NYTimes 5/13/09

Filipino seamen caught in piratical crossfire

WASHINGTON D.C., United States––If there is any one group that’s severely victimized and traumatized by the onslaught of high seas piracy by Somali pirates, it’s the hapless Filipino seafarers who work the ships.
But not everything is milk and honey at the high seas. Problems abound at every corner. There are times when the crew members are not paid their salaries for months or don’t have sufficient food, prompting them to commence protest actions on board the ships just so that their employment contracts are respected. Some Filipino sailors are also lured by the unknown in the various ports of call and end up being HIV-positive weeks or months later.

Moreover, some local manpower agencies which recruit the crew do not pay or remit to their families the bulk payment made by the European or North American ship owners, thus being victimized by one of their own. The lack of respect by foreign deck officers and captains is another epidemic in the industry, as are the ships’ substandard conditions in so-called “sweat ships.” The risks and perils of the seas likewise come with the territory. To read complete article click this here Philippine Inquirer 5/4/09

Mariners' Court inaugurated in Cebu

CEBU, Philippines - The Japan Seafarers Union-JSU/Philippine Seafarers Union-PSU Mariners’ Court was inaugurated in line with the commemoration of the Labor Day yesterday. Built at a cost of P140 million, the eight-storey building is located at the port area. To read complete article click this here Philippine Star

Filipino Seafarers Top Victims of Somali Pirates

At least 80 Filipino seafarers are being held hostage by Somali pirates - the highest number from any nation. The Philippine government has banned ships carrying Filipino crew members from sailing near Somalia. But as Heda Bayron reports from Manila, piracy is unlikely to stop Filipino sailors from plying the treacherous route.

But Nelson Ramirez, spokesman of the Union of Filipino Seafarers, calls the ban absurd. "It's just for show. They didn't even study the map," said Ramirez. "They didn't ask the labor unions, the seafarers, how is it possible. They sail about 200 miles off Somalia's coast; the pirates are going about 350 miles off Somalia's coast. If someone would violate that one, who are they going to penalize? Are they going to penalize the seamen? The ship owner? Are they going to penalize the manning agency? To read complete article click this here VOA News 4/30/09

Our seafarers are modern-day heroes

Photographer Mandy Navasero, who collaborated with Marissa Oca on a book about seafarers and the people in the maritime industry, made us realize the dangerous plight of the seafarers. She said, “The seafarers are thousands of miles away from home, doing without normal comforts, immersed in physically demanding and mentally challenging tasks, exposed to harsh weather conditions for endless days and nights. They have to endure to be able to make an honest living and support their families back home. And now there are these evil pirates to contend with!” To read complete article click this here Philippine Star 5/2/09