DOLE launches search for outstanding Filipino seafarers

The Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) kicked off Monday its search for Outstanding Filipino Seafarers, as a tribute to Filipinos in the maritime sector who helped the industry grow. DOLE Secretary Marianito Roque issued a memorandum circular establishing the first search for Outstanding Filipino Seafarers in the domestic and overseas employment. The search is in line with the declaration of 2010 by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) as the “International Year of the Seafarer," the circular said. An article on the DOLE website (www.dole.gov.ph) said Memorandum Circular No. 1 formally organized a search committee for the award. The search committee includes the heads of the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA); Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA); Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA); Maritime Training Council (MTC); Association of Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP) and the Joint Manning Group (JMG). It would also select nominees to the IMO Bravery at Sea Award. POEA records showed there were 323,384 seafarers deployed in 2009 or a growth rate of 26.5 percent from the 261,614 in 2008. Seafarers accounted for 25 percent of the total deployment of overseas Filipino workers. Some 256,000 seafarers are deployed annually. In 2009, deployed Filipino seafarers according to flag of registry were distributed as follows: Panama, 65,585; Bahamas, 39,075; Liberia, 29,754; Singapore, 15,790; Marshall Island, 18,113 and others 155,067. Based on the presence of seafarers according to vessel type, majority of them are in bulk carriers with 62,229 workers closely followed by passenger type vessels with 61,705 seafarers. Other types of vessels are container type (44,276) and tanker (30,459), oil and product tanker (22,366), general cargo (14,695), chemical tanker (17,179), tugboat (10,347) and other type of vessels (60,128). - RJAB Jr., GMANews.TV