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PHILIPPINES-NETHERLANDS COOPERATION MEET
16th Joint Committee on Maritime Affairs vows continued hiring of Filipino seafarers

Issue 6 Cover Photo

HEADS OF delegations of the 16th Philippines-Netherlands Joint Committee on Maritime Affairs sign anew their resolves on maintaining maritime cooperation between both nations. MARINA administrator Dr. Maximo Q Mejia Jr is seated with counterpart Director of Maritime Affairs Brigit Gijsbers of the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment of the Kingdom of the Netherlands this May 18th at the Hotel H2O in Manila, Philippines.

Story Lead The Philippine delegation, composed mainly of members from the MARINA administration, presents ongoing undertakings on the following issues: the K-12 system; compliance and enforcement procedures related to maritime education and training institutions; the enhanced support level program, ESLP, which is scheduled for implementation this school year; transfer of functions from the Professional Regulatory Commission (PRC) to MARINA; the International Maritime Organization’s coordinated task force on technical assistance to the Philippines with the involvement of member nations Denmark, Germany, the Netherlands and Norway; the issuance and verification of certificates of proficiency (COPs) and competency (COCs); and the updating of maritime courses for compliance to the 2010 Manila Amendment on Standards Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

Ms. Gijsbers appreciates the clear explanation on the aforementioned items. MARINA administrator Dr. Maximo Q Mejia Jr meanwhile mentions that additional capacity building measures are being studied with Canada about e-learning or distance learning for seafarers, with the United Kingdom in areas related to inspection and with Finland regarding training on the administration of standards training, certification and watchkeeping for seafarers. Mejia also specifies briefly the possibility of sending MARINA personnel to the Netherlands to learn of best practices in yet other aspects of maritime affairs.

Already, since the compliance requirement to the 2010 Manila Amendment, MARINA has set forth nine policies on the issuance of certificates where certificates of proficiency (COPs) issued has numbered almost two million. Also, a real-time certificate verification system for COC or COP, radio personnel (GMDSS), and marine deck officers and engineers are available at the STCWO website (marina.gov.ph/stcwoffice).

The Philippine delegation is headed by MARINA administrator Dr. Maximo Q Mejia Jr with representatives from MARINA, the Commission on Higher Education, the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration, the Philippine Ports Auhority, the Philippine Coast Guard, the Bureaus of Customs and of Immigration, the National Economic Development Authority, the Palompon Institute of Technology, the Departments of Foreign Affairs, of Transportation and Communications, of Education, of Health and the stakeholders.

On the other hand, members of the delegation from the Netherlands is composed of: Ringo Lakeman from the Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment; Tineke Netelenbos and Tjitso Westra from the Royal Association of Netherlands Shipowners; Jan Willem Verhoeff and Albert Bos from the ScheepvartEn Transport College; and Netherlands Ambassadeur Marion Derckx with PLV Ambassadeur Ruth Emmerink and Patricia Alvenida.