MV Bulk Jupiter Sinking: Still More Speculation than Answers
2 JANUARY
NOVEMBER- FEBRUARY
- DECEMBER2015
2014 http://www.unitedfilipinoseafarers.com.ph PHP 25.00
Vol. XX No. 1
7
TNM Super 12 Aces
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
3
TINIG NG MARINO
AWARDS 2014:
A Salute & Thank You
for a Job Well Done
by Mia Lapis/Dennis Gadil
Higher Education, and president of the Philippine Maritime Voluntary Arbitrators. He is also
the chairman of the Board of Marine Deck Officers-Professional Regulations Commission.
T
INIG NG MARINO is known for crossing
swords with corrupt officials, illegal recruiters, swindlers and ambulance chasers,
sub-standards schools/ training centers and
even nincompoops in government.
But no maritime newspaper in the
country gives exaltation to deserving individuals and institutions in the maritime industry
the way TINIG does.
Others may call us too abrasive but
we call a spade a spade and we are not
afraid who gets hurt.
We lavishly praise good work but
would roundly criticize sloppy performance.
This newspaper is not parsimonious
with applause when needed, not shy to let
out a scathing jeer when called for.
Coinciding with the 20th founding anniversary of United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) in
December, TINIG NG MARINO rolled out its
batch of awardees for its annual TINIG NG
MARINO AWARDS -- a formidable conferment to valuable endeavors in the local maritime industry.
For 2014, we had a harvest of awardees comprising of 13 exceptional personalities
and corporations whose work and contributions to the seafaring industry were considered
exemplary. These most-deserved distinctions
were conferred last December 8, 2014 at the
Manila Pavilion Hotel in Manila.
We are humbled to announce our
2014 TINIG NG MARINO AWARDEES:
Outstanding Master Mariner:
Capt. Jaime Aquino
Capt. Aquino sailed the vast
ocean for more
than 25 years. At
present, he is a port
captain, a Maritime
Training
Center
inspector, a maritime consultant of
the Commission on
Outstanding Chief Engineer:
C/Engr. Jaime Morales
Chief
Engineer
Morales
is a graduate
of
Philippine
Merchant Marine Academy
batch 1987 and
graduated with
flying
colors.
He is an experienced marine
engineer and
works as an instructor
and
FRAMO Division
Manager at Norwegian Training Center Manila.
Since sharing his knowledge and acquired expertise is his passion, he decided
to write a book. It was in October 2013 while
the ship was drifting 150 miles away from the
pirate infested port of Nigeria, when he started writing the manuscript. It was completed
last April 2014. On August 21, 2014 the book
entitled ‘Modern Practical Guide for Aspiring
Quality Marine Engineers’ was launched and
up to this date, there are already more than
1000 copies sold.
Outstanding Maritime School:
DMMA College of Southern Philippines
Founded in 1993, DMMA College has already
gained world-class recognition from international accreditation bodies such as Det
Norske Veritas (DNV); Norwegian Maritime
Directorate Evaluation; and the Philippine
Maritime Education and Training Foundation
(PMF), the Philippine counterpart of UK-based
International Maritime Training Trust (IMTT).
It is the only IMO -STCW ’95 Maritime Institution in Region XI. It gained Norwegian Ship
owners’ Association accreditation and was
granted the Philippines Cadetship Program.
The school was recognized by the Development Bank of the Philippines (DBP) and
was granted the DBP Endowment for Education Program (DEEP) — a financial assistance
to the poor but deserving students who are
taking up BSMT and BSMarE.
Outstanding Maritime Training Center
in Visayas and Mindanao:
PROTECT Marine Deck & Engine Officers of the Phils.
PROTECT Marine Deck and Engine Officers
is one of the first maritime centers in Manila
to have a simulator training that is compliant
with the International Convention STCW’95
for Deck and Engineer Officers.
It is approved and certified by the
Kongsberg Norcontrol to provide training to
instructors to meet simulator- knowledge requirement. It is also one of the first to be approved by government to conduct practical
examinations to marine officers.
Outstanding Maritime Training Center in Luzon:
New Simulator Center of the Philippines
(Newsim)
Newsim is a Filipino-owned corporation with
modern facilities for upgrading of skills and assessment of competence of the seafarers.
It has several accomplishments on its
cap such as One of the First in Simulator Training
continued on page 17
4
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Nelson P. Ramirez Executive Editor
Arianne Ramirez Managing Editor
Myrna F. Virtudazo Assistant Editors
James S. Mante
JF A. Balbaguio Layout
artist
Rey Sto. Domingo Production Staff
EDITORIAL
Tinig ng Marino
Honors the Aces
Fr. James Kolin New York Bureau
Engr. Samson Tormis Greece Bureau
Corry Llamas-Konings Rotterdam Bureau
Bob Ramirez
Philip RamirezSingapore
Minabelle Siason Belgium Bureau
Capt. Arturo Cañoza Japan Bureau
Sapalo Velez Bundang & Bulilan Law Offices
Legal Consultants
Tinig ng Marino (Voice of the Seafarer) is published by the United Filipino Seafarers, a
duly registered Philippine maritime union. Editorial 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: ufs_07@yahoo.com; Website: http://www.
unitedfilipinoseafarers.com.ph. Materials published in this paper may be reprinted
provided proper acknowledgment to Tinig ng Marino and the author, if indicated, is made.
Mean Indicated Pressure
Jeremiah Philip Patrimonio
Pass the OWWA Bill now
I
n a masterstroke to send the
message that he deeply cares for
overseas workers and their families,
President Marcos on May 01, 1977
created a “Welfare and Training
Fund For Overseas Workers” in the
Department of Labor and Employment through letter of Instructions
(LOI) 537 to provide social and
welfare services to Filipino overseas
workers including insurance coverage, social work assistance, legal
assistance, placement assistance,
cultural services, remittance services and the like.
Marcos also mandated that
funding for OFW Fund will come
from earnings and welfare fund
collections from Overseas Employ-
ment Development Board
(OEDB), Bureau of Employment Service (BES), National Seaman Board ( NSB) and
other donations and contributions.
The late president may
have the good intention in
creating a welfare and training
fund for OFWs but this LOI
is so outdated and it does not
serve well its purpose.
First, the agencies that
were mandated by Marcos to
fork out the funds are already
moribund, non-existent and
just like its proponent, a historical footnote.
A
s the United Filipino Seafarers celebrated its 20th
founding year, along with it is
another milestone, the Tinig
ng Marino Award, a formidable
conferment of valuable endeavors in the local maritime industry.
Thirteen exceptional personalities and corporations were
awarded the most-deserved distinction on December 8, 2014 at
the Manila Pavilion Hotel.
THE AWARDEES
•
Outstanding Master Mariner: Capt. Jaime Aquino •
Outstanding Maritime
School: DMMA College of
Southern Philippines
•
Outstanding Maritime
Training Center in the Visayas
and Mindanao: Protect Marine
Deck & Engine Officers of the
Phils
•
Outstanding Maritime
Training Center in Luzon: New
Simulator Center of the Philippines
•
Outstanding in Marine
Environmental Protector: Philippine Coast Guard (PCG)-Westcontinued on page 25 ern Visayas District Command-
er, Commodore Athelo Ybanez
•
Outstanding
Loyalty
Awards: CF Sharp Crew Management, Inc. Bridge Marine
Corporation, Cargo Safeway Inc.
•
Outstanding Chief Engineer: C/Engr. Jaime Morales
•
Outstanding Manning
Agency of the Year: BSM Service
Crew Center in the Philippines
•
Humanitarian
Award:
Marlow Navigation.
•
Outstanding Protector of
Maritime Safety: Commodore
Eric Evangelista.
Our Guest of Honor
Tinig ng Marino Award
was privileged to be graced by
the presence of OFW Partylist Congressman “Ambassador” Roy Señeres, noted as the
guardian of the Filipino overseas workers. He is a lawyer, a
staunch fair labor advocate and
leader. He has a strong background and experience on Labor Relations and Employment
for for decades now. His career
in the government started as a
Labor Relations Officer and as
Labor Arbiter.
Congratulatons Awardees!
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
5
UGONG NG MAKINA AT IKOT NG ELISE
ENGR. NELSON P. RAMIREZ
Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1996
Most Outstanding Student, ZNSAT, 1970
Outstanding Achiever of the Year,
Province of Zomboanga del Norte, 2006
Bakit nagsilubugan ang mga barko
sa ating bansa kahit walang bagyo?
L
umubog ang M/V Maharlika
II sa karagatan ng Leyte kahit walang bagyo. May dwendeng
alon lang sa panahong iyon.
Bago lumubog ang M/V
Maharlika II, lumubog ang M/V
Our Lady of Mt. Carmel malapit sa karagatan ng Burias Island. Wala ring bagyo sa panahong iyon. Nagpalusot kaagad
ang isang commodore ng Coast
Guard na maaaring ang sanhi ng
paglubog ay dahil sa isang ipoipo
sa tubig. Sana, dinagdagan niya
na maaaring pinuluputan ng mga
galamay ng dambuhalang pugita
o di kaya higanteng pusit at dinala ang barkong iyon sa kailaliman
ng dagat upang maibenta niya ang
kwentong iyon kay Carlo J. Caparas at mailathala sa komiks o
maaaring ipalabas sa pelikula para
naman kumita ng pera. Sinalubong natin ang bagong taon ng isa
na namang trahedya sa karagatan.
Wala ring bagyo nang lumubog
ang M/V Sea Merchant.
Bago ko lang nalaman na
ang M/V Maharlika II ay pag-aari
ng ating gobyerno at parte ito sa
tinatawag na shipping modernization act. Kaya pinangalanan ang
barkong iyon ng M/V Maharlika
II sapagkat ang barkong iyon ang
mag-uugnay sa Maharlika highway
sa mga karatig na isla. Ang nakalulungkot lang isipin na ang modernization na iyan ay noong panahon
pa ni President Ferdinand Marcos.
Mahigit tatlong dekada na ang nakararaan at tadtad na ng kalawang
ang M/V Maharlika II bago lumubog, ngunit maituturing pa ring
parte ito ng shipping modernization ng bansa.
Hindi ko lang alam kung
sino ang nagpapatakbo sa M/V
Mahalika I at M/V Maharlika II
at paano ang partehan ng kita sa
ating pamahalaan at sa nagpapatakbo sa mga barkong iyan. Kung
sakali mang maraming kakulangan ang mga barkong iyan tungkol
sa maritime safety, natitiyak ako
na palalampasin lang ng MARINA
at ng Coast Guard dahil nga pagaari naman ang mga barkong iyan
ng gobyerno.
May patakaran ang ating
pamahalaan na hindi ka makakautang sa Development Bank of the
Philippines (DBP) kung bibili ka
ng barko na segunda mano na
lagpas na sa kinse anyos. Ngunit
kung ikaw ay may pera at hindi
mo kailangang umutang pa sa
DBP, papayagan ka pa ring bumili
ng barkong segunda mano kahit
lagpas na sa biente anyos. Paano
tayo magkakaroon ng pagbabago kung ganyan ang sistema ng
pamamalakad ng gobyerno?
May naririnig pa ba tayo
ngayon mula sa ating pamahalaan
tungkol sa shipping modernization act? Sa aking nakikita ngayon, walang kongkretong pagba
balangkas para sa kaunlaran ng
ating mga barko na naglalayag sa
Pilipinas. Ipinauubaya na lang ng
ating pamahalaan sa pribadong
sektor kung ano man ang kahihinatnan ng mga barkong nagla-
layag sa ating bansa. Para bang
nakalimutan na ng ating pamahalaan na tayo ay isang bansang
may mahigit pitong libong kapuluan at napakahalaga sa atin ang
mga barkong mag-uugnay sa bawat kapuluan.
Sa aking pagkakaalam, ito
ang pangunahing tungkulin ng
MARINA. Ngunit nakalulungkot isipin na ang trabaho ngayon ng MARINA ay nakasentro
sa pag-isyu ng seaman’s book,
pagbibigay ng certificate of proficiency at licensure examination
na dati ay trabaho ng ibang ahensya. Napabayaan na ng MARINA
ang kanilang unang tungkulin.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
7
MV Bulk Jupiter Sinking:
Still More Speculation than Answers
by Joana Chrystal Ventura
A
s the first month of 2015
draws to a close, the exact circumstances that surround the sinking of the Bahamas-flagged cargo ship
Bulk Jupiter about 150 nautical miles off the Vietnamese city of Vung Tau on the
morning of January 2 continue to be unclear. The vessel,
which was fully loaded with
46,400 metric tons of bauxite, departed from Kuantan,
Malaysia on December 30
at around 9pm (local time)
and was expected to arrive
in Qingdao, China by January 1. It was manned by a
19-strong all-Filipino crew.
Between the hours of
6:00 a.m. to 7:00 am on January 2, Bulk Jupiter issued distress
signals that were received by
the Japanese Coast Guard
and the Vietnam Maritime
Search and Rescue Coordination Center (MRCC). But repeated attempts to contact
the vessel on all communication channels were unsuccessful, according to the press
release issued by Gearbulk
Holding Limited, the ocean
transport firm which owns
the cargo ship. Among the
19 crewmembers onboard,
only one survivor was found:
ship cook Angelito Capindo
Rojas, 43. Rojas was rescued
by Oman’s Muttrah OLNG
tugboat later that afternoon.
Search and rescue operations
also found two bodies drifting
at sea, those of the ship’s captain, Andrin Ronel Acueza, 46;
and Third Officer Dinoy Jerome Maquilang, 23.
The other 16 remaining sailors are still missing as
of press time. Although the
containership ship M/V Zim
Asia found a deployed lifeboat and a life raft from Bulk
Jupiter, both were empty.
Efforts to garner information from the sole survivor
Rojas proved to be frustrating. Upon being rescued,
Rojas could only say that the
ship just suddenly listed to the
side before it started sinking
in a matter of minutes. After
authorities tried to elicit more
answers, all Rojas could say
was that he did not know
why the ship capsized, and
that he couldn’t talk anymore as he was ‘very tired
and dizzy’. Rojas was later
handed off the Vietnamese
marine authorities before
being repatriated back to
the Philippines last January 7.
The bodies of the two ship officers were likewise shipped
to their respective families in
Quezon and Cebu.
The Vietnamese Navy
had even added three helicopters to use in the search
and has called on other
countries in the area for assistance so that comprehensive efforts can continue. The
continued on page 40
Congratul
ations!!!
United Fili
pino Seafa
rers
under the
leadership
of
Engr. Nels
on P. Ram
irez
on your 20 th
Anniversa
ry!
Greetings from:
8
TINIG NG MARINO
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
WORKERS’ VANGUARD
CONG. EMMELINE Y. AGLIPAY
Representative, DIWA Partylist
Congress of the Philippines
aglipay.ey@congress.gov.ph
Pushing the House Bill No. 5268
F
irst of all, happy new year to all
seafarers and members of the
seafaring industry. Regardless of
how good or bad 2014 may have
been for you and your family, I hope
that 2015 will be a better year, one
filled with security and opportunity,
prosperity and joy, one which exceeds your expectations.
For the industry as a whole,
I wish that this may be the year that
we finally achieve our long-standing
goals aimed at its betterment, including the passage of the Magna Carta
for Seafarers, as well as other institutional reforms that will ensure that
government agencies are equipped
to serve the best interests of seafarers.
While we’re on the topic of
the best interests of seafarers, one
bill that may be of interest to you is
House Bill No. 5268, “An Act Protecting Seafarers and Other Workers Against Ambulance Chasing and
Providing Penalties for Violation
Thereof.” This is the amended version of House Bill No. 2643, or the
proposed Ambulance Chasing Act.
While less prevalent here
than in the west, “ambulance chaser” has become both an insult
aimed at lawyers and a stereotype
of a particular kind of lawyer. It’s
not a new phrase, with some stating that emerged in the late 1900s
as a way to describe lawyers who
would target accident victims as
potential clients for suits. The image of bombastic lawyers stalking
accident sites and browbeating the
injured out of mercenary rather
than altruistic motivations, is one
of the most unflattering depictions
of lawyers in popular culture.
The phenomenon is already prescribed by the Code of
Professional Responsibility. The
Supreme Court, in one case, stated
the following:
“Canons of the CPR are
rules of conduct all lawyers must
adhere to, including the manner by
which a lawyer’s services are to be
made known…
Rule 2.03 of the CPR provides:
• Rule 2.03. A lawyer shall not do or
permit to be done any act designed
primarily to solicit legal business.
Hence, lawyers are prohibited from
soliciting cases for the purpose of
gain, either personally or through
paid agents or brokers. Such actuation constitutes malpractice, a
ground for disbarment.
• Rule 2.03 should be read in connection with Rule 1.03 of the CPR
which provides:
• Rule 1.03. A lawyer shall not, for
any corrupt motive or interest, encourage any suit or proceeding or
delay any man’s cause.
This rule proscribes “ambulance chasing” (the solicitation
of almost any kind of legal business by an attorney, personally or
through an agent in order to gain
employment) as a measure to protect the community from barratry
and champerty.”
Specific to seafarers, there
have been numerous complaints
raised with regard to the detrimental effect of “ambulance chasing” on the industry. Complaints
about lawyers using unmeritorious
claims and the threat of garnishment against ship owners have
been raised with the NLRC. Readers of the United Filipino Seafarers
website may also be familiar with
a September 2014 article with the
headline
“’Ambulance-chasing’
killing maritime industry.”
House Bill No. 5268 takes
these concerns to heart, and specifically targets the issue of ambulance chasing in the seafaring industry. Under the proposed law, it
would be unlawful “for any person
to engage in soliciting, personally
or through an agent, from seafarers
or other workers or their heirs, the
pursuit of any claim against an employer for the recovery of monetary
claim or benefit, including legal interest, arising from accident, illness
or death, in exchange for a certain
amount which shall be retained or
deducted from the amount of the
monetary claim or benefit granted
to or awarded the seafarer or other
worker or heirs thereof.”
Of course, the focus on improper solicitation and the ambulance chasing phenomena should
in no way prevent seafarers with
legitimate claims from filing the
appropriate suits. Seafarers are in
no way precluded from soliciting a
lawyer; it is lawyers who are prohibited from engaging in this sort
of solicitation. Lawyers who are engaged by clients for the pursuit of
monetary claims or benefits shall of
course be entitled to the appropriate
attorney’s fees, and this is provided
for and reiterated under the bill, to
the maximum of ten percent of the
compensation or benefit awarded to
the worker — on the condition that
these fees are not payable until the
actual payment to the worker of the
compensation or the benefit.
If the bill passes into law,
one hopes that it would not only
address the concerns of ship owners, but free up the courts to deal
with legitimate grievances. That
would truly be something to look
forward to in the coming year.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
MLC (Maritime Labour Convention)
is Making a Difference
9
by Engr. Rainero B. Morgia, MScEnv
T
o be informed is better that
no information or the lack
of one. Thus, in this issue, we
have compiled what MLC or
Maritime Labor Convention is
all about, the Philippines being a a signatory and complying partner supposedly. A
list of other country members
are also included.
The Maritime Labour
Convention (MLC) is an International Labour Organization
convention established in 2006
as the fourth pillar of international maritime law and embodies
“all up-to-date standards of
existing international maritime
labour Conventions and Recommendations, as well as the
fundamental principles to be
found in other international labour Conventions”.[3] The other “pillars are the SOLAS, STCW
and MARPOL. The treaties apply
to all ships entering the harbours
of parties to the treaty (port
states), as well as to all states flying the flag of state party (flag
states, as of 2013: 50 percent).
The convention entered
into force on 20 August 2013,
one year after registering 30
ratifications of countries representing over 33 per cent of the
world gross tonnage of ships. Already after five ratifications the
ratifying countries (Bahamas,
Norway, Liberia, Marshall Islands, and Panama) represented over 43 percent of the gross
world tonnage[4] (which is over
33 percent; the second requirement for entry into force). As of
October 2014, the convention
has been ratified by 65 states
representing 80 percent of global shipping.
Some seafarers criticize
the convention, saying that it
lacks teeth, does not address
real issues, and skirts important
seafarer needs such as decent sized cabins, cupboards
in cabins, shore leave, and rest
hours by including them into the
non-mandatory section “B” of
the convention—or worse, by
not addressing them at all.
Content and organization
The convention consists
of 16 articles containing general
provisions as well as the Code.
The Code consists of five Titles
in which specific provisions are
grouped by standard (or in Title
5: mode of enforcement):
• Title 1: Minimum requirements
for seafarers to work on a ship
• Title 2: Conditions of employment
• Title 3: Accommodation, recreational facilities, food and catering
• Title 4: Health protection, medical care, welfare and social security protection
• Title 5: Compliance and enforcement
For each Title, there are
general Standards, which are
further specified in mandatory Regulations (list A) as well as
Guidelines (List B). Guidelines
generally form a form of implementation of a Regulation according to the requirements, but
States are free to have different
implementation measures. Regulations should in principle be
implemented fully, but a country can implement a “substan-
tially equivalent” regulation,
which it should declare upon
ratification.
Title 1: Minimum Requirements
for Seafarers to Work on a Ship
The minimum requirements set out in this section of
the code are divided in four
parts and are summarized below:
• Minimum age requirements:
the minimum age is 16 years (18
for night work and work in hazardous areas).
• Medical fitness: workers should
be medically fit for the duties
they are performing. Countries
should issue medical certificates
as defined in the STCW (or use a
similar standard).
• Training: Seafarers should be
trained for their duties as well
as have had a personal safety
training.
•Recruitment/placement services located in member states
or for ships flying the flag of
member states should have
(amongst others) proper placement procedures, registration,
complaint procedures and
compensation if the recruitment
fails
Title 2: Employment
Conditions
The Title on employment
conditions lists conditions of the
contract and payments, as well
as the working conditions on
ships.
• Contracts: the contract should
be clear, legally enforceable
and incorporate collective bargaining agreements (if existent).
• Payments: Wages should be
paid at least every month, and
should be transferrable regularly
to family if so desired.
• Rest hours: rest hours should
be implemented in national legislation. The maximum hours of
work in that legislation should
not exceed 14 hours in any 24continued on page 43
Our warmest Congratulations to United Filipino Seafarers and
to Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez on its 20th Founding Anniversary!
10
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
IMO claims banner year for global maritime sector
by Dennis Gadil
T
he International Maritime
Organization
(IMO),
in
2014, ”pursued actively” its
targets and objectives in a
wide range of subject areas.
According to IMO,
2014 was a busy, varied and
successful year for the Organization. The global body explained that safety remained
a high priority during 2014,
pointing out that IMO adopted
the safety provisions of the Polar Code and SOLAS amendments to make it mandatory.
“Also adopted were
important measures addressing container safety and enclosed space entry drills. Several amendments entered
into force during the year.
Domestic ferry safety was also
a topic of concern.
“2014 proved a busy
and productive year for IMO
on the environmental front.
Among the highlights were
the adoption of the environmental provisions of the Polar
Code and the entry into force
of the Emission Control Area
for the United States and Car-
ibbean Sea.
“Further progress was
also made on extending and
developing energy efficiency
measures for ships. IMO joined
other United Nations bodies in
calling for action to address irregular maritime migration, an
increasing problem from the
point of view of loss of life at sea
as well as a burden on shipping.
“The Facilitation Committee moved forward on
e-business and the single
window concept, approving
a completely revised Annex
to the FAL Convention, while
the Facilitation and Maritime
safety Committees agreed
to look into cyber security.
Action against piracy and
armed robbery against ships
remained a high priority off
the coasts of Africa.
“IMO was involved in
a series of capacity-building
projects across the globe including ship recycling, energy efficiency, counter-piracy
and stowaways.
“April saw the entry
into force of the Athens Convention relating to the Carriage of Passengers and their
Luggage by Sea, while the
Nairobi International Convention on the Removal of
Wrecks reached its criteria to
enter into force in April 2015.
“IMO joined a UN and
industry taskforce on Ebola Virus
Disease and continued to work
with ILO on seafarer matters.
“The importance of
effective implementation of
IMO measures was a recurrent topic throughout 2014
as it had been chosen as the
theme for World Maritime
Day. The Secretary-General
spoke on theme at meetings
and conference across the
globe and recorded a video
message highlighting key aspects of the subject. A host
of workshops, seminars and
training events were organised all over the world, and
work progressed in preparation for the implementation of
the mandatory IMO Member
State audit scheme.”
ORIENTAL HERBS EFFECTIVE VS. LIVER CANCER
The term cancer is used to refer to more than
200 diseases which originate in any cell or organ in the body. All cancers have something
in common, they always involved the production of abnormal cells that are capable of
irregular and independent growth which invade the health and body tissues.
Many factors may lead to the development of cancer some known and some poorly
understood. Efforts in cancer chemotherapy
have intensified over the past several decades, but many cancer still remain difficult
to cure. A Korean doctor has discovered a
miraculous herb which can cure hepatitis, the
common of all serious contagious diseases.
Dr. Taik Koo Yun of Korean Cancer Center Hospital, in his study on herbs
confirmed an anticarcinogenic effect in
human beings. In his research on patients
given six years old herbal root, odd ratios
cancer of the lip, oral cavity and pharynx,
larynx, lung, esophagus, stomach, liver, promotes a detoxification effects and
plays a vital role in preventing carcinogenic tumor development.
Yun found out that the oriental
herbs enhance the rate of the liver regeneration and promotes recovery from
impaired liver functions. The liver is one
of our most essential organs. It serves as
a nutrient distribution center and factory
with active enzyme systems. The detoxifi-
cation takes place in the liver.
The prolonged administration of
herbs inhibited the incidence of cancer.
Yun attributed the efficacy of herbs on substance called panaxatriol which suppresses
the growth of cancer cells and tumors.
In a related case, Mang George was
infected with Hepa-b virus for two years.
Doctors diagnosed his disease as incurable.
He heard over a radio program that a certain herb is effective against Hepa-B virus.
He tried taking the herbal extract and after
four months of taking the extract, his liver
infection was gone and medical laboratories showed negative results.
The herb is approved by BFAD.
For more details on the efficacy of the
herbal extract. Please visit KRG Center at
Suite 601 MBI Bldg., Plaza Sta. Cruz, Manila and look for Dr. Ulep or Ms. Digma
Lizada at 736-7732, 400-3488 and 09285019508. Please bring laboratory results.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
11
IMO mulls Facebook for ships in high seas
I
nternational Maritime Organization (IMO) has published
the results of its first-ever public
consultation on the administrative burdens imposed by its
mandatory instruments, and
one of the suggestions was to
create a Facebook for ships.
The suggestion was
made as a way of providing
ships’ certificates to be accessed electronically by accredited authorities, and it
came with the question: why
do inspectors spend more time
pouring over certificates than
physically looking over the ship?
As part of the consultation, IMO made a webpage
available for six months in 2013
to gather the opinions of industry stakeholders. About 60 percent of the responses came
from ship masters, officers and
crew. Comments were invited
on 563 of the administrative
requirements associated with
regulations such as SOLAS,
MARPOL and STCW.
The study found that 351
out of the 563, some 66 percent,
were not perceived as being burdensome on their own by any respondents. One respondent even
said IMO requirements were minimal compared to the voluminous
paperwork imposed by charterers, ship management companies, P&I Clubs and port agencies.
However, the combined
volume of IMO requirements
caused ship crews to spend considerable time on paperwork
rather than operating the ship,
and this may compromise safety.
IMO notes that it could be indicative of a litigious culture where
there is the tendency to “smother everything with paper”.
The results noted that for
inspectors, much of their time
is spent checking conformity
through checklists and reports,
making their actions “control of
control”. This results in a tendency to evaluate the quality of the
oversight system rather than the
quality of the ship and crew.
Of the 182 administrative requirements where
at least one person thought
were burdensome the study
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did identify problems with excessive paperwork, and some
respondents suggested urgent
change was needed. Key
amongst the conclusions of the
study was the need for greater
use of electronic record-keeping and a need to recognize
electronic certificates.
“The report is excellent
and well overdue, says Arthur-
Bowring, managing director
of the Hong Kong Shipowners
Association. “But we do need
to realise, as pointed out in the
report, that most of the administrative burden does not come
from the IMO’s work. Yes, there
is much that the IMO can do
to reduce the burden, and it is
good that they recognise the
work that will have to be done,
but the industry as a whole has
to do much more to reduce the
burden. Electronic record keeping is all very well and good, but
unless we use electronic process
to reduce the number of forms
and repetition (this is not just record keeping as such) then the
burden will not be reduced.”
David Tongue, Secrecontinued on page 40
12
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
SAILOR’S CORNER
ATTY. AUGUSTO R. BUNDANG
Head, Litigation and Seafarers Department
Sapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law Offices
Understanding Disability Claims
S
ection 20, B (6) of the 2000
POEA Standard Terms and
Conditions governing the employment of Filipino seafarers
onboard ocean-going vessels
(which is incorporated in the
POEA Standard Employment
Contract) clearly provides that in
case of permanent total or partial
disability of the seafarer caused
by either injury or illness, he shall
be paid in accordance with the
schedule of benefits enumerated
in section 32 of the same POEA
Standard Terms.
Section 32 pertaining to
the schedule of disability or impediment for injuries suffered
and diseases or illness contracted, occupational diseases or
illness contracted, enumerates
the injuries and illnesses with
their equivalent impediment
grades starting from a high of
1 to a low of 14, which in turn,
correspond to specific ratings in
percentage of US$50,000.
If only to illustrate, in
the case of NYK-FIL SHIP Management, Inc., et. al., v. Talavera
(G.R. No. 175894, November 14,
2008), the Supreme Court found
the seafarer to be entitled to disability benefits following the second opinion of his physician that
he suffers from lumbar spondylopathy categorized as partial
permanent disability with Grade
8 impediment based on Section
32 computed at. “US$
50,000.00 x 33.59%,”
or amounting to US$
16,795.00.
It should be understood nonetheless,
as pointed out in the
decision of the Supreme
Court in Seagull Maritime Corporation, et.al.
vs. Jaycee Dee, et.al.
(G.R. No. 165156, April
2, 2007), that the schedule in the POEA-sec
DOES not contain all
the possible injuries that
render a seafarer unfit
for further sea duties.
Now comes the
question, how does
one become entitled
to Grade 1 disability
benefits which amount
to US$ 60,000 based
on the computation of
“US$50,000 x 120 %”
under the schedule of
disability
allowances
stated in Section 32?
In the case of Philimare, Inc., et.al. v. Suganob (G.R. No. 168753,
July 9, 2008), the High
Court ruled that to be entitled
Grade 1 disability benefits, the
seafares’s disability must not only
be total but also permanent. The
Court said: “Permanent disability
is the inability of a worker to perform his job more than 120 days,
regardless of whether or not to loses the use of any of his body …..Total disability on the other hand,
does not mean absolute helplessness. In disability compensation,
it is not the injury which is compensated, but rather the incapacity
to work resulting in in the impairment of one’s earning capacity. Total disability does not require that
the employee be absolutely disabled, or totally paralyzed. What is
necessary is that the injury must
be such that the employee cannot
pursue his usual work and earn
thereform...”
It becomes apparent that
what is compensated in the case
of permanent total disability is
not the injury or illness of the
seafarer but rather his inability to
work resulting in the impairment
of his earnings capacity.
Disability, as the Court
observes, should be understood
less on its medical significance
but more on the loss of earning
capacity. In other words, if it can
be established that the disability of the seafarer, as a result of
his work-related injury or illness
during the term of his contract,
prevents him from performing
his usual work for more than 120
days, regardless of whether or not
he loses the use of any part of his
body, then his entitled to Grade
1 disability benefits should more
than ever become clear.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Improve safety in container shipping
(BOXSHIPS)
13
by Engr. Rainero B. Morgia, MScEnv
S
ome safety news and issues:
1. In March 2007, a London
based container ship capsized in Antwerp, Belgium
while loading.
2. Maneuvers in coastal waters and ports managed in
the wheel house may be
dangerous, as evidenced
by a container ship hitting
the San Francisco - Oakland Bay bridge on March
7, 2007.
3. It has been estimated that
container ships lose between 2,000 to 10,000 containers at sea each year
costing $370 million per
year. Most go overboard
on the open sea during
storms but there are some
examples of whole ships
being lost with their cargo. When containers are
dropped, they immediately
become an environmental
threat as “marine debris”.
Once in the ocean, they
are filled with water and
sink if the contents cannot hold air. Rough waters
smash the containers sinking it quickly.
4. The threat of piracy can
cost a container shipping
company as much as
$100 million per year due
to longer routes and higher speed particularly in
East Africa.
What has been done
so far, here’s an update....
A new body formed to monitor container-shipping safety
will set about ways to benchmark operational procedures
onboard boxships.
Members of the seven-strong Container Ship
Safety Forum (CSSF) will travel
to Greece at the end of next
month to endeavor to pinpoint safety hazards unique
to container shipping and
thrash out ways to improve
safety in the industry.
The organization, the
brainchild of Maersk Line’s
head of marine standards,
Aslak Ross, who set about
forming a group to collate
safety data in the boxship industry in 2012 after two fatalities in his company, held its inaugural meeting in May 2014.
Its founding members
comprise CMA CGM, Maersk
Line, Hamburg Sud, Costamare, ER Schiffahrt, Rickmers
Group and Zodiac Maritime
Agencies, which together
claim to represent 22% of the
world’s containership tonnage.
The goal
of the October
30 and 31 meeting is to bring the
container space
up to speed with
other sectors of
shipping — such
as tankers and
offshore — that
are
deemed
to have a better operational
safety
record,
for instance with
less lost time due
to injury.
The CSSF
focus is on procedures
designated in the
International
Safety Management (ISM)
Code and the role of the designated person ashore (DPA),
rather than what is inside containers, which would be the
domain of other safety forums,
such as the Cargo Incident
Notification System (CINS).
“There was nothing
like this in our industry and we
all saw that it was missing,”
said Ross.
“It’s not that we [in
container shipping] have a
poor safety performance but
we can see that other shipping sections have a better
safety performance.”
Boxship crews seem to
be more prone to simple accidents such as slips, trips and
falls, Ross says.
That may reflect the
design of container vessels,
which have a lot more ladders, catwalks and gangways. This may mean why the
crew are more susceptible to
accidents.
So the first goal of the
CSSF is to collate data to
benchmark the safety percontinued on page 27
Congratulations UFS on your 20th Year!!!
14
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
The Unholy AllIANCE
Pinoy seafarers wary of recent NCMB decision,
cites possible loss of jobs
by Carlo Castro
M
r. Miguel Rocha of CF Sharp
Crew Management, Inc.
warned that the recent
decision of the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB)
granting full disability benefits to a Filipino
seafarer whose tip of the
middle finger was damaged while on board a
vessel may trigger global
shipping companies to
shy away from the Philippines, the global leader in
providing seafarers.
In August last year, a
panel of voluntary arbitrators of
the Labor Department’s NCMB
issued a decision granting
$250,000 as disability benefits
plus 10% as attorney’s fees—
or $275,000 (P12.328 million
at $1=P44.8320)—to Renerio
M. Villas, a second engineer.
The decision was signed by the
three-member panel’s chairman
Herminigildo C. Javen and concurred in by Atty. Allan S. Montaño. The third member, Capt.
Leonardo B. Saulog, offered a
dissenting opinion.
This, Mr. Rocha said, has
prompted foreign principals of
local manning agencies to shift
to other labor markets such as
India, which is detrimental to
the Philippines, which provides
some 32 percent of nearly two
million seafarers around the
world, and may hurt the domestic economy as billions of
dollars are being remitted by
Filipino seamen annually.
The case stemmed from
a complaint filed by the Filipino seafarer against C.F. Sharp
Crew Management, Inc. and its
principal General Ore Carrier Corp. XIX Ltd. In February
2013, Villas due to negligent
act in putting his fingers in the
lubricator on board the vessel
“Rebekka N” wherein the upper
portion of his right middle finger got amputated and the right
finger ring lacerated.
There were also reports
that some Filipino seafarers
were already told by their employers that their contracts
would be terminated in place of
other nationalities in the light of
rising labor claims against foreign principals, Mr. Rocha said.
Some 250 Filipino seafarers were
already removed from more
than 20 vessels, he added.
“Undeniably, we have to
protect the interest of our Filipino seafarers who are at risk
of illness or injury while they
render work overseas, but we
cannot turn a blind eye on labor decisions based on unlawful
claims,” said Mr. Rocha who is
supplying 18,000 Filipino seafarers to many foreign principals.
Mr. Rocha also slammed
the decision, stressing that the
partly damaged tip of the middle finger cannot be considered
a permanent disability while
even getting a certification from
the doctor that the seafarer was
fit to go back to his seafaring
duties.
He said that the grant
of full disability benefits was
contrary to what was stated
in the Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA), which provides that two batches of three
requirements each must be
present for the claimant to be
entitled to full disability compensation. He added that the
ruling rendered the CBA and the
Philippine Overseas Employment Administration-Standard
Employment Contract (POEASEC) inutile.
Engr. Ramirez, president
of United Filipino Seafarers, cit-
ed in particular the need
to pass a law to correct
the abuses in terms of
claiming disability benefits that are illegitimate
and unfounded,” he said.
“Legislation must be put
in place to stop this menace.”
Angkla Party-list Rep.
Jesulito Manalo had filed
House Bill No. 2643 or
the
Anti-Ambulance
Chasing Act that seeks to
amend Presidential Decree 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 bill
was still pending at the committee level.
“We have to balance the
interest of Filipino seafarers
and manning agencies and their
foreign principals in that bogus
claims are particularly injurious
to the seafaring industry as a
whole,” Mr. Rocha said.
Arbitrator disagrees with
ruling, complainant
‘got proper medical attention’
A member of the panel of voluntary arbitrators, meanwhile,
disputed the findings of the
panel, saying that Villas “has
no right under the law and contract to claim for full disability
benefits under the CBA.”
In his dissenting opinion, Capt. Saulog said that upon
continued on next page
from page 14
The Unholy AllIANCE
reviewing the facts of the case
and medical reports, the complainant was even “extensively and thoroughly attended
to medically by a team of specialists and that the diagnosis
progressed positively with each
visit to the company doctors.
In this regard, there is positive
showing that the condition
of the complainant has been
thoroughly and intelligently
assessed by the team of Sachly
International Health Partners
(SHIP).
The arbitrator, Capt.
Saulog, also indicated that “it
is important to emphasize that
the amputation was not of the
whole middle finger but just the
upper part of his right middle
finger or ‘the distal aspect of
the middle phalanx of the third
digit.’”
“It can be argued that
the loss of that part of the middle finger is permanent but it
has to be stressed that THE
LOSS DOES NOT REFER TO
THE WHOLE MIDDLE FINGER BUT ONLY TO THE
UPPER PART THEREOF,” the
arbitrator pointed out, adding
that it cannot be “conclusively
presumed and interpreted” that
the complainant was permanently incapacitated and unfit
to resume further sea service in
any capacity as what the CBA
and the POEA-SEC require.
In his opinion, Capt.
Saulog emphasized the provision in the CBA which provides
that “the disability suffered by
the seafarer shall be determined
by a doctor appointed mutually by the company and the ITF
[International Transport Workers’ Federation]...” in apparent
reference to the decision of the
panel that an opinion of a third
doctor was sought in Villas’ case.
“However, records also
show that the total loss of the
use of the middle finger of the
complainant was given a corresponding Grade 12 disability
rating by the company doctor
during the initial stages of the
treatment as provided under
the POEA-SEC, although reduced to 1/3 of Grade 12 only.
“The CBA, on the other
hand, also provides a schedule
of its disability ratings based on
the accidental injury suffered.
In that schedule, the loss of the
middle finger has a corresponding 10% rating,” Capt. Saulog
wrote in his differing opinion.
“Even assuming, for the
sake of argument, that the personal doctor’s findings can be
considered, the same cannot be
used for the entitlement to full
disability benefits because the
CBA provision specifically requires that the permanent disability must result in inability
to resume further sea service in
any capacity.
In the panel’s decision
granting full disability compensation to Villas, Capt. Saulog
differed strongly saying that
“common sense and human
experience tell us that the loss
of one finger, whether on the
right or left hand does not totally incapacitate a person to
perform any kind of work. The
schedule of disability and the
segregation of the resulting injuries and illnesses in the CBA
and even the POEA-SEC will be
rendered useless and meaningless because each and every injury or illness or disability can
then be interpreted as total and
permanent and entitled to 100
percent compensation, depending on the whim and caprice of
the seafarer. Such should not be
countenanced as such is not the
intent of the framers of our contractual provisions.”
16
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
VAST HORIZON
C/ENGR. RODOLFO B. VIRTUDAZO
Outstanding Seafarer of the Year, NSD, 1998
Most Outstanding Marine Engineer Officer, PRC, 1999
Technical Superintendent ABACUS Ship Management Limited
Pope Francis’ Thoughts On Families
A
s you must have learned
through the global news and
social media, His Holiness Pope
Francis had been in our country for a five-day pastoral visit.
Hundreds of thousands of cheering people waited several hours
under the heat of the sun for his
arrival in our country. They lined
the streets of Manila to have a
glimpse of his motorcade on his
way to Malacañang Palace, The
Manila Cathedral, the SM Mall
of Asia Arena, and millions more
came out to see him at the Quiri-
no Grandstand at the Rizal Park.
I would like to focus on
Pope Francis’s thought about families, since he has been concerned
about ideologies that go against
the basic unit of society, citing the
problems of migration, poverty, and
disrespect for life. In fact, we are on
the same boat with the pontiff because he himself had parents who
were migrant workers. His parents
are Italian immigrants who moved
to Argentina before he was born on
Dec. 17, 1936.
I kept on revising my column and just could not exactly cap-
ture what I would like to write and
just waited patiently for the start of
the gathering of families with the
Pope so that I could get concrete
ideas from him.
First of all, the audience of
about 20,000 families discovered
the romantic side of Pope Francis
when he said in Spanish, “Don’t
ever lose the illusion of when you
were boyfriend or girlfriend,”
which was subsequently translated
by Msgr. Mark Gerard Miles. He
encouraged Filipino husbands and
wives to always look back to their
dreams when they were still dating.
“How many solutions are
found to family problems if we
take time to reflect, if we think of
a husband or wife, and we dream
about the good qualities that they
have,” he also said.
“I recommend that at night
when you examine your consciences, ask yourself today, did I
dream about my sons and daughters? Did I dream of the love of my
husband or my wife?” he said.
“Did i dream of my parents, my family? It is so important to dream and to dream in
the family. Please don’t lose this
ability to dream in this way,” the
Pope continued. He said that it is
impossible to have a family without any hope, as this fuels each
member’s love for the other.
He told his audience that
he has a “sleeping” image of St.
Joseph on his desk. He said he
would scribble down his problem
on a piece of paper and put it under the image so that the sleeping
saint would dream of it.
Prayers, he said, are the
best weapon against such situation.
“Families, your greatest treasure,
have to be protected,” he added.
He listened to stories of
several families who told him
about their stories and how the
Catholic faith has inspired them
in their lives.
Below are some more quotable quotes
I gathered from his speech:
Resting in the Lord. Rest is so
necessary for the health of our minds
and bodies, and often so difficult to
achieve due to the many demands
placed on us. But rest is also essential for our spiritual health, so that we
can hear God’s voice and understand
what he asks of us. Joseph was chosen
by God to be the foster father of Jesus
and the husband of Mary. As Christians, you too are called, like Joseph,
to make a home for Jesus. You make
a home for him in your hearts, your
families, your parishes and your communities.
“To hear and accept God’s
call, to make a home for Jesus, you
must be able to rest in the Lord. You
must make time each day for prayer.
But you may say to me: Holy Father,
I want to pray, but there is so much
work to do! I must care for my children; I have chores in the home; I am
too tired even to sleep well. This may
be true, but if we do not pray, we will
not know the most important thing
of all: God’s will for us. And for all
our activity, our busy-ness, without
prayer we will accomplish very little.
“Resting in prayer is especially important for families. It is in the
family that we first learn how to pray.
There we come to know God, to grow
into men and women of faith, to see
ourselves as members of God’s greater family, the Church. In the family
we learn how to love, to forgive, to be
generous and open, not closed and
selfish. We learn to move beyond our
own needs, to encounter others and
share our lives with them. That is why
it is so important to pray as a family!
That is why families are so important
in God’s plan for the Church!
“Next, rising with Jesus and
Mary. Those precious moments of
repose, of resting with the Lord in
continued on page 24
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
from page 3
TINIG NG MARINO
AWARDS 2014:
in the Philippines, such as the first on MLC Courses, and the first and original on SSBT with BRM.
It has comprehensive training programs that meet IMO standards and are
STCW Compliant. The center garnered several recognitions such as: The Most Outstanding
Maritime Training Center of the Year for 2005
by the Philippine Quality Awards for Business
Excellence; the Most Outstanding Training
Center of the Year for 2005 by TINIG NG MARINO, and the Best Maritime Training Center
of the Year for 2012 by the Business Achievement and Recognition Awards
Outstanding
Manning Agency
of the Year:
BSM Service Crew
Center in the Philippines
With their vast experience on shipmanagement, BSM
is one of the leader
in providing job for
thousands of Filipino
Seafarers from cadet to CEO position.
They have
shared invaluable
contribution to the seafarers by providing better employment and promoting welfare to the
Filipino Seafarers and their families.
Outstanding Marine Environmental Protector:
Commodore Athelo Ybanez
PCG- Western Visayas District Commander,
Commodore Ybanez was the chairman of Task
Force Power Barge 103 that conducted Oil Spill
Containment and Recovery Operations during
Typhoon Yolanda last year. He was the On-theScene Commander of Power Barge Oil Spill Re-
TINIG NG MARINO
sponse Operations
as mandated in
the National Oil
Spill Contingency
Plan.
He is the
person in-charge
of the protection
of our marine ecosystem that has a
major impact on
human health and
livelihood.
Recently,
he was designated
as Commander of
Maritime Law Enforcement Security (MARSLEC),
a proof of his dedication and service.
Outstanding Protector of Maritime
Safety:
Commodore Eric
Evangelista
Commo. Evangelista’s meritorious
and valuable services rendered as
Commander of
Coast Guard District Palawan from
09 February 2012
to December 2014 contributed immensely in
the accomplishment of the objectives of CGDPAL and for the successful salvage operation
of USS Guardian, erecting additonal two lighthouses, Coast Guard K9 Training Schools and
other projects for the PCG as a whole.
Humanitarian Award:
Marlow Navigation Philippines Inc.
With their project, Re-Building Hope, Marlow Nav-
igation was able to build 22 fully furnished classrooms in eight public schools in Cebu and Iloilo that
was affected by Super Typhoon Yolanda. They do
not only give hope at sea but to all children who
17
benefited from the program. They also provide relief goods and financial assistance to those areas.
Loyalty Awards:
•CF Sharp Crew Management, Inc.
•Bridge Marine Corporation,
•Cargo Safeway Inc.
The contributions of CF Sharp, Bridge
Marine and Cargo Safeway in the local manning industry speak for itself and should not
go unnoticed.
This year’s TINIG NG MARINO Awards
would not be a success without the presence
of OFW Partylist Rep. “Ambassador” Roy
Señeres Sr. -- noted as the guardian of the Filipino overseas workers. Seneres is a lawyer, a
staunch fair labor advocate and leader.
He has a strong background and
experience on Labor Relations and Employment for about for decades now. His career
in the government started as a Labor Relations Officer and as Labor Arbiter.
He served as Assistant Regional Director at the Department of Labor and Employment; Labor Attache to the United States
form 1990-93 and Philippine Ambassador to
the United Arab Emirates for four years.
He was the chairman of the National
Labor Relations Commission from year 2000
until 2005. Still prime and vibrant, he is actively engaged with several Filipino organizations
here and abroad serving as adviser. His major
civic organization at present is the Overseas
Filipino Workers Family Club Incorporated,
which he spearheads.
With the OFW close to his heart, he is
now our Party List Representative to safeguard
our fellowmen working abroad. Late last year, he
marched for the abolition of the Php550 airport terminal fee being charged to our overseas workers.
Congratulations to our awardees!
We expect more good work and world-class
service from you in 2015.
18
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
PISOBILITIES
FRANCISCO J. COLAYCO
Chairman, Colayco Foundation for Education
Entrepreneur, Venture Developer and Financial Advisor
Paano Pumili ng Bisnes
S
a Facebook, sinulat ni PP: Mayroon akong Php 200K para
magnegosyo pero wala akong ideya kung anong klaseng negosyo
ang papasukin ko. Mayroon akong
puwesto na malapit sa Municipal
Road. Talagang kailangan ko ng
inyong tulong dahil ayokong pumunta sa abroad at mapalayo sa
aking pamilya. Talagang ikakatuwa
ko kung matutulungan ninyo ako
o kung makakapagbigay kayo ng
ilang payo. Madami akong interes,
tulad ng pagpapatayo ng isang
computer shop, dog breeding, at
ang pagkakaroon ng isang gym na
kung saan ako ay mahilig. Ngunit
hindi ko alam kung kikita ang mga
ito. Sa totoo lang, minsan kinukumpara ko ang sarili ko sa iba. Mayroon akong pera at puwesto para
magnegosyo pero naiinggit pa rin
ako dahil yung ibang tao ay kayang
magnegosyo. Pero ako? Hindi ko
kaya dahil hindi ko alam kung ano
ang aking gagawin. Noong mga
panahong naglalaro iyan sa isip
ko, saka ko naman kayo nakita sa
TV at inidolo ko kayo. Gusto kong
maging businessman tulad n’yo
kaya sana po’y matulungan n’yo
ako na ma-develop ang aking business skills.
Ang aking sagot:
Marami ang naghahalintulad ng “passion” sa “interest”. Napakalaki ng pagkakaiba sa pagitan
ng dalawang salitang iyan. Ang
passion ay isang bagay na hindi
mo makontrol at halos ikamamatay mo kung hindi mo man iyon
magawa. Ang interest naman ay
isang pagnanais lamang o kagustuhan na matutunan ang isang bagay.
Hindi posible na magkaroon ka ng
passion sa napakaraming bagay.
Ang paghahanap ng isang
negosyo na may kinalaman sa
iyong interest ay halos katulad ng
paghahanap ng isang negosyo na
may kinalaman sa isang bagay na
kung saan ikaw ay may passion.
May tatlong bagay na nagbibigay
ng tagumpay at nagpapatatag sa
isang negosyo. Ito ay 1) ang Demand o Market para sa produkto
o serbisyong ito; 2) ang passion ng
negosyante na gumawa ng produkto o serbisyo, at ang panghuli;
3) ang teknolohiya sa paggawa ng
mga produkto na may parehong
kalidad at presyo. Ang paggawa ng
desisyon kung anong negosyo ang
sisimulan ay maaaring ibase sa tatlong nabanggit. Pero lahat ng tatlong iyon ay kailangang nasa isang
negosyo para magtagumpay ito.
Hindi maitatanggi na dapat ang
bawat negosyo ay may tinutugunan na pangangailangan o demand
para sa isang produkto o serbisyo.
Kapag wala ang demand o market
na ito, maaaring mawala din ang
negosyong ito. Ang hamon dito ay
ang pagtukoy kung anong pangangailangan o demand ang mayroon sa
inyong lugar o sa lugar na kung saan
ikaw ay magtatayo ng negosyo. Bihirang magkaroon ng pagkakataon
na kung saan ang negosyante (tulad
ni Steve Jobs) ang gumagawa ng demand sa kanyang sariling passion sa
paggawa ng demand.
Ipagpatuloy natin ang pagtalakay sa mga bagay na kailangan
upang magtagumpay ang negosyo.
Hindi maitatanggi na dapat ang bawat negosyo ay may tinutugunan
na pangangailangan o demand para
sa isang produkto o serbisyo. Kapag
wala ang demand o market na ito,
maaaring mawala din ang negosyo
na ito. Ang hamon dito ay ang pagtukoy kung anong pangangailangan o
demand ang mayroon sa inyong
lugar o sa lugar na kung saan ikaw
ay mag-tatayo ng negosyo. Bihirang
magkaroon ng pagkakataon na kung
saan ang negosyante (tulad ni Steve
Jobs) ang gumagawa ng demand sa
kanyang sariling passion sa paggawa
ng demand.
Ang paghahanap ng isang
negosyo ay magsisimula sa iyong sariling pagsusuri kung ano ang iyong
passion at pag-alam kung ito ba ay
posibleng panggalingan ng mga produkto o serbisyo. Alamin din kung
may mga tao bang handang magbayad
para sa ganoong mga produkto o serbisyo. At kung mayroon mang mga
taong handang magbayad para sa ganoong produkto o serbisyo, kailangan
mo namang magsaliksik kung may
sapat na dami ng tao na tatangkilik sa
iyong negosyo para kumita ito. Pwede
ding magmasid-masid ka sa iyong
komunidad at tingnan kung ano ba
ang pangangailangan o demand ng
mga tao diyan na hindi available sa
presyong kaya nila. Kapag nakakita ka
ng isang produkto na may potensyal,
tanungin mo ang iyong sarili kung
mayroon ka bang sapat na interes na
pasukin ito, at kung mayroon ka bang
koneksyon sa technology at skills na
kailangan para mag-produce nito.
Saka lamang mabibigyan ng konsiderasyon ang magiging capital nito.
Ang sitwasyon ni PP ay
continued on page 37
20
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
MPHRP: Passionately Fulfilling its Core Purpose
By Pao Villavicencio
U
pon the establishment of the
Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme
(MPHRP) in 2011, it has been persistent in providing immediate and
direct care and assistance to seafarers and families affected severely by
piracy incidents.
Humbly,
MPHRP
is
achieving enormous amount of
recognition as it continuously
functions its sole essential purpose
for the welfare and well-being of
the individuals whom our passionate service is all due.
Showing that victories are
far greater than challenges, seafarer
experiences with MPHRP are living
testimonies in reaching out to them
to restore their dignity, to recover
from trauma and to return to nor-
mal and productive lives once again.
Single father Noel Sanchez
has received proper care with
MPHRP’s free mental health service from experts when MPHRP
has identified him as one of the
survivors of MV Eglantine in
2012. Noel also received financial
aids while one of his children was
granted a scholarship through Sailors’ Society. From selling ‘banana
cues’ to partly receiving his rightful
claims, he now has a tricycle passenger transport in Laguna that he
uses to earn a living – all for his beloved children.
“Many thanks to MPHRP! It
has really helped me in many ways.
They never forget to also visit me to
see my condition when they have
time to do so,” Noel said.
Noel Sanchez and his children (middle), together with MPHRP Philippines/Southeast Asia
Regional Director Rancho Villavicencio and his wife Edielen (right) and Reymon Cabalquinto,
MPHRP Volunteer (middle right)
Noel proudly shows his new source of income
– his tricycle for public transport.
A
MPHRP Philippines/Southeast Asia Regional Director Rancho Villavicencio (right) with
Rowell Tabag (left) as he peddles fresh meat and vegetables in their street in Tarlac.
Rowell shows off his new inspiration of his life - baby David Hans, after MPHRP Regional
Director Rancho Villavicencio assisted him and his fiancee in their hospital bill.
note was sent to MPHRP from
Rowell Tabag, another MV
Eglantine survivor: “I would like to
express my heartfelt gratitude on
behalf of my loving fiancée and our
new inspiration of life, David Hans.
We sincerely appreciate your kindness as you have been very helpful
to us…Words are not enough to
return everything that you’ve done
in my life.”
Rejected by companies
due to his condition, Rowell was
also privileged to be given a free
psychiatric and mental health care
for months. Through financial aid,
he was able to peddle fresh meat
and vegetables to earn money for
his family. Even so, his source of
income became insufficient when
his baby David Hans was born;
they were held in the hospital for
being unable to pay. But MPHRP
responded immediately, traveled to
Tarlac, assisted them and paid the
bills to be discharged.
Noel enoys a meal with Jun Pablo of
MPHRP Philippines
Rowell’s dignity has been
restored to start life anew after being
released from the piracy trauma and
the financial trauma caused by piracy.
Together with its funders,
partners and supporters, MPHRP
will be unstoppable in passionately
fulfilling its core purpose. We know
who we are and why we exist, which
is by far, our greatest achievement
as a charitable, non-political and
not-for-profit organization.
To All Seafarers and Families
The MPHRP is still in
constant search for seafarers and
families affected by maritime piracy. We want to meet and assist
you. Our office in Manila International Seafarers’ Centre in Port
Area is open weekdays for assistance. Feel free to contact Jun
Pablo at junpablo@mphrp.org or
at 0921 356 6088. Visit our website at www.mphrp.org for more
information of our services.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
21
Regional Office- Manila, Philippines
MESSAGE
Our warmest applause to the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) for its 20th Founding Anniversary.
It is worthy to note that UFS has survived the tides of challenges and pressures commercially. Your management truly deserves a commendation for a job well done in consistently acting, fighting and promoting for seafarers’ rights and welfare.
We also like to acclaim “the man at the helm” of UFS, Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez, for his unwavering support to the Maritime Piracy Humanitarian Response Programme (MPHRP) in all its undertakings, particularly in raising awareness among the Filipino seafarers about MPHRP’s
programs and services.
As a ship in the ocean, it was a tough 20-year sailing. Being dedicated and genuine to your mission, you diligently served thousands of
seafarers who sought your help.
May you continue to protect and uphold the rights and the welfare of the Filipino seafarers and remain supportive in raising awareness
about our Programme for us to identify seafarers and families affected by maritime piracy.
Through this cooperation and alliance, we can make things happen for them to contact us so that we can both provide direct and immediate assistance whenever possible and needed.
Congratulations once again.
Mabuhay ang UFS!
RANCHO G. VILLAVICENCIO
MPHRP Regional Director
Philippines/Southeast Asia
Partners of MPHRP
Supporters and Observers
plus Member Companies and Associations
22
TINIG NG MARINO
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
Filipino Seafarers at risk of
losing jobs due to corruption
C
orruption in the NLRC
and NCMB reaches a
new high with the recent Villas case. An NCMB panel decided to award seafarer 2nd
Engineer Villas USD275,000 or
nearly PHP12,500,000 for having lost a small portion of his
finger tip!
The claimant is saying
that he is permanently disabled and deserves the full
compensation per the governing CBA. While the CBA
sets the award for 100% disability at $250K, the grading
scale only gives a 60% disability grading if one loses an
entire hand! Ignoring this fact,
the NCMB Arbitrators upheld
the claim of 100% permanent
disability.
While it is easy to point
the finger (no pun intend-
ed) at the claimant, the real
villains are the ambulance
chasing lawyers and the labor arbiters or arbitrators who
are supposed to act impartially. In fact, the claimants
themselves are also victims as
some report that up to 60-70%
of the awards are paid out to
lawyers for “legal fees”.
The fallout.
Corruption in the NLRC
and NCMB is costing the Philippines thousands of seafaring
jobs. The NLRC and NCMB are
two arbitrary bodies set up under the DOLE to help claimants
and employers find amicable
solutions to disputes. However,
loopholes in the law are al-
lowing dishonest lawyers and
labor arbiters or arbitrators to
effectively steal millions of U.S.
dollars from foreign employers
without any accountability for
their actions.
The NLRC and NCMB
are able to execute judgments
before waiting for appeals to
be heard and decided by the
Court of Appeals and Supreme
Court. This means that money can be forcibly garnished
from employer bank accounts
immediately, and when the
Court of appeals overturns the
wrongful decisions, the money
is long gone and will never be
recovered by the employers.
The fact that cases are
not decided on merit, and that
there is no recourse for emcontinued on page 27
from page 16
VAST HORIZON
prayer, are moments we might wish
to prolong. But like Saint Joseph,
once we have heard God’s voice,
we must rise from our slumber; we
must get up and act (cf. Rom 13:11).
Faith does not remove us from the
world, but draws us more deeply
into it. Each of us, in fact, has a special role in preparing for the coming
of God’s kingdom in our world.
“Just as the gift of the Holy
Family was entrusted to Saint Joseph, so the gift of the family and
its place in God’s plan is entrusted
to us. The angel of the Lord revealed
to Joseph the dangers which threatened Jesus and Mary, forcing them
to flee to Egypt and then to settle in
Nazareth. So too, in our time, God
calls upon us to recognize the dangers threatening our own families
and to protect them from harm.
“The pressures on family
life today are many. Here in the Philippines, countless families are still
suffering from the effects of natural
disasters. The economic situation has
caused families to be separated by
migration and the search for employment, and financial problems strain
many households. While all too many
people live in dire poverty, others are
caught up in materialism and lifestyles which are destructive of family
life and the most basic demands of
Christian morality. The family is also
threatened by growing efforts on the
part of some to redefine the very institution of marriage, by relativism, by
the culture of the ephemeral, by a lack
of openness to life.
“Our world needs good and
strong families to overcome these
threats! The Philippines needs holy
and loving families to protect the
beauty and truth of the family in
God’s plan and to be a support and
example for other families. Every
threat to the family is a threat to
society itself. The future of humanity, as Saint John Paul II often said,
passes through the family (cf. Familiaris Consortio, 85). So protect your
families! See in them your country’s
greatest treasure and nourish them
always by prayer and the grace of the
sacraments. Families will always have
their trials, but may you never add to
them! Instead, be living examples of
love, forgiveness and care. Be sanctuaries of respect for life, proclaiming
the sacredness of every human life
from conception to natural death.
What a gift this would be to society,
if every Christian family lived fully
its noble vocation! So rise with Jesus
and Mary, and set out on the path the
Lord traces for each of you.
“Finally, the Gospel we have
heard reminds us of our Christian
duty to be prophetic voices in the
midst of our communities. Joseph
listened to the angel of the Lord
and responded to God’s call to care
for Jesus and Mary. In this way he
played his part in God’s plan, and
became a blessing not only for the
Holy Family, but a blessing for all
of humanity. With Mary, Joseph
served as a model for the boy Jesus as he grew in wisdom, age and
grace (cf. Lk 2:52). When families
bring children into the world, train
them in faith and sound values, and
teach them to contribute to society,
they become a blessing in our world.
God’s love becomes present and active by the way we love and by the
good works that we do. We extend
Christ’s kingdom in this world. And
in doing this, we prove faithful to
the prophetic mission which we
have received in baptism.
“During this year which your
bishops have set aside as the Year of
the Poor, I would ask you, as families,
to be especially mindful of our call to
be missionary disciples of Jesus. This
means being ready to go beyond your
homes and to care for our brothers
and sisters who are most in need. I
ask you especially to show concern
for those who do not have a family of
their own, in particular those who are
elderly and children without parents.
Never let them feel isolated, alone and
abandoned, but help them to know
that God has not forgotten them. You
may be poor yourselves in material
ways, but you have an abundance of
gifts to offer when you offer Christ
and the community of his Church. Do
not hide your faith, do not hide Jesus,
but carry him into the world and offer
the witness of your family life!
“Dear friends in Christ,
know that I pray for you always! I
pray that the Lord may continue
to deepen your love for him, and
that this love may manifest itself in
your love for one another and for
the Church. Pray often and take the
fruits of your prayer into the world,
that all may know Jesus Christ and
his merciful love. Please pray also
for me, for I truly need your prayers
and will depend on them always!”
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
25
from page 4
EDITORIAL
Pass the OWWA Bill...
Currently, the main
source of fund for the operation
and maintenance of the OFW
Fund is derived mainly from
the contribution of its members
– the OFWs themselves.
From the ashes or carcasses of the de-commissioned
agencies comes the Overseas
Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), which is the
only government institution
funded by the contribution of
its members.
By some twisted logic,
OWWA is now put at the pedestal as the agency that should
be running the Marcosian OFW
Fund – created by the LOI - using the blood and sweat money
of OFWs, including seafarers.
But OWWA, while willing to assume the herculean
task of caring after our OFWs,
does not receive enough funding from government to help
support and operationalize the
mandate that it inherited by
virtue of the LOI.
The government wants
to continue helping the OFWs
but would not shell out a dime
to buttress the depleting funds of
OWWA.
It seemingly demands
that OFWs must shoulder the
upkeep for their own OFW
Fund that was created by the
Marcos LOI.
The Bureau of fisheries
and Aquatic Resources, however,
is not funded by the fisherfolks.
Likewise, the Department of Agriculture (DA) is not funded by
the farmers. The budgets for all
the government agencies come
from the national budget except
for OWWA.
OWWA’s
predicament
can be compared to parents who
would ask for money from their
own children in order to provide
the same their needed food, shelter, clothing and education.
It is high time that government allocates funds for
the implementation of its program and for the operation and
maintenance of OWWA and its
Welfare Offices abroad so that
the contribution of the members will be focused on providing social and welfare services, insurance coverage, social
work assistance, legal assistance, cultural assistance and
remittance assistance which is
the main mandate of OWWA.
Deputy administrators
of OWWA must come from the
OFW sector so that they can assist the administrator in times of
crisis because they understand
the needs of their constituents..
Ten percent of the
OWWA collection should be al-
located annually for the reintegration program. No OFW will
remain a pauper after working
abroad for more than a decade.
A bill pending in Congress is precisely hoping to accomplish all of the above.
We implore policy-makers, OFW advocates, Marcos
loyalists or not, lawmakers and
even the Pope to help pass the
OWWA legislation now!
26
TINIG NG MARINO
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
from page 13
Improve Safety in Container Shipping...
formance of its members —
something not yet accessible
in the industry.
“We need to identify
the particulars of our operation
that gives us an opportunity to
improve,” said Ross. “We can
only do that when we have
analysed more data.”
Such
benchmarking
will definitely enable the industry to improve its performance,
says fellow steering committee member Claas-Heye Diekmann, ER Schiffahrt’s quality-assurance director and
head of health, safety, security and the environment.
“In the container shipping industry, we cannot
compare our records with our
peers,” said Diekmann.
Yet, the industry has a
duty to do so, he says, in order that “the people we are
sending onto these vessels
can return home safely”.
While most of the CSSF’s
members are European, the
goal is to attract more delegates — especially from Asia.
Secretariat
services
are provided by the Business
for Social Responsibility (BSR),
a non-profit consultancy that
focuses on sustainable development.
The BSR already plays a
role in the industry through the
Clean Cargo Working Group
(CCWG), which claims to report on 2,900 ships, representing 85% of ocean container
capacity worldwide.
CCWG recently revealed that containership
emissions fell by nearly 8 percent between 2012 and 2013,
and by more than 22 percent
since 2009. Its report, which
measures data from 23 of the
ocean carriers, says the improvement reflected changes
in global trade conditions, fleet
efficiency and data quality.
from page 22
Filipino Seafarers risk of
losing Jobs...
ployers, is causing ship owners
to take action by removing Filipino crew from their ships and
replacing them with Indians, Indonesians, and Burmese crew.
This latest case of brazen disregard for the law
takes fraud to a new level,
and hard working Filipino seafarers are the ones paying the
ultimate price.
This particular ship owner who is the latest victim in the
Villas case, has already been
hit with several bogus decisions over the past year. This
has prompted them to already
remove Filipino seafarers from
more than 20vessels, costing
loss of employment for more
than 250 Filipino crew. Given
this recent decision, we can
expect the remaining 6 vessels
to follow. In the end, more than
500 men will have lost their jobs.
This landmark case
may likely be the tipping point
to prompt more ship owners
to pull Filipinos from their ships
in favor of other nationalities.
Without taking action,
we are giving away our market share to competing nations. These positions are not
likely to return. Today the Philippines supplies more than
30 percent of the worlds seafarers. At 385,000, they comprise less than 4 percent of the
10,000,000 OFWs. In recorded
remittances, however, they
pump nearly $5.5 billion into
the Philippine economy every
year, more than 25 percent of
the overall OFW remittance
which are projected at more
the $20 Billion each year.
This is part of the Philippine economy that we can ill
afford to lose. Unfortunately,
nothing seems to be standing in the way of the few who
enrich themselves at the expense of the very people
they are claiming to defend.
Hypocrisy at its finest.
28
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Fleet Services Pte. Ltd.
“ONE TEAM” Strengthens the
O
“
ne team to work as one
body. Not only you or me,
but we, grow as a family, we
grow big,” was emphasized by
J.H. Chan, general manager
for Crewing of PACC Offshore
Services Holdings Pte Ltd, or
POSH during their triannual
seminars here in the Philippines.
The last leg of POSH Sea Staff
Seminar for the year 2014 was
held on November 26-28 at the
Traders Hotel, Manila.
This is the firm thrust of
one of the top offshore fleet
in the world, manned mostly
by Filipino seafarers. It is the
permanent focal point of their
meeting where seafarers and
office staff composed of various nationalities participate to
continuously fortify their “one-
team culture” in the
company.
Among the topics discussed in the seminar included HSEQA Policies
and Case Studies, Procurement Policies and Guidelines Functions and Responsibilities,
- Requisition Workflow - Spares
- Stores Category - Cost Saving
Initiatives - Drydocking, Technical Policies and Case Studies,
Lube Oil Analysis- Understanding the RLA report Report Status, Trends and Limits - Distinguish Between Oil Addiitves
and Wear Metals - Fluid and
Surface Destructive Contaminants - Engine Fuel Injection
Characteristics and Combustion Performance,Training and
Assessment of Various Learnings and Skills, Competence
based Assessment, Objectives
and Methods,Crewing Policies
and Guidelines POSH Terasea
POSH Team
Operations Guidelines and
Multi gas Detector Training.
DP Operations Policies and
Guidelines-review of STCW ‘95,
its Key Concepts,and Functions,Levels of Responsibilities, Rest Hours in reference to
STCW “Fitness for Duty” and
MLC Regulation 2.3 and Issues
Related to Compliance, Toolbox Talks and Risk Assessment,
“Risk management in our
culture- safety courses is not
only offered to senior officers
but also to juniors who will be
handed over the tasks soon.”
Chan pointed out.
POSH, putting a major
importance not only on the
“mental skills” but also on the
“emotional skills” of its people maintains an interactive
training platform. The second
part of the seminar will not
be complete without a wellplanned Areobics and Warm
Exercises, Orientation. Hand
Language Activity, Accountability Scale, Multiple Choice
Activity and Film Clips to cultivate personal attributes.
Self-discipline, responsibility, respect and trust are
among the core-values that
POSH would like to instill to every
participant. They developed
their own Corporate Social
Responsibility (CSR) mounted
on environmental protection.
Among their programs are
“Out with the Bottled Water,”
“Reduced Unnecessary Garbage,” “Minimize Environmental Damage,” “Save the Earth
and Save Lives.”
POSH conducts three
seminars a year in Manila, Philippines and two seminars in
Jakarta, Indonesia. POSH also
supports cadetship programs
in Manila, Cebu and Cagayan
de Oro.
-Mia Lapis
30
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
PMMA Alumni Association Inc. gathers for
the housewarming of its Alumni Center
A Dream Come True!
E
xactly a year ago, the Philippine Merchant Marine
Academy alumni trooped
together, with hard hats on
and shovels up in arms for the
ground breaking ceremony of
a dream project on a modest
piece of land in Makati City.
PMMAAAI
president
Gaudencio “Jess” Morales announced then that “the Board
will do its best effort to complete the construction of the
alumni center within this year.”
On January 8, reality
beckoned when the two-storey PMMA Alumni Center , was
inaugurated. With the collective effort of its members, the
center which has a roof deck
was successfully erected out of
the drawing board. Notably, its
construction was achieved on
their targeted time frame.
In a conversation with
Captain Gilbert Llamado, he
mentioned that the alumni
secretariat will now have its
official headquarters in this
building in the busy business
city of Makati. An exclusive
alumni house was built in the
PMMA compound just two
years ago to accommodate
travelling alumni on special
occasions.
The alumni center was
finished on their desired completion date and was supposed
to be inaugurated last December but erratic typhoon arrivals
and Christmas rush were taken
into consideration.
He explained the striking
32 rings around the welcome
tarpaulin. With 21 bearing logos of various class batches
and the remaining blank ones.
“Each ring corresponds to the
Triple Diamond Sponsors, the
highest donors, who contributed to make this a reality in
the soonest possible time,” he
shared. The remaining 11 rings
are reserved to the batches
who would like to be included
in the historical markers that will
define the significance of this
center to the alumni.”
During the Holy Mass
offered for the housewarming, the officiating priest,
welcomed the occasion as
a “good news” for the alumni association members for
reaping the fruit of their labor.
“Making this dream realized is
a milestone. Marami kayong
matutulungan (You will be
able to help many), and now
you have a permanent place
to meet...” he said.
President Morales gave
a short financial report and
other plans in pipeline for the
center. He said that these will
be handed over to the next
board. “A dream come true,”
was the echo of the alumni.
Captains
Exequiel
Adanza and Mariano Abacan
Alcaraz of Class ‘58 of the then
Philippine Nautical School both
expressed their elation saying, “at last, natupad na ang
pangarap na magkaroon ng
sariling bahay, (a dream come
true to have our own house,
the alumni center.” The two retired captains, still fit and trim,
are active supporters of the
alumni, together with their PNS
chapter- a collective batch of
class ‘48 up to ‘64.
“Like
a
symphony
with a good conductor, we
can make a masterpiece,”
quipped Capt. Alcaraz, pointing to the low-profiled alumni
president, Capt. Morales, during a light conversation after
the program. Likewise, the
admiration for the PNS seniors
was generously and deservingly extended. He expressed
encouragement and invitation to the younger batches to
actively participate since the
organization is for all the
so called-alumni.
“Yes, it is a dream come
true. It is a collaboration and a
valuable contribution of the
members as manifested by this
building,”Admiral Richard Ritual of the Philippine Merchant
Marine Academy remarked
when asked for a comment.
The
minimalist-designed structure was outlined
with two office spaces at the
ground floor, four rooms in
the second floor, and a roof
deck with about a 150-person
capacity for functions.. Its estimated budget was around
P10 million - Php12 million inclusive of interior fixtures. The
construction was managed
by the Board of Directors/
Board of Trustees and Project
Managers Class ‘82 led by
Captain Ely Diaz.
UFS president Nelson
Ramirez, an honorary member
of the PMMAAAI, could not
also contain his acclamation in
the realization of this project.
He commended the
board for overcoming some
skeptical views and other
challenges that surfaced during its inception.
The genteel president
said that the alumni center is
expected to be self-sustaining
with the funds that will come
from leasing to members or affiliated companies on short or
long term purposes. He added confidently that there is indeed a very promising year for
their latest accomplishment.
-Mia Lapis
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
31
32
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
Anglo-Eastern Philippines holds A
“Shipping in the Digital Age”
Mr. Marcel Liedts, Anglo-Eastern Group COO, gave his
opening address at the Annual Officers’ Seminar of Anglo-Eastern
Crew Management Philippines in
the Ballroom 1 of the New World Hotel, Makati City, Manila on November 19, 2014. He provided a historical perspective of the Anglo-Eastern
Group and how the Company has
grown steadily since its inception
in 1974 towards its celebrating 40
years of technical excellence today.
About 100 ship officers attended
this event with the theme “Shipping
in the Digital Age.”
Owners’ representatives
from Petredec Services (Asia) Pte.,
Ltd., Bocimar International N.V.,
UASC (S.A.G.), Saga Shipholding
(Norway) AS and Rio Tinto Marine
were present during the seminar.
In addition to various
speakers from Anglo-Eastern offices in Hong Kong and Singapore, a
remarkable array of guest speakers were lined up during the event.
Mr. Philip Harwood, fleet
general manager of Petredec Services gave the Owner’s Address.
He provided a testimony of Anglo-Eastern’s capabilities and competence. “You see, we realize that
anybody can easily manage a shiny
new ship, but it takes a special out-
Corporate Social Responsibility. Mr. Peter Cremers, Anglo- Eastern Group
CEO, highlights that AECMP’s ultimate CSR is caring for our 20,000 seafarers
and their families. We treat each of them not as a statistics component but as
individuals with different needs.
fit like Anglo-Eastern to take one
in deplorable condition and turn it
into a proud member of our fleet,”
he narrated. Such trust is the reason why they have awarded the
management of their newly- built
vessels to Anglo- Eastern.
Harwood also made a forecast that marine officers are now
Confident, Safe and Motivated. Anglo- Eastern Officers receive utmost
developmental support and career progression opportunities. Stringent recruitment applies from Day 1 of application yet they enjoy the Safety Culture
onboard our ships with the assurance of back office monitoring, support and
assistance during each tenure onboard.
changing the habits of a lifetime
brought about by technology.
Citing that even the most basic
equipment onboard are now electronic, there is a learning curve
involved as the crew explores the
capabilities of these equipments.
Meantime, as part of Anglo-Eastern’s commitment to safe-
ty, a discussion on operational risk
management was delivered by
Capt. Surendra Dutt, Managing Director of Anglo-Eastern Ship Management Singapore. He highlighted the growing list of expectations
from Anglo-Eastern officers: professionalism, teamwork, transparency, compliance, customer satisfaction and operational integrity.
Atty. Jabeth Sena Dacanay,
MARINA chief of staff and STCW
deputy executive director, laid out
the consequences of the failed
EMSA audits. Going on, she reassuringly explained that far from being derecognized and subjected to
an EU ban, the Philippines has been
granted a reprieve which should
give MARINA enough time to finally meet EMSA’s requirements.
Further, Atty. Charles Dela
Cruz of Del Rosario spoke regarding “Focus on Filipino Seafarer’s
Health: Loss Prevention and Jurisprudence.” Atty. Jabeth Dacanay,
deputy executive director, STCW
and chief of staff, Office of the Administrator – MARINA, gave useful
insights into the working of MARINA and future challenges. A presentation on the “Future of Shipping 2020” by Mr. Antonio Leosala,
Principal Surveyor and Country
Manager Philippines, DNV GL –
Maritime followed.
Finally, the Guest of Honor,
Strong, Secured and Self- Reliant. The wives of AECMP Officers receive continuous support from the company in terms of health, financial, personal development and family- focused workshops. These are in addition to the company’s
regular follow- ups and open- line communication with the families through the
Welfare Section, more importantly when the seafarers are on-board.
TINIG NG MARINO
Annual Officers’ & Wives’ Seminar
Dr. Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., MARINA
administrator gave an informative
speech on the changes that he is
initiating to meet the future challenges of maritime education and
training in the Philippines.
After the speeches was
the break-away of the attendees
into two groups- Deck and Engine
where they were provided with
further technical and operational
updates.
Quality Assurance and
Operations department speakers
from Anglo-Eastern Hong Kong
and Singapore discussed the latest Incident reviews, internal audit findings and case studies with
the Deck officers. Meanwhile, the
Technical department speakers
conducted a workshop for the
Engineer officers covering critical Engine Room issues from the
points of view of engineering
practices and environmental protection issues.
The proceedings culminated with the two groups getting
together again for an Open Forum
where the sea-staff had the opportunity to interact with the AESM
Managers.
33
Health and Medicine, Psychology
and Communication, Banking
and Insurance for the benefit of
the attending wives.
In addition to the company’s in- house speakers who gave
information on company benefits, crew and family health insurance, MPO, allotments and other
internal processes, the invited
speakers presented their papers
on the following topics:
• Personal Effectiveness for Parents and Children in the Digital Age
• Health & Wellness in the Digital Age
• Retirement Planning
• How to Avoid Electronic Banking Fraud
• Communication in the Digital
Age.
The Wives Seminar ended with the Open Forum where
they, too, were asked to interact
with the AECM managers. While
their questions were few, the
managers asked them two questions– (1) If they are happy that
their husbands are working for
AESM and (2) Are their husbands
“The Mariner’s Family in the
happy working for AESM – The
Digital Age”
reply to both questions was a resounding YES!!
Concurrently in the Ball A Group Photo of all laRoom 3, the 5th Manila Officers’ dies culminated the event.
Wives Seminar was attended by
54 wives of sailing and on leave
“Gala Dinner”
Officers. The opening address was
also presented by Mr. Marcel Liedts Cocktails, dinner, live
who commended the ladies on music and dance show followed
their presence and also informed the seminars. The highlight of
them of the company statistics, the evening was the presence of
activities and future plans for the Mr. Peter Cremers, Anglo-Eastern
Filipino Officers.
Group CEO. He gave a brief but
With the theme “The Mari- inspiring welcome to all and apner’s Family in the Digital Age,” var- preciated everyone’s presence in
ious speakers from different sec- celebrating Anglo-Eastern’s 40th
tors were invited to provide highly Anniversary. It was a colorful
informative and interactive up- evening of relaxation, fun and
dates on Information Technology, enjoyment.
Guest of Honour. Dr. Maximo Q. Mejia, Jr., MARINA Administrator receives the
company token of appreciation from Anglo- Eastern Group COO, Mr. Marcel Liedts.
Focus and Commitment. Dr. Mejia gives an extensive report on status, developments and the future of the Philippine maritime landscape during the Officers
Seminar. It was well- received by the attending seafarers and ship owners.
The Proud link between Mariner and his Family. The men and women of
AECMPI who consistently adhere to standards of ethical recruitment in their daily
interface with Anglo- Eastern seafarers.
Of Charm and Grace, Dance and Music. Good fun welcomed all the AngloEastern seminar attendees when they were greeted by the evening band as the
Gala Dinner began. The dance floor was then heated up by belly dancers joined
by both office and sea staff.
34
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Shuttlers Up
-For A Cause by the Rotarians
of Fort Bonifacio
by Mia Lapis
T
he cool December climate was embraced
with hot, sweaty, powerful
smashes of shuttlecocks as
badminton players held on
firmly to their rackets.
A charity badminton
tournament was organized by the Rotary Club of
Fort Bonifacio Global City
on December 6, 2014 at
Powersmash Badminton
Center, Makati City.
The
tournament
wel-
comed players, at least 12
years old and above, current and national players,
trainers, coaches, varsity
players, and all badminton enthusiasts. Participants were leveled according to their skills.
Three
rounds
of
leveling were held on October 24, 2014 , November
15 and 22, 2014.
A minimal entry fee
per person and per sec-
ond entry inclusive of tournament fee, T-shirt and
a raffle ticket per player
was raised to be used by
the Rotary Club to pursue
advocasies concerning
social welfare and development. Division champions received Php3,000
and a medal while the
first runner-ups received
Php1,500 and a medal
each.
This tournament for
a cause was led by Rotary
president Marlene “Len”
Dado Jante, RY 2014-2015
and its organizing committee by Rotarians Spyro
Ravanopoulos and Mark
Gallardo.
Participating sponsors were Michaelmar
Inc, CFIC, DDC Land,
SSPM 7/11,Meridian Maritime Training Center Inc.,
SMART and Queenspoint
Travel and Tours.
36
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
HEALTH TIPS
ELPIDIO C. NOLASCO, MD, FPCS, PACS
General & Cancer Surgeon, Laparoscopic Surgeon
President & Medical Director, Nolasco International Medical & Diagnostic Clinic
Alcohol and the Liver
T
he liver is the largest internal organ of the body and
it has a hundred different functions. One of the liver’s most
important functions is to break
down food and convert it into
energy when the body needs it.
The liver also helps the body to
get rid of waste products and
plays an important role in fighting infections.
Regularly drinking, defined as drinking, on four days
or more per week, can increase
the risk of developing liver disease and cause irreversible damage to this very important part
of the body. In 2003, regular
drinking was pegged at 11.1% in
the Philippines with men at 13%
and women at 5.9%. Teenage
drinking, ages 15-19 years old,
showed 47% for boys and 12%
for girls. It is assumed, at the
moment, these numbers have
increased significantly.
Globally, alcoholic liver disease accounts for over a
third of liver disease deaths,
and figures show victims of liver disease are getting younger:
more than 1 in 10 of deaths of
people in their 40s are from liver disease, most of them is due
to alcohol.
Drinking too much alcohol can damage the liver
because of “oxidative stress”.
When the liver tries to break
down alcohol, the resulting
chemical reaction can damage
its cells. This damage can lead
to inflammation and scarring
as the liver tries to repair itself.
Evidence about how much and
3. vomiting
4. abdominal discomfort or
pain
how often one needs to drink to
increase the chances of developing liver disease is not definite. But all the research shows
that the more alcohol one
drinks, the more likely one develops liver disease. The threshold for developing alcoholic liver disease in men is an intake
of 40-80 grams/day of alcohol
for 10 years while women are
at increased risk of developing
similar degrees of liver injury
by consuming 20-40 grams/
day. This is equivalent to 3-6
cans of beer, 4-8 glasses of wine
and 3-6 drinks of hard liquor
for men, and half of those for
women.
Evidence also suggests
that other factors may increase
the risk of developing liver disease such as:
1. Gender - women develop
higher levels of alcohol in the
blood than men even if they
have drunk the same amount of
alcohol
2. Obesity - excess weight can
exacerbate many of the mechanisms of liver damage caused by
excessive drinking
3. Genetics - certain genetic factors, including those affecting
the liver’s handling of fat, influence the risk of a heavy drinker
developing liver disease.
Alcoholic liver disease is
categorized into three forms: fatty liver, alcoholic hepatitis, and
cirrhosis. The liver turns glucose
into fat which it sends the body
to store for use when the body
needs it. Excess alcohol affects
the way the liver handles fat so
the liver cells get stuffed full
of it. This is fatty liver, the first
stage of alcoholic liver disease.
This damage, as mentioned, can
lead to inflammation (hepatitis)
and scarring (cirrhosis) as the
individuals continue to drink.
People can spend years
damaging their liver and not feel
any of the effects alcohol is doing
to them. This is because the liver has enormous reserves so that
one can damage a great part of it
and the liver can still do all of its
jobs.
Early symptoms of alcoholic liver disease may include:
1. fatigue
2. nausea
Later stage symptoms may include:
1. jaundice (yellow skin)
2. vomiting blood
3. fatigue and weakness
4. loss of appetite
5. itching
6. easy bruising
7. swelling of the ankles, legs
or abdomen
8. bleeding in the gut
9. liver cancer
When alcoholic liver
disease develops, cutting out
alcohol is essential to prevent
death from liver failure which
is when the liver stops working
completely. In the most serious
cases of cirrhosis, one will only
be considered for a liver transplant if one does not drink alcohol for at least three to six
months.
Taking a regular break
from alcohol will help the liver stay healthy. Reducing the
amount one drinks, 10 grams/
day for women and 20 grams/
day for men, can help reverse
damage, or early stage liver
disease. Once cirrhosis develops, prognosis partly depends
on whether or not the person
continues drinking. Those
who continue to drink have
a much higher risk of dying.
Even for those with symptoms, stopping drinking has
a beneficial effect. It is never
“too late” to stop drinking,
even with cirrhosis.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
37
Another feather on Ramirez’s cap
from page 18
PISOBILITIES
karaniwan na sa nakakaraming tao.
Inaakala nila na bago sila makahanap ng isang business possibility,
kailangan muna nilang magkaroon
ng kapital. Naniniwala ako na ang
isang negosyante na may maayos na
business idea at plano ay makakakuha ng kapital na kakailanganin. Hindi ang kapital ang siyang magdidikta
kung anong negosyo ang iyong papasukin. Ang negosyong napili ang
siyang tutukoy sa halaga ng kapital.
Tandaan na ang paglinang
ng iyong business skills ay hindi
nangyayari agad. Kinakailangan ito
ng maraming pag-aaral, analysis,
tiyaga at karanasan. Kung nabasa
mo ang aking mga libro, malalaman mo na marami na rin akong
napagdaanang pagsubok. Hindi
ka nag-iisa at mas mabuti na huwag kang maiinggit sa iba. Sa halip
ay linangin mo ang iyong sarili
sa pamamagitan ng edukasyon
para hangaan ka rin ng iba. Gamitin mo ang lahat ng iyong libreng
oras para linangin ang iyong sarili. Kahit sino ay kayang gawin yan.
Kailangan lamang ng disiplina at
determinasyon.
Sumali sa aming mga seminar upang lalong matuto. Magtext or tumawag sa +639178632131
o mag-email sa training@colaycofoundation.com. Maaari mo ring
makita ang schedule ng aming mga
seminar sa aming website www.colaycofoundation.com.
Sa pagsapit ng 2015, lalong
bigyan ng halaga ang iyong mga
kamag-anak at mahal sa buhay.
Bigyan sila ng isang set ng aming
mga libro na ngayon ay mabibili mo sa halagang Php999 imbes
na Php1,420 upang lalong matuto
kung paano pwedeng pahalagahan
ang pera. Ang isang set ay naglalaman ng anim na libro. Tumawag o
mag-text lang sa +639178632136 o
mag-email sa books@colaycofoundation.com.
Binabati ko kayo ng Manigong Bagong Taon!
Nawa’y
makahanap kayo ng bisnes na totoong makapagbibigay sa inyo ng
pera at higit sa lahat ng tunay na
kasiyahan.
TINIG NG MARINO
by Mia Lapis
T
he 6th Outstanding OFW and
Balikbayan Reputation Award
(OBRA) has recognized the valuable contribution of Engr. Nelson
Ramirez, a former seaman turned
maritime labor leader, newspaper
publisher, radio anchorman and TV
host, to the community and society.
EXLINKS Events, the producer and organizer of OBRA, lauded Engr. Ramirez on his dedication
to promote the welfare of the seafarers through the United Filipino
Seafarers (UFS) As everyone knows,
UFS is a maritime labor organization that has been very vocal on issues affecting the sea-based workers
and professionals.
Ramirez has been an indefatigable protester of the maritime
disasters that beset the country during the past decade. One of his ma-
jor standup achievements was the
sinking of MV Princess of the Stars,
that claimed the lives of about 300
passengers in 2008, and was considered the worst maritime tragedy in
the Philippines.
Under his leadership, the
UFS, through the years had pushed
for:
1.) The 5-year validation of the Seafarer’s Identification and Record
Book, pushed for the higher passing
percentage in the licensure examination,
2.) The two-level licensure examination and the walk-in examination
3). The abolition of the Panamanian
examination,
4.) Active lobby for the Passage of
the Philippine Merchant Marine Act
of 1995 or R.A. 8544,
5.) The First National Seafarers Day
6.) The First OFW International
Congress
7.) Pushed for the ammendments of
Anti-Money Laundering Law
8.) Strengthening of the Philippine
Flag Vessels and, the exemption
from payment of the income tax,
and just recently,
9.) Abolition of the NAIA terminal fee and the travel tax, among
others which can be seen through
UFS Website, www.unitedfilipinoseafarers.com.ph, which both the
seabased and landbased OFW are
benefitting.
Other OFW and Balikbayan
awardees were recognized based on
entrepreneurship, positive character/
deed, family building, and work ethics.The awarding ceremony was held
at the SMX Convention Center Hall
4, Pasay City on December 18, 2014.
38
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Keeping the Bad Guys Off the Ship:
10 Non-Lethal Anti-Piracy Methods
by Joana Chrystal Ventura
I
n January 2009, armed Somali pirates attempted
to board the Greek-flagged
oil-carrying MV Kriti Episkopi as
it sailed en route to Greece
from Iran. The captain attempted to outrun the pirates’
speedboats but evasive action
did not work. After sending out
a distress call to the nearest authorities and while waiting for
the crisis response team, the
crew prevented the pirates
from boarding the vessel by
aiming high-pressured streams
of water on them until an EU
aircraft arrived to escort them
to safety.
The foiled pirate attack
on the MV Kriti Episkopi demonstrates how non-lethal anti-piracy methods can be very useful in helping stave off piracy
attempts. Although maritime
piracy rate has reached its lowest levels in six years, the piracy
problem is a very long way from
being totally eradicated as it involves a host of complex political, cultural, commercial, legal
and economic issues.
Experts estimate that
maritime piracy costs the global community approximately
$7 billion annually. While Somalian pirate activity has been
dramatically curtailed in the
high-risk area (HRA) within the
northern Indian Ocean, other
piracy hotspots remain such as
the Gulf of Guinea in Western
Africa and the busy waterways
between the Singaporean and
Malaccan Straits in Southeast
Asia. Below, we have listed
some of these methods, along
with a brief description.
1. Anti-Piracy Fire Hoses
are one of the most common
methods used to fight pirates
attempting to board a ship.
The 2009 attack on the MV Kriti Episkopi proves that using an
extremely powerful stream of
water can indeed be effective.
Some fire hoses can even be
equipped with semi-automatic and remote control modes.
A variation on this method is
the water cannon, with fixed
high-pressure nozzles, which
also
delivers
impenetrable
streams of water.
2. Rubber Ball Grenades
works similar to claymore mines
except that instead of releasing
steel fragments on impact, rubber grenades spray non-lethal
rubber bullets when detonated. The rubber bullets deliver
strong, non-penetrating blows
to the body, and also produce
light and sound. The combined
effects of pain, distraction and
disorientation is intended to discourage the pirates from coming closer.
3. Boat Traps are ballistic
nets that can be launched from
aircraft to stop pirates’ boats
from moving closer to potential
targets. When dropped from
above, weights from central
charge blocks open the nets
wide open so that they ensnare
the propellers, rudders and
steering gear, rendering them
immobile without harming any
person onboard. The Boat Trap
is particularly useful for stopping
small boats in crowded harbors. A serious limitation of Boat
Traps, however, is the requirement for overhead launching,
which is where P-traps come in
handy. P-trap systems consist of
thin lines which float around the
ship’s sides; just like Boat Traps,
the lines entangle and disable
vessels which come in contact
with these lines.
4. The Anti-pirate Laser
directs an intense glare that is
capable of providing a visual
warning to pirates at distances of over 2km. If pirates continue to come closer to the laser beam, the glare is intense
enough to disorient them so
it becomes impossible to aim
their weapons effectively. The
laser distraction system can also
be integrated with the ship’s existing radar and sensor systems,
allowing the crew to control the
power and the direction of the
laser beam. It can be used in
full daylight as well as during the
night. The laser does not leave
any permanent, damaging effects on the targets. The Dazzle
Gun, a handheld laser weapon, is a more mobile version of
this device.
5. The Mobility Denial
System (MBS) has been dubbed
as ‘an oil-slick-in-a-can’. Its ingredients are listed as a mixture
of drilling mud additive, flocculent and water. The spray can
packaging dispenses a slippery
foam that makes any interior or
exterior surface extremely slippery. The foam is typically used
along the sides or on the deck
of a ship to make it very difficult
for pirates to climb and walk.
6.
The
Long-Range
Acoustic Device (LRAD) is a sonic weapon. It produces a highpitched noise that has been
determined to be beyond the
tolerance level of average human beings. The noise induces
pain on the hearers; the use of
special ear protection device
and directional controls protect
the crew during use.
7. Electrical fence systems such as Secure-Ship typically contains the following
parts: a detection unit that
recognizes intruder stimulus, a
back-up detection unit to supplement the primary, an energy source, the electrified wires,
continued on page 55
40
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
from page 7
MV Bulk Jupiter
sinking...
latest update from the Philippine Embassy in Hanoi is that
no new survivors or bodies
have been found. The missing Filipino crewmembers
were listed as:
1)Renner Carl Resos Abugadie
2)Gibbson Ladica Ranara
3)Alexis Thomas Piala Bacalla
4)Joseph Bantolino Damasen
5) Lot Olavides Correos
6) Reydante Santos Mendoza
7)Ricky Arangorin Gapasin
8)Jonniefer Derapite Aleta
9)Renator Flores Toribio
10)Wynfred Peñaranda Balazo
11) Edgar Tabanao Melecio
12)George Barbaso
Espliguera Jr.
13)Edwin Deriada Acebo
14)Rosilo Navarro Sansolis
15)Gilbert Feliciano Flora
16)Mark Timothy Denosta
Causarin
With the body of Bulk
Jupiter missing, the exact
cause of the sinking cannot be exactly pinpointed.
Speculation is rife, however,
that it was due to the liquefaction of the bauxite cargo.
Bauxite is iron ore, a clay-like
substance that is a primary
ingredient in the production
of aluminum. Malaysia has
been experiencing heavy
rains during the month of
December, and there was
a good chance that the
bauxite stock piled in Malaysian ports such as Kuantan
had become soaked in the
meantime.
Liquefaction, a complex chemical process that
can turn powders into sludge,
is a documented cause of
marine fatalities. The internal shifting of massive liquefied bauxite onboard could
have caused the Bulk Jupiter
to suddenly lose stability, according to industry experts.
from page 11
IMO mulls Facebook...
tary General of Intercargo and
member of the steering group
for reducing administrative requirements that worked on the
study, highlights that the consultation process only covered
mandatory instruments while the
majority of shipowners have got
to comply with the non-mandatory instruments as a result of ISM
or flag state requirements. He
believes these should be evaluated further in the future.
As the IMO council has
accepted the report, the move
to electronic record keeping
both on ships and at IMO will be
advanced. “That is a positive outcome,” says Tongue. “There is a
move within the committees such
as MSC and MEPC, and now it is
up to them to take it forward.”
However, it is difficult to
enact a new regulation without
some administrative burden, and
some port state control organizations may need regulatory changes before they can accept some
electronic documents, he says.
The steering group has
made 13 recommendations as
a result of their analysis of the
public consultation:
1. Use electronic means for reporting
2. Establish IMO web-based information portal
3. Recognize electronic certificates
4. Accept electronic record-keeping
5. Recognize electronic documents (other than certificates)
6. Avoid multiple reporting
7. Accept other electronic
solutions
8. Improve maritime security
awareness
9. Avoid accumulation of administrative requirements
10.
Avoid
burdens
from
non-mandatory instruments
11. Adopt IMO resolution on efficient regulation
12. Monitor and review existing
regulations
13. Increase efforts to avoid future administrative burdens.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
from page 9
MLC is Making a Difference
hour period and 72 hours in any
seven-day period, or: at least ten
hours of rest in any 24-hour period and 77 hours (rest) in any seven-day period. Furthermore the
daily hours of rest may not be
divided into more than two periods and, at least six hours of rest
should be given consecutively in
one of those two periods.
• Leave: Seafarers have a right
to annual leave as well as shore
leave.
• Repatriation: Returning to their
country of residence should be
free
• Loss: If a ship is lost or foundered,
the seafarers have a right to an
unemployment payments.
• Manning: Every ship should
have a sufficient manning level
Title 3: Accommodation, Recreational Facilities, Food and Catering
The title specifies rules
detailed rules for accommodation and recreational facilities,
as well as food and catering.
• Accommodation for living
and/or working should be “promoting the seafarers’ health
and well-being”. Detailed provisions (in rules and guidelines)
give minimum requirements for
various types of rooms (mess
rooms,
recreational
rooms,
dorms etc.).
• Food and Catering: Both food
quality and quantity, including
water should be regulated in the
flag state. Furthermore, cooks
should have proper training.
Title 4: Health Protection, Medical Care, Welfare and Social
Security Protection
Title 4 consists of five regulations about Health, Liability,
Medical care, Welfare and Social security.
• Medical care on board ship
and ashore: Seafarers should
be covered for and have access to medical care while on
board; in principle at no cost
and of a quality comparable to
the standards of health care on
shore. Countries through which
territory a ship is passing should
guarantee treatment on shore
in serious cases.
• Shipowners’ liability: Seafarers
should be protected from the
financial effects of “sickness, injury or death occurring in connection with their employment”.
This includes at least 16 weeks of
payment of wages after start of
sickness.
• Health and safety protection
and accident prevention: A
safe and hygienic environment
should be provided to seafarers
both during working and resting
hours and measures should be
taken to take reasonable safety
measures.
• Access to shore-based welfare facilities: Port states should
provide “welfare, cultural, recreational and information facilities and services” and to
provide easy access to these
services. The access to these
facilities should be open to all
seafarers irrespective of race,
sex, religion or political opinion.
• Social security: Social security
coverage should be available
to seafarers (and in case it is
customary in the flag state: their
relatives).
Title 5: Compliance and Enforcement
Title 5 sets standards to
ensure compliance with the
convention. The title distinguishes requirements for flag states
and port states.
• Flag states: Flag states (the
state under which flag the ship
operates) are responsible for
ensuring implementation of the
rules on the ships that fly its flag.
Detailed inspections result in the
issue of a “Certificate of Maritime Compliance”, which should
always be present (and valid) on
a ship. Ships are required to have
decent complaints procedures
in place for its crew and should
institute investigations in case of
casualties.
• Port States: The inspection in
ports depends on whether a
Certificate of Maritime Compliance is present (and thus a flag
is flown of a country which has
ratified the convention). If the
Certificate is present, compliance is to be assumed in principle, and further investigations
only take place if the certificate
is not in order or there are indications of non-compliance. For
ships that don’t have the certificate, inspections are much
more detailed and should ensure -according to a “no more
favorable treatment principle”
TINIG NG MARINO
43
that the ship has
complied with
the provisions
of the convention. The convention is thus
-indirectly- also
valid for ships
of non-member
countries if they
plan to call to
ports of a member state.
• Labour agencies: Agencies
supplying
on
maritime workers
to ships should
also be inspected to ensure
that they apply
the convention
(amongst others
the regulations
regarding to social security).
Negotiations
After tripartite negotiations had started in 2001, the
convention was adopted during the 94th International Labour
Convention in 2006. The convention received 314 votes in favour
and none against by representatives of the government, employers and workers, who each
held a single vote per country.
Ratifications
As of November 2014,
the treaty has been ratified by 64
countries (excluding Lebanon, for
which registration is pending the
finalization of formalities), many of
which are large flag states in terms
of the tonnage they transport. The
European Union advised its (then)
27 members to ratify the treaty by
31 December 2010. The EU Decision provides: “Member States
are hereby authorised to ratify, for
the parts falling under Community competence, the Maritime
Labour Convention, 2006, of the
International Labour Organisation, adopted on 7 February 2006.
Member States should make efforts to take the necessary steps
to deposit their instruments of ratification of the Convention with
the Director-General of the International Labour Office as soon as
possible, preferably before 31 December 2010.” As of August 2014,
19 countries had done so, while
Croatia did so before it entered
the European Union. The conven-
tion entered into force on 20 August 2013 for the 30 countries that
ratified it prior to 20 August 2013.
For other countries, the convention enters into force one year after registration of their instrument
of ratification.
Critique
While the authors of MLC
2006 called it the fourth pillar of
maritime policy, many seafarers
themselves and industry bodies saw it as a rather weak convention which did not materially change life at sea. From this
perspective, the more important
parts of the convention have
been placed in the non-mandatory section “B”; other issues, such
as air conditioning or interpretations of what could be termed as
good nutritious food, are not addressed by the convention. Some
seafarers have complained that
the convention does not carry
any stipulations to make the crew
cabins on cargo ships any bigger than they currently are and
does not increase the number of
cupboards or shelves, which are
typically minimal on cargo ships.
The convention also does not address the issues of rest hours during work or rest when joining ship;
these issues are determined by
crew and companies alone.
What
a
difference
does it make, is there really
one?.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Inter-Island Shipping Should Upgrade Training
Standards in Manning Vessels
T
he deterioration in the standards of training for domestic shipping has caused a stir
among foreign nationals particularly the British. During a session regarding the current Travel
Advisory issued by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO), First Secretary Steph
Lysaght, of the British Embassy in
Manila said, “We have an issue
at the moment with the Philippine government where we are
engaging them on the issue of
training seafarers.” A travel advisory was issued to its British citizens to avoid using ferry boats
as a means of travel around the
Philippines. Unless reformation
in the manning domestic vessels is implemented, the country’s domestic reputation still
remains tainted. Lysaght further
added, “We have said we have
found problems in the training
of Filipino seafarers. We do get
questions about why we put the
same here, but the section says
because the ships keep sinking.”
Ferries are often overloaded. Regular maintenance
is quite declining and there is a
lack in life-saving equipment.
These are only some of the reasons accidents occur especially
when stormy weather conditions sway the Philippine waters.
Some of the major accidents
that can be cited involving ferry boats transpired in 2008 and
2009. There were 800 people
who died during a typhoon that
sank the MV Princess of the Stars
in 2008 while a total of six people
died when the MV-Baleno sank
in 2009. Two large ferries sank in
2013 leaving a number of casualties and injured people. Armed
robbery and piracy have been
in existence in Philippine waters
wherein rescue services are not
totally enough to counter them.
MV Thomas Aquinas,
a vessel carrying a total of 715
passengers as well as 116 crew
members ended up in a strong
collision with a cargo ship just a
mile away from the port of Cebu
last year. Although ferry travel
forms a major and cost-efficient
by: Engr. Ryan Anthony R. Mercene, MBA
way of island hopping in the archipelago, many holidaymakers
are now in great discouragement following this incident near
the Queen City of the South.
We cannot blame why some
foreign nationals developed extraordinary fear in boarding ferry
boats in our country.
Tracing back furthermore through history in domestic shipping, 150 people died
when the Princess of the Orient
continued on page 57
45
46
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Electronic Chart Display and Information System:
The Future in Navigation for the World-Class Mariner
by: Engr. Ryan Anthony R. Mercene, MBA
P
roduct knowledge plays a
vital role in maritime safety.
All equipment must be studied
carefully prior to its use in order
to avoid any form of accident.
Improper use or misuse of a
certain product particularly a
machine can lead to devastating effects and be a ground
for unwanted memories.
The Electronic Chart Display and Information System
(ECDIS), the computer-based
navigation system is setting the
trend for the modern mariner.
Its capabilities are enormous
paving the way for technological advancement in the world
of seafaring. Technology replaces the customary methods
of doing things making transactions paperless. The advent of
ECDIS in compliance with the
International Maritime Organization (IMO) regulations has
somehow replaced the use of
paper nautical charts to some
extent. Display of real-time information, positioning of a vessel in relation to land, unseen
hazards, navigation aids, and
chartered objects have now
been automated.
As an approved marine navigational chart and information system and in compliance with the up-to-date
chart required under Regulation V/19 and V/27 of the
1974 SOLAS Convention, ECDIS
has transformed the future of
navigation by providing the
mariner a better perspective
and increased awareness of
the nautical scenarios. It has
greatly reduced planning
time, work load, fatigue, and
stress particularly for navigation officers in maintaining
charts, chart correction, and
passage planning.
As technology advances, certain effects are
felt. Some of these are undesired effects which can be
harmful to mankind. A number of accidents have been
reported with the improper or
misuse of ECDIS. The occurrence of such accidents is triggered with the unexpected
and unintended behavior of
the complexity of the equipment affecting navigational
decisions. Some of these are
display failures of navigational features such as isolated
dangers, lights and their characteristics, underwater features, and object detection
failure by “route checking” in
voyage planning mode.
The big question is, “Will
the implementation of ECDIS
lead to more marine accidents?” One typical example is
the case study on a grounding
of certain ship having ECDIS as
the primary source of navigation doing away with the traditional paper chart position
plotting by navigation officers.
No type specific training was
conducted but only a generic
ECDIS certification being held
by the master. Having entrusted the watch early in the morning to his second officer upon
leaving the port bound for the
next port of call 600 miles away,
the latter checked the intended ship route via ECDIS zoom-
ing out the electronic chart to
obtain the voyage’s overall
assessment.
Unintentionally,
however, he was not able to
return the display feature to
the best chart scale possible,
thus, disabling the sounding
feature of the equipment and
displaying only the depth contours. The vessel grounded on
a sandbank ten minutes later. It was found out that the
topographical features and
soundings were deselected
because of the zooming effect activating the auto-filter
feature. The echo sounder
became deactivated and no
symbol of the sandbank could
be seen on the equipment. A
NAVTEX warning was sent out
previously regarding the danger ahead but was not updated on the ECDIS.
Human error is a major factor in marine casualties.
Certain failures have been
identified brought by improper usage and over-reliance on
ECDIS. Being complacent on
the proper look-out can result
in unwanted accidents. Another example is derived from the
report of the Marine Accident
Investigation Branch
( MAIB
) regarding the grounding of
Ovit, a Malta-registered chemical tanker, carrying a cargo
of vegetable oil. The vessel
ran aground for 3 hours on the
Varne Bank in Dover Strait last
18 September 2013. Fortunately, no injuries or pollution was
reported. Upon investigation, it
was found out that ECDIS was
the main source of navigation
and its safety settings were not
susceptible to the local environment. Furthermore, the passage plan was not safe passing
directly over the Varne Bank.
The Chief Inspector
on Marine Accidents, Steve
Clinch, commented on the incident saying, “This is the third
grounding investigated by
MAIB where watchkeepers’
failure to use an ECDIS properly
has been identified as one of
the casual factors.” There are
more than 30 manufacturers of
ECDIS with unique designs. IMO
mandates generic ECDIS training while type specific training
is the prerogative of the flag
states and owners.
Watkins
Superyachts
Managing Director, Adrian McCourt, said in a statement, “The
current generation of ECDIS
systems can be fully compliant
yet simultaneously misused with
key safety features disabled.
Manufacturers must accept
that human nature is a factor
and not simply refer the end
user to onerous, costly or inadequate training.” Watchkeepers
must be competent enough
having thorough knowledge
on the overall features of the
system.
Proper
supervision
must be rendered at all times,
the Captain should check the
ECDIS thoroughly before departure, and the equipment
operator must be qualified and
highly trained.
The main reasons for
the installation of ECDIS in vescontinued on page 61
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
47
Notice to Mariners
TINIG NG MARINO on UNTV will be having a new format. 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 npr.ufs@gmail.com or ufs_07@yahoo.com. Do it this way.
Channel 9
Channel 58 every Saturday Channel 92
6:15 P.M. to 7:00 P.M. Channel 37
NEW TIME SLOT OF TINIG NG
MARINO on TV is
- Destiny
- Sky
- Cignal
- UHF
(1) Batiin ninyo ang ating programa sa telebisyon, ang TINIG NG MARINO gayundin
ang aking co-host na si Ms. Annie Rentoy at si Kuya Daniel Razon bilang chairman ng UNTV Station na nagbigay sa atin ng programa.
(2) Banggitin ninyo ang pangalan ng inyong barko at kung 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 sa aming next episode.
Ang ibang mga video ay sa mga susunod na episode.
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 p.m. to 7 p.m.,
Channel 37 on UHF, Channel 9 on Destiny Cable , Channel 58 on Sky Cable, Channel
92 on Cignal, Channel 58 on Digibox and millions all over the world may watch via
livestreaming on www.untvweb.com.
Members of the OSM Seafares Family club on their active participation on promoting the welfare of all the seafarer wives and family of
all OSM Seafarers throughout the country.
Protect Marine Deck and Engine Officers of the Phils. president
Commo. Tony Gascon presenting the latest developments on the
premier training center of the South.
UFS President Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez and Board Member Ben
Lorque expressing gratitude to all the seafarers who join the UFS on
their 20th year of battle in the Maritime Industry.
Mr. Tony Galvez, CEO for Administration of Marlow Navigation
Philippines Inc., sharing Marlow Navigation’s Typhoon Yolanda
Project RE-BUILDING HOPE
Mr. Racho Villavicencio of MPHRP together with one of the victims of
piracy sharing his experience of the current trend of pirates on pirate
infested areas.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
49
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Congressional Hearing on the NAIA Php 550
Terminal Fee chaired by Cong. Walden Bello and
Cong. Roy Señeres with MIAA GM Angel Honrado.
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. For livestreaming, just listen via
Browse www.ustream.tv/channel/dziq
Production Staff of ISP Kwento ng Tagumpay shooting the episode for Engr.
Ramirez story on his success amidst the trials and challenges he has hurdled.
NPR and CE Ben Lorque (far right) with the leaders of Blas Ople Policy
Center during thier Annual Christmas Party.
51
NPR questions the current status of OWWA during
the Technical Working Group meeting at Senate
after its Letter of Instruction has expired.
PAO Chef Atty. Persida Acosta and NPR together with the families of the victims of MV Princess of
the Stars tradegy during the Press Conference on the updates of the case filed at the court.
Exchange of ideas with Lito Dailisan of
NEWSLINK during the Lloyds Manning and
Training Conference at Hotel Sofitel.
NPR shares his concern about ambulance chasers
spreading in the maritime industry with Capt. Andy
Malpas of Pandiman.
Engr. Ramirez shares his knowledge to seafarers
on how to prepare the future after retirement on
sea during the Financial Growth Forum at SMX.
UFS president and other OFW groups during the
discussion of Absentee Voting Bill at University
Hotel of University of the Philippines (UP).
52
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
CAUTION!!!
Dugo-Dugo Gang Strikes Again!
DUGO-DUGO artist in lavish lifestyle now
Way back in 2009, Gilbert Tuliba was featured in TINIG NG MARINO for victimizing innocent families of seafarers with his DUGO-DUGO antics by calling the family of a seaman and telling them that the seaman killed his colleague on board but the seaman
also is badly injured and in the operating room of undisclosed hospital. The family of the seaman is forced to deposit a hundred
thousand pesos or more for the operation.
Suspect: JERRY TALAMAN
Age: 44 years old
Address: Brgy. Calaugan, Tibiao, Antique
A member of Dugo-Dugo Gang has been intercepted by Pototan (Iloilo) Municipal Police Station and Tibiao (Antique) PNP
after victimizing q number of families of seafarers in Iloilo. Their
Modus Operandi is to act as an employee or crewing manager of the manning agency of the seafarer and they will call
the families to inform that their family member (seafarer) has
been involved in a fight or in an accident and they need to
send money for immediate hospitalisation. They also advice
the family not to call the manning agency because there were
policemen and NBI agens at the vicinity. He also confessed
that their leader is Gilbert Tuliba, the Dugo-Dugo artist who was
caught by UFS, MARINA and NBI way back in 2009 and is now
living in lavish way.
Watch Out?
MARINA building
Where? When?
It was during the Day of Seafarers last year when MARINA
unveiled the landmark where the new MARINA building
will be posted. MARINA administrator Max Mejia exclaimed
that they be moving this year on this planned building to
accommodate more seafarers and give best service to the
maritime industry. We are now 2015, where is that building
now? As of now, we cannot even see a single post or wall on
that building nor construction working on that site? The big
question right now is do they have enough budget for that?
Then why they can’t buy additional printers for the printing
of COP to lessen the burden of seafarers? Tinig ng Marino
also found out that this project is ready to be implemented
during the time of Atty. Conti but becasue of the grudge
and personal interest of other official, this was posponed.
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
UFS launches new
Membership ID Card
U
nited Filipino Seafarers
(UFS) launches the new
form and design for its membership ID Card in connection
with its 20th founding Anniversary last December 8-12, 2014
held at LUSWELF.
The new ID Card is a
full color card printed PVC ID
Card and laminated through
thermal transfer. This new ID
would last for a decade without fading or breaking apart
depending on how you handle and use it.
The validity increases to
two years and has the same
benefits to wit:
1.) Free legal assistance
2.) Referral for training and review center for discounts
3.) Priority hiring based on database of members
4.) COP and other documents
assistance
5.) Housing assistance (special
discount for members)
6.) No Annual dues/Monthly contribution (Php 200 only
upon renewal every two
years)
7.) Cash advance program
(Platinum Credit Plus) and other benefits
The launching is made
to thank the more than 45,000
members of UFS in their undying support to the union on its
20 years of existence.
The UFS initiated a design
making contest before the anniversary wherein Jameson Chris
Talabera won the Php 5,000 in
cash seize the competition.
For those who would
like to be part of UFS or renew
their ID, have your new ID in a
few minutes only.
TINIG NG MARINO
53
54
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
NOTICE TO THE PUBLIC
NOTICE OF REWARD
DECKMASTER MARINE SOFTWARES, INC. is
the registered copyright owner of LoadMan
and BridgeMan computer software 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 sells or distributes
pirated LoadMan and/or BridgeMan 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
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:
enelcarter@gmail.com
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
from page 38
Keeping the bad guys
off...
and the control unit. The most
visible component of the system
consists of collapsible electrical
fencing that is powered with a
voltage of 9000v. The fencing is
fitted around the periphery of
the ship; it can be folded and
stored in parts when not in use.
8. The Liquid Deterrent
System or LDS essentially involves
showering a slick, foul-smelling
liquid on approaching pirates.
Aside from the nasty odor, the
liquid is also intensely irritating to
the skin which should prompt the
desire to jump into the water.
9. Anti-boarding devices (ABD) are large pressurized
canisters that release about 20
meters of razor wires when activated. The speed of the fleeing ship causes these wires to
stretch behind and form a barrier that runs from the main deck
to the water line. The barrier
makes it difficult for the pirates
to come closer; even if they do
succeed, the sharp wires make
it difficult to climb. The ABD canisters are attached throughout
the periphery of the ship using
stainless steel hooks so they can
be easily removed and stored
when in safe waters.
10. The use of anti-piracy curtains is another unique
method to keep pirates from
climbing the sides of a ship.
The ‘curtains’ are a series of
high-pressure water hoses that
dangle port and starboard.
Seawater is pumped to pass
through the hoses at a force
of 0.2 Mega Pascal, causing
the unsecured hose lengths to
move in unpredictable whirling
movements that will seriously injure anyone in their path.
Pirate-threatened ship
personnel may also use common non-lethal weapons typically used by police in crowd
control situations, such as Tasers,
flash/stun guns and Molotov
cocktails. The methods listed
above, however, are weapons
that are particularly adapted
for use onboard. Many (if not
all) of these techniques have
already proven effective in real
life scenarios. Marine security stakeholders, of course, are
continually seeking for improvements in non-lethal anti-piracy
technology.
For the general public,
the idea of pirates still existing
in this day and age may seem
a bit ludicrous, especially since
the popular image of a pirate
tends to be derived from movies
starring Orlando Bloom. But for
seafarers piracy in the high seas
is only one of the occupational
hazards they must face every
day. The world’s oceans are simply too vast to be adequately
patrolled by marine authorities,
and with seagoing vessels ferry-
TINIG NG MARINO
ing valuable cargo from port to
port, the potential for maritime
crime is simply too great.
Think about it: you have
a ship laden with tons of goods
and manned by an unarmed
crew that is largely inexperienced in combat, located a
long way off from the protection of any law enforcement
authorities. Though some shipowners may invest in an armed
escort, the majority of vessels
sailing in international and domestic waters cannot afford
such protection. And while
some ship owners may apply
55
for personnel permits to carry
firearms and other artillery, most
choose not to in order to limit
their liability.
While the pros and cons
of allowing commercial seafarers to carry and use weapons is
still being hotly debated, legitimate and law-abiding crews
have to resort to ingenious
methods to protect themselves
against piracy attempts. Once
a threat has been perceived,
the first line of defense is to use
non-lethal methods to prevent
the pirates from boarding the
vessel until help arrives.
TINIG NG MARINO
56
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
Dare the difference!
W
hat 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.
The 2 Philippine Seafarer Congress
nd - OCTOBER 2012
SEPTEMBER
Vol. XVIII
No.5
SEPTEMBER - OCTOBER 2012
http:www.ufs.com.ph
TINIG NG MARINO
1
p32
PHP 20.00
Philippines ratifies
Maritime Labour
Convention
Story on page 3
Danita
Paner
Alternative
Princess
TURN TO PAGE 40
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.
Season’s Greetings
Vol. XVIII
No.6
NOVEMBER - DECEMBER 2012
http:www.ufs.com.ph
PHP 20.00
Seafarers hail
congress a success
Story on page 3
TIN PATRIMONIO
A real
sweetheart
ENTERTAINMENT
►PAGE
42
TNM Exclusive:
Unholy
Alliance 4
►PAGE 22
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
57
from page 45
Inter-Island Shipping...
sank around Batangas City in
1998. An oil tanker collided with
the Doña Paz ferry leaving approximately 4,300 dead in 1987
around the island of Mindoro.
The Philippines has been
annually exposed to tropical
cyclones or storms which have
greatly affected the archipelago’s tourism particularly ferry travelling. Many inter-island
shipping have experienced a
decline in their business and domestic travel weakened. Huge
efforts need to be done in order to prepare for these natural
disasters that have greatly affected the inter-island shipping.
The training standards of seafarers manning domestic vessels need to be strengthened
while the repair and maintenance of these boats need to
be done the soonest time possible. Properly planning and strategic travel scheduling need to
be performed. Construction of
new ferry boats would come in
handy as old ones may be retired. Enough life-saving equipment should be installed in each
vessel and safety precautionary
measures need to be exercised.
Should the country want
to bring back the lost glories
in domestic shipping, reform
efforts in training standards of
manning vessels and upgrade
in ship facilities would have to
be reinforced. Overtonnaging
in some of the major routes of
the islands, the high domestic
shipping cost, and the economic crisis are only some of
the issues that need to be further tackled and remedied. The
challenges facing the industry
such as old and ageing vessels,
inefficient operations, poor cargo and service standards all result to damage in property and
more maritime accidents.
The flexibility to immediately respond to these challenges is being called upon
with the concerted efforts of
the government, the maritime
and shipping agencies, and
other concerned organizations.
Better port infrastructure as well
as other related facilities would
need to be reconstructed for
the safer operations of domestic vessels. Investments would
Kongsberg Maritime
- market leading supplier of high quality simulator systems
need to be encouraged and
financing program should be in
place for the modernization of
the continuously deteriorating
facilities. Emergency preparation, personnel onboard management skills, and safeguards
for all minor and major risks
would have to be anticipated.
The entry of more shipping operators in the country
may be encouraged. Improvement of service standards must
be on a widespread scale.
There would have to be proper
validation on the higher rates of
freight for domestic liner vessels
against their foreign counterparts. Such factors would have
to be examined carefully to
prevent furtherance of obstacles in the shipping industry.
The cost of fuel becomes
a major problem. Domestic ship
owners suffer a much increased
fuel cost as compared with other Asian countries. Higher interest
rates as well as high taxes are also
shouldered by shipping operators. These are some of the reasons that sabotage the growth of
the industry. Major ports such as
Manila, Iloilo, Cagayan de Oro,
Cebu, and General Santos need
facility improvements.
Solving these problems
may take time but if teamwork
and cooperation are fostered, the
burden would be much lighter.
We can all help in giving our domestic shipping industry a great
reputation for the world to see.
58
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
by Alvin
Patrimonio
Back-to-Back
Golf Tournament
Marin Sports Club and Sunbaggers first
Golf Tournament for 2015
M
embers of the Marin Sport Club Inc, a group of Filipino seafarers golf fanatics
around the country held their first Golf Tournament for the 2015 at the greens of
Philippine Navy Golf Course at Taguig City last January 11, 2015.
It was also participated by members of SunBaggers group that competed in various category.
Winners of different categories are:
Awards
Name
Gross Handicap Net
Low Gross Champion Low Net Champion
Class A Champion Class A Runner-Up Class B Champion Class B Runner-Up Class C Champion Class C Runner-Up Class D Champion Class D Runner-Up
Ladies Champion
CPO Tantiado
74
6
Ronnie Quiban
Joey Del Pilar
Banny Briones
Jimmy Boado
Ricky Loyola
Mr. Kwon
Rey Brilliantes
Rene Manago
Joey Hernandez
Lyn Aquino
77
74
82
86
87
94
94
103
102
96
10
5
13
17
17
24
24
32
28
24
68
67
69
69
69
70
70
70
71
74
72
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
PMMA ‘98 Run Clinic
-Run for Fun, Run for a Cause
R
unning is said to be the most popular form of
physical exercises. It is an appealing exercise
because you only need a pair of running shoes
and shorts to do it and you can run anytime you
want at your desired place.
It offers also a lot of benefits to our body,
mind and soul. It can help the body build strong
bones, strengthen muscles, burn excess fats and
calories, help maintain ideal weight and most of
all, improve our cardiovascular fitness.
With this, the Philippine Merchant Marine
Academy Class of 1998 organized the first run
clinic with the theme “Takbong Marino Tungo Sa
Magandang Kalusugan Run Clinic 2014” last November 23, 2014 held at the Quezon City Circle
Amphitheater.
The run clinic headed by PMMA Class 1998
president Chief Engineer Jomel Paradero aimed
to generate additional funds for the benefits of the
on-going construction of PMMA Alumni center.
The run clinic was led by two of the top running
and triathlete coaches Joy Reginald Antolin and
Jojo “Jomac” Macalintal who teach the participants the basics of running, weight training,
stretching, running drills, hydration and nutrition.
Participants were also given a chance
to ask questions to the coaches for some techniques, do’s and dont’s in running to avoid injury
and accident.
The whole morning event saw more than
150 participants from 600 registered participants
from different maritime offices and families of seafarers.
Sponsors of the successful event were Newpoint Review Center, Seaquest Maritime Training
Center, SBR Marine Services Inc, Jo Tankers and
Great Seas Mariners Training and Assessment
Center Inc.
TRANSMED (MANILA)
CORPORATION
is looking for a
MASTER
CHIEF MATE
CHIEF ENGINEER
2ND ENGINEER
3RD ENGINEER
4TH ENGINEER
ELECTRICIAN
For more information, please visit our office at
TRANSMED (MANILA) CORPORATION
Suite E, Doña Felisa Syjuco Building, Remedios Street
cor. Taft Avenue, Malate Manila
Telephone Nos. (632) 5265157 or 3533642
Email address: transmedph@yahoo.com
59
60
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Online
Place: MARINA STCW Office
Photo taken: 12:35 P.M. , January 12,
2015
11:30 a.m. kami ay dumating sa
Marina upang magpa-”Certified True
Copy” (CTC) ng aming mga dokumento na nire-require na ngayon ng aming
kumpanya. Bagama’t malapit nang
magtanghalian kami ay tumuloy parin
sapagkat alam naming ang Marina ay
isang government agency kung saan
ang “NO NOON BREAK POLICY” ay ipinatutupad, alinsunod na rin sa “Anti-Red
Tape Act”
Pagdating sa ikaanim na palapag nagpunta kami sa booth ng Certified
True Copy at agad kaming hiningian
ng Php 25 kada isang ipapa-CTC para
sa Docs Stamp na ang presyo ay Php15
lamang. (kahit pala papa-certify true
copy ka lang may docs stamp pa rin?)
Pagkatapos sa docs stamp ay
pumila na naman kami sa cashier at
nagbayad na naman ng Php 100 kada
isang papeles. Dalawa ang aking pina-CTC kaya ang binayad ko ay Php
50 sa docs stamp at Php 200 sa cashier,
11:49 a.m. na kami natapos sa cashier.
Pagtapos ay pinapunta naman kami sa
right side para doon magpapirma, Kung
saan nakita namin ang isang empleyado na nagbabasa ng artikulo tungkol sa
Kasalang Dingdong-Marian. (see picture above...)
Ang masama pa noon ay sinabihan kami ng isa pang empleyado na
wala pa ang taong pipirma, nag-lunch
pa kaya maghintay na lang muna kami.
Ngunit salungat ito sa Anti-Red Tape
Act. (Sinasabi sa Anti-Red Tape Act na
dapat uninterrupted ang public service.) Ngunit wala kaming nagawa kundi ang maghintay, hanggang 1:05 p.m.
na nasa mesa pa rin nakatengga ang
aming mga papeles na naghihintay mapirmahan. 1:24 p.m. saka pa napirmahan at dumating ang taong pipirma ng
aming mga documento.
Mula 11:30 a.m. hanggang 1:24
p.m. kami sa Marina para lang sa Certified True Copy na stamp at pirma lamang ang gagawin halos kulang-kulang dalawang oras.
Sandali lamang kami sa marina
halos two hours lang pero marami kaagad kaming nakitang sa palagay namin
ay hindi tama.
1. Hindi striktong pagpapatupad sa “NO
NOON BREAK POLICY”
(sanhi para lalong tumagal ang serbisyo
ng Marina)
2. Documentary Stamp na may extra
charge.
3. Php100 na presyo sa Certified True
Copy para sa tatak at sa mala gintong
pirma. (hindi biro ang Php 100 kada
isang papeles, di pa kasama ang Php 25
Docs Stamp doon. Paano pag lahat ng
papeles natin ipapa-CTC?)
4. Pag Browse sa Internet during working
hours ng empleyado.
Kaya ngayon ako’y lalong nangangamba lalo na’t sa Marina na ang
Exam na PRC dati ang humahawak.
Sana ay wag nating hayaang abusuhin tayo ng Marina.
Ito ay sariling experience lang
namin sa Marina na aming shini-share
para po lamang sa kaalaman ng lahat.
-Mark Lelouch B Cruz
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
from page 46
Electronic Chart Display
and Information...
sels are to provide safe navigation, assist in passage planning, trigger danger warning
alarms, lighten navigational
workload, and make use of an
efficient and updated chart
portfolio. The area of concern
during grounding, collision, or
stranding is usually focused on
how the vessel is being navigated by the mariner. Marine
casualties are always partnered with consequential liability costs apart from the cost
of the ECDIS comprising of the
hardware, the software installed, the electronic charts,
the back-up system, and of
course the navigational officers’ training.
The International Convention for the Safety of Life
at Sea Convention (SOLAS)
and the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) code was
amended by the International Maritime Organisation
(IMO) for the use and continuous development of ECDIS.
Maritime and shipping companies have to be aware of
the IMO/SOLAS performance
standards of ECDIS.
Model Course 1.27 is an
IMO-approved generic ECDIS
training that provides the
knowledge requirements a
navigation officer must have
in order to operate this computer-based equipment. This
provides training companies
and flag states a standardized
competency level. Forty hours
covering five days duration is
suggested for the absorption
of the proper skills in ECDIS
operations. Basic principles of
electronic chart navigation
should be thoroughly understood. Furthermore, the training provides necessary skills in
TINIG NG MARINO
basic navigational functions,
orientation on basic display
types, Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) and Raster
Navigational Charts (RNC),
legal background of ECDIS,
risks involved, settings and
functions, alarms and sensors, theoretical background
and limitations of the system,
maintenance, and many
more.
ECDIS comprises three
major elements which are the
hardware, the software, and
the data. The software must
conform to the standards set
by the International Hydrographic Office (IHO). Some
form of back-up is essential as
electronic navigation systems
may incur system failure.
ECDIS can be integrated with other electronic systems such as an echo
sounder, NAVTEX, Voyage
Data Recorder (VDR), meteorological instruments like
anemometers,
Automatic
61
Identification System (AIS),
and the Radar Image Overlay
RIO (RADAR).
The Captain must at all
times check the documentation and certification of ECDIS.
There should be a generic
ECDIS training certification as
required by the flag state, an
approved back-up system, a
type-approved documentation onboard, ENC and RNC
data, onboard safety management system, a system for
updating electronic charts,
maintenance
procedures,
type/model specific training
under the terms of the ISM
Code and the ship’s relevant
flag state, and many others.
The implementation on
the usage of ECDIS has greatly
transformed marine technology geared towards a brighter
future. By knowing the functionalities of this great equipment and using it purposefully,
a navigation officer’s voyage
can truly be rewarding.
62
JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2015
TINIG NG MARINO
Fastest News
Favoritism
Job Interview
HR: Anong pangalan mo?
Juan: Juan Kampupot po
HR: Ilang taon?
Juan: Desiotso po
White Veggie
(Sa parke dumudumi ang isang
pulubi sa dyaryo, nakita ng
guard)
Guard: bakit ka dumudumi jan??!
Pulubi: bilis ah katatae ko lang
nasa balita na agad.
Teacher : Ronald, 1+3?
Ronald: Ma’am 4 po!
Teacher: oh ikaw Jun, 3+1?
Jun: Ayan na! Alam na yan Ma’am!
pag mahirap, sa akin?
favoritism Kayo Ma’am!
Kamukha
Misis: Lolokohin ko mister ko. Magpapanggap
akong
prosti dito sa
kanto namin.
(Dumaan ang mister nya)
Mister: Ayoko ko sa iyo!
Kamukha mo misis
ko.
Misis: G r r r r r!
HR: May trabaho?
Juan: Tricycle driver po
HR: Single?
Juan: May sidecar ho.
Tricycledriver nga eh.
Pedro:Ma’am ano po tawag sa puting gulay?
Guro: Ano?
Pedro:Putito po ma’am. Eh
mas maputi sa putito?
Guro: Ano naman yan?
Pedro: Mash putito
Guro: Shut up!
Pedro: Eh ma’am yung boss
ng mga putito?
Guro: sit down!
Pedro: Last na ma’am
Guro: Hmmmmm!
Pedro: Putito fries
Battle of Brainless
Berto: Saan ginagawa ang
uling?
Totoy: Sa coal center!
Berto: Ano tawag sa yaya
ni Nora?
Totoy: Maid of Aunor!
Berto: Ano ang mas malaki pa sa City?
Totoy: Otso!
May I Borrow
Joke ni Doc
Girl: Doc Kamusta na ang Asawa
ko, naka-survive ba?
Doc: Sorry Ma’am, simula ngayon, ikaw na ang
magpapakain at magpapaligo sa kanya.
Girl: Ha?! Doc, hindi nga?!
Doc: Hehehe! Ninerbyos ka
ano? Joke lang. Patay na
siya.
Buntis si Bentong
(Umiiyak habang nagsusumbong
sa kanyang Ama.)
Tatay: oh anak bakit ka umiiyak?
Bentong: Pumasa po kasi ako sa
test huhuhuhu
Tatay: Aba magaling anong subject?
Bentong: Pregnancy test po tay.
huhu
Tatay: Tumahimik ka dyan!
Bong:Ate, pahiram ng
kaldero.
Ate: Sige, lumapit ka dun
sa anak ko at kunin
mo...
(Lumapit si Bong)
Bong: Ne, pa kiss daw sabi
ng mama mo.
Nene: (Sumigaw) Mama!!!
Si Bong ohh!
Ate: Ibigay mo na kasi,
nagpaalam naman sa
akin yan!