Prepared by the POEA Marketing Branch for the National Maritime Polytechnic
Stakeholders’ Forum: Impact of the ASEAN Integration on
Philippine Maritime Manpower
19 August 2015

 labor mobility can both be a factor and driver of economic growth
 toward ASEAN integration, there are
“communities” that cover inter-related spheres of integration

Image source: http://phangngacommunitycollege.blogspot.com

TABLE 2 - Number of Deployed Overseas Filipino Workers by Type: 2009 - 2014
TYPE
Total
Landbased Workers
New Hires
Rehires
Seabased Workers
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014
P
1,422,586 1,470,826 1,687,831 1,802,031 1,836,345 1,802,542
1,092,162 1,123,676 1,318,727 1,435,166 1,469,179
349,715 341,966 437,720 458,575 464,888
1,405,372
485,117
742,447 781,710 881,007 976,591 1,004,291
330,424 347,150 369,104 366,865 367,166
920,255
397,170
P-Preliminary Data

2014 DEPLOYED OVERSEAS FILIPINO WORKERS BY COUNTRY/DESTINATION*
TOP COUNTRY/DESTINATION-TOTAL
COUNTRY/DESTINATION NEW HIRES REHIRES TOTAL
3 Singapore
8 Malaysia
15 Brunei
19 Thailand
22 Indonesia
25 Vietnam
39 Lao PDR
40 Cambodia
44 Myanmar
- LAC NAIA
- LAC MACTAN
- LAC DAVAO
- LAC CLARK
*Central Office Data. Preliminary as of January 7, 2015
346
91
172
459,366
1,579
27
13,883
13,974
3,266
234
363
382
4,007
1,004
1,179
939
668,923
40,124
2,860
67,478
10,855
5,268
4,579
3,771
2,878
114,691
1,350
1,270
1,111
1,128,289
41,703
2,887
81,361
24,829
8,534
4,813
4,134
3,260
118,698

TABLE 8 - Number of Deployed Seafarers by Top Ten Flags of Registry: 2009 - 2014
FLAG OF REGISTRY 2009 2010 2011 2012
1 Panama
2
3
6
7
Bahamas
Liberia
Total
4 Marshall Islands
5 Singapore
Malta
Bermuda
8 Norway
9 Italy
330,424
67,361
347,150
66,523
369,104
72,614
366,865
67,567
36,054 41,814 42,363 38,942
29,796 32,561 39,260 36,912
18,068
15,674
21,824
16,417
24,235
17,401
25,795
19,488
14,786 16,971 17,116 17,662
7,620 9,562 12,830 12,621
11,447
8,486
12,136
11,927
14,187
12,822
11,916
11,564
10 Netherlands 9,281 9,602 10,198 10,644
Other Flags of Registry 111,851 107,813 106,078 113,754
2013
367,166
69,297
41,627
35,585
27,444
18,820
19,249
15,203
11,877
11,865
7,921
108,278
2014
P
397,170
70,489
50,065
35,379
31,601
21,997
23,180
16,513
13,315
12,296
12,562
109,773
P-Preliminary Data

TABLE 9 - Number of Seafarers by Top Ten Occupations: 2009 - 2014
OCCUPATION 2009 2010 2011 2012
1
2
3
4
5
6
Able Seaman
Oiler
Ordinary Seaman
Chief Cook
Second Mate
Bosun
Total 330,424 347,150 369,104 366,865
45,338 47,864 53,239 50,075
27,483 28,523 31,424 28,959
23,737 24,794 27,999 25,530
12,651 13,252 14,827 13,914
12,119 12,876 14,189 13,235
11,555 12,039 13,621 12,783
7 Third Engineer Officer 11,307 11,695 12,701 11,855
8 Messman
9 Third Mate
10,536 11,238 12,531 11,171
9,857 10,025 11,152 10,275
10 Waiter/Waitress
Other Occupations
8,848 9,864 9,123 9,942
156,993 165,000 168,298 179,126
2013
367,166
51,537
29,730
26,046
14,040
13,591
13,208
12,031
11,146
10,546
9,426
175,865
2014
P
397,170
57,438
31,866
28,065
15,706
14,648
14,435
12,977
11,503
11,392
11,508
187,632
P-Preliminary Data

 “Free flow” under AEC is not absolutely free
 managed and not automatic
 rules-based
 still governed by domestic (immigration and labor) regulations
 recognition of qualifications is key

Policies, Outward Labor Mobility
 Philippines - Omnibus Rules and Regulations
Implementing the Migrant Workers and Overseas
Filipinos Act
 POEA Landbased Rules
 POEA Seabased Rules
 Indonesia - Government Regulations concerning the
Procedures for the Implementation of Indonesian
Employment Abroad By Government (Government
Regulation No. 4 of 2013)

 Malaysia is implementing accreditation of Philippinebased health facilities that undertake health examinations for workers bound for Malaysia
 Singapore is putting up foreign worker levies and hiring quotas

 Brunei is putting in place localization programs with the following components:
 foreign labor quotas, reduced effective June 2014
 freeze order for foreign workers: supervisors, assistant supervisors, promoters, drivers, bakers
(bread and cake makers), cashiers, butchers, in the wholesale and retail trade
 further freeze on foreign workers in transportation, hospitality, support eservices and ICT sectors

Policies, Inward Mobility
Philippines
Article 40 of the Labor Code, Employment permit of nonresident aliens. Any alien seeking admission to the
Philippines for employment purposes and any domestic or foreign employer who desires to engage an alien for employment in the Philippines shall obtain an employment permit from the Department of Labor.
The employment permit may be issued to a non-resident alien or to the applicant employer after a determination of the non-availability of a person in the Philippines who is competent, able and willing at the time of application to perform the services for which the alien is desired.

Limited Practice through Special Temporary Permit (STP)
The Bureau of Local Employment only offers limited occupational slots for foreign professionals because this depends on the needs of the country or the local labour market conditions

All 47 or 48 professions in the Philippines have been regulated before signing of ASEAN MRA thus existing policies and regulations must be considered in accepting foreign professionals. ASEAN Integration is still rulesbased thus all foreign professionals who opted to practice in the country should comply with existing policies and regulations.

Mutual Recognition Agreements under ASEAN

 across ASEAN, the priority occupations that are being opened up are those under MRA:
 2005 Engineering Services
 2006 Nursing Services
 2007 Architectural Services
 2007 Surveying
 2009 Accountancy Services
 2009 Medical Practitioners
 2009 Dental Practitioners
 2012 Mutual Recognition Arrangement on
Tourism Professionals (ASEAN MRA-TP)

 The ASEAN MRA on Tourism Professionals covers 6 general labor groupings:
 Front Office
 Housekeeping
 Food Production
 Food and Beverage Services (for Hotel
Services)
 Travel Agency
 Tour Operations (for Travel Services)

 Deployment statistics show that except for
Malaysia and Singapore, documented workers bound for ASEAN Countries remain low during the past 5 years
 Of special interest is Thailand where deployment is low but almost 20% are professionals under MRAs

ASEAN Instrument on Migrant
Workers
 The ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (January 2007, 12th
ASEAN Summit, Cebu, Philippines.)
 Philippine initiative to promote the rights of migrant workers
 Outlines obligations of sending and receiving countries to its migrant workers in the region and commitment of ASEAN to protect and promote their rights.
 Landmark document : the first specific recognition of the rights of migrant workers in ASEAN.

ASEAN Instrument on Migrant
Workers
 As a follow up to the ASEAN Declaration on Migrant
Workers, the ASEAN Committee on the Implementation of the ASEAN Declaration on the Protection and
Promotion of the Rights of Migrant Workers (ACMW) was created during the Senior Labor Officials Meeting
SLOM) on May 2008:

ASEAN Instrument on Migrant
Workers
 Four (4) Main Work Thrusts
 Step up protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers against exploitation and mistreatment
 Strengthen protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers by enhancing labor migration governance in ASEAN.
 Regional cooperation against human trafficking in ASEAN, in cooperation w/ Senior Officials Meeting on Transnational Crime
 Development of an ASEAN Instrument on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers

ASEAN Instrument on Migrant
Workers
ACMW-Drafting Team (ACMW-DT)
 ACMW Drafting Team created during the 1st ACMW
Meeting on September 2008 in Singapore and is primarily created to develop the ASEAN Instrument.
 Initially, composed of 2 sending countries (Philippines and Indonesia) and 2 receiving countries (Malaysia and
Thailand).
 Expanded to include the 10 ASEAN Member States prior to the 4th ACMW-DT Meeting held in Manila on
September 2011.

ASEAN Instrument on Migrant
Workers
 As of the 15 th ACMW-DT Meting (15-17 December
2014, Lao PDR) – Pending articles and principal issues remain unresolved. There are eleven (11) more articles or about 15% of the Instrument’s content to be finalized and three (3) principal issues which are prerequisite to the finalization of some pending articles.
 The unresolved articles and principle issues was elevated to the SLOM held in Manila, Philippines on 06-
08 May 2015 for resolution
 To be tackled by ALMM

Cooperation Structure in ASEAN
SLOM Subsidiary Bodies
ASEAN
Forum on
Migrant
Labor
SLOM working group on progressive labor practices to enhance the competitiveness of ASEAN
ASEAN committee on the implementation of the ASEAN declaration on the protection and promotion of the rights of migrant workers (ACMW)
SLOM
ASEAN occupational safety and health network
(OSHNET)
SLOM working group on HIV prevention and control in the work place

3 Key Characteristics of the APSC
 a cohesive, peaceful, stable and resilient region
 community of shared values and norms: democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance and the rule of law
 a dynamic and outward-looking region








3 Key Characteristics of the APSC community of shared values and norms: democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms, good governance and the rule of law
International criminal organizations
Human (with women and child) trafficking
Drug trafficking
Financial fraud and money laundering
Terrorism
Piracy
Intellectual Piracy

ASEAN Community
ASEAN
Political-
Security
Community
(APSC)
Enhance rules and good governance for
ASEAN
ASEAN
Economic
Community
(AEC)
Enhance integration and competitiveness of
ASEAN
ASEAN
Socio-
Cultural
Community
(ASCC)
Enhance the wellbeing of ASEAN peoples
Migration Issues

Challenges & Opportunities

 Alignment of curricula with international benchmarks
 Continuous worker learning, training and retaining
 Increased efficiencies in private recruitment
 Protection of those in vulnerable occupations
 domestic workers

Challenges & Opportunities

 Alignment with STCW Manila Amendments
 Implementation of MLC standards and regulations at bilateral level with ASEAN member countries
 Cooperation on seafaring
 with receiving flags
 With seafarer-sending ASEAN member countries

Challenges & Opportunities

 equity measures that will include transition strategies;
 industrial upgrading to strengthen and expand the base for decent employment
 improving competitiveness through continuous on-the-job skills acquisition and development

Imperatives for OFW
Protection
 develop a policy issuance that will require OFWs’ possession of appropriate license (professionals) or certification (skilled) prior to deployment to ASEAN countries
 develop capacities of frontliners to properly document outward mobility of workers toward AMS

Imperatives for OFW
Protection
 more on protection for vulnerable occupations : domestic workers, low and semi-skilled work
 Ethical recruitment practices
 Standard contracts, bilateral arrangements
 Anti-human trafficking and anti-illegal recruitment
 Instrument to implement the Cebu (ASEAN) Declaration on
Migrant Workers
 ILO Convention 188