MAY - JUNE 2016 - United Filipino Seafarers United Filipino Seafarers

No salary increase for seafarers
MAY - JUNE 2016
Vol. XXI No. 4 |
MAY - JUNE 2016
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TINIG NG MARINO
MAY - JUNE 2016
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MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
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The MARINA Countdown to Doomsday 2017
BY JOANA VENTURA
T
hanks to what many would
describe as the lamentable lack of foresight on the
part of MARINA, there is now a serious threat hanging over the head
of every Filipino seafarer. We refer
to the inescapable fact that, at the
stroke of midnight on December 31,
2016, the bulk of STCW-issued certificates previously issued by the Mejia administration will be rendered
void and expired unless the holders
of said documents can join the frantic horde of renewal applicants currently flooding MARINA’s processing queues. This is all because of the
MARINA’s failure to optimize the
provisions of the STCW Convention’s transitional period.
As we all know, the International Convention of Standards of
Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers and its associated Code underwent major revisions
in 2010 during a diplomatic conference in Manila. These revisions, thus
referred to as the “Manila Amendments”, were adopted to ensure that
each Party will have the much-needed time to place respective measures
that will ensure compliance with the
necessary global standards. The most
crucial among these amendments
was the provision that allowed for a
five-year transitional period from 01
January 2012 to 01 January 2017. The
idea behind this transitional period
was to allow each signing Party (i.e.
the Philippines) to ease in into a fullscale implementation of the STCW
regulations come 2017. One of the
more important sections pertaining
to this transition period is Article
VII (Transitional Provisions), section 2, which we quote:
After the entry into force of
the Convention for a Party, its Administration may continue to issue
certificates of competency in accordance with its previous practices for a
period not exceeding five years. Such
certificates shall be recognized as
valid for the purpose of the Convention. During this transitional period,
such certificates shall be issued only
to seafarers who had commenced
their sea service before entry into
force of the Convention for that Party within the specific ship department to which those certificates relate. The Administration shall ensure
that all other candidates for certification shall be examined and certificated in accordance with the Convention.
If we take the time to dissect Section 2, then we’ll realize how
MARINA, for all its enthusiastic implementation of the three-shift, 24/7
policy, has actually failed the Filipino
seafarers in two painful ways: first,
by
thoughtlessly short-changing
the validity period
of the documents it
has been issuing for
the last year and a
half; and second, by
trying to pass off its
frantic cramming
strategies as ‘progress’.
Section 2 is
essentially explaining that, during
the transition period, the issuance of
CoCs and CoPs are
more or less business as usual – that’s
what is meant by the
phrase ‘in accordance with its previous practices’. The
only limitation to
this practice is that
the maximum period for validity is
‘not exceeding five
years’, which should not be a problem
because for the Philippines, the legal
validity for CoCs and CoPs are five
years anyway. The five-year limit on
validity is the international standard
for STCW regulations, even in other
countries. By specifying this limitation, the STCW code is making sure
that no Party can use this loophole
to exceed the standard validity of the
certificates. Under this section, it’s
clear that certificates issued in 2015
should still be considered valid five
years after. In the United Kingdom,
the Maritime and Coastguard Agency interpreted Section 2 as follows:
The 2010 Manila Amendments allow an application for revalidation of a Certificate of Competency (CoC) made within six months of
the certificate expiry date to be revalidated until the fifth anniversary of
the certificate expiry date.
Now here is the funny part:
Mejia and his cohorts interpreted this section to mean that no certificates will be deemed as valid five
years after the start of the transition
period. Consequently, MARINA has
been issuing documents that have
been marked with as expiry date of
31 December 2016. Is this colossal
mistake attributable to the language
barrier? Could the MARINA administrator, who boasts impressive academic achievements in his resume,
continued on page 29
4
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
4
EDITORIAL
Nelson P. Ramirez
Arianne Ramirez
Raffy Ayeng
Myrna F. Virtudazo
James S. Mante
Judy Domingo
Arnel P. Flores
A Question of Value and
Respect for Filipino
Seafarers
Executive Editor
Managing Editor
Associate Editor
Assistant Editors
Staff Writer
Maria Louise Rimando
Ruel E. Fuentes III
Edison Jade Frias
Joel Matas
Rey Sto. Domingo
Fr. James Kolin
Engr. Samson Tormis
Corry Llamas-Konings
Bob Ramirez
Philip Ramirez
Minabelle Siason
Capt. Arturo Cañoza
Layout & Graphic Artist
Sapalo Velez Bundang
Bulilan Law Offices
Legal Consultants
Cartoonist
Production Staff
New York Bureau
Greece Bureau
Rotterdam Bureau
Singapore
Belgium Bureau
Japan Bureau
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) 525-5806, (632) 708-9206; Fax: (632) 524-4888;
E-mail: [email protected]; 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.
CAPT. REYNOLD ‘BURT’ M. SABAY
How Fortified is the
Philippine STCW
Administration Part 2
"CONFERENCE RESOLUTION 1
24 June 2010
ADOPTION OF AMENDMENTS
TO THE ANNEX TO THE INTERNATIONAL CONVENTION ON
STANDARDS OF TRAINING, CERTIFICATION AND WATCHKEEPING FOR SEAFARERS (STCW),
1978
THE 2010 MANILA CONFERENCE
RECALLING Article XII(1)(b) of
the International Convention on
Standards of Training, Certification
and Watchkeeping for Seafarers,
1978 (hereinafter referred to as “the
Convention”), concerning the procedure for amendment by a Conference of Parties,
HAVING CONSIDERED amendments to the annex to the Convention proposed and circulated to the
Members of the Organization and to
all Parties of the Convention,
1. ADOPTS, in accordance with Article XII(1)(b) (ii) of the Convention, amendments to the annex to
the Convention, the text of which is
set out in the annex to the present
continued on page 8
E
very time someone from
POEA
or
Malacañang
speaks in front of the maritime sector, they never fail to mention how significant the seafarers’
contribution is to our Philippine
economy. They quote annual remittances in billions of dollars each
year, and cite how this consistent
stream of foreign income has been
the country’s economic salvation
despite the global downturn that
has brought Greece and China to
its knees. But when push comes to
shove, it seems that this appreciation is, after all, nothing but lip service, because the end of 2016 could
very well spell a doomsday scenario for hundreds of thousands of
our seafarers, and yet, no one outside of a select few seems worried
at MARINA’s patently incompetent
handling of the situation. As the
clock ticks closer to 2017, the lucrative stream of dollars from maritime manpower is in real (and almost inevitable) danger of drying
up, but on a national level, no one
seems to care.
We are talking, of course,
about the end of the five-year tran-
sition period given to all signatory Parties for the STCW Convention, which began 01 January
2012. At the end of this period —
31 December 2016 — a new era
in shipping begins as no seafarer will be allowed to work on an
STCW-compliant vessel without
having the appropriate credentials.
Other countries in the world like
the United States, Australia, Norway, and the United Kingdom have
been operating in readiness for this
deadline by implementing measures that will ease in their accreditations protocol during the transition period. As early as 2014, they
have already made sure that the validity of their seafarers’ credentials
can be optimized, so that the shift
to full-scale STCW compliance can
be made as seamlessly as possible.
For the Philippines however, which is the largest supplier of seafarers in the whole world,
the end of the transition period is
bound to end in disaster because of
two reasons: one, because the brilliant Meija administration made a
colossal error in interpreting the
continued on page 40
MAY - JUNE 2016
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 Zamboanga del Norte, 2006
Panahon ng pagbabago
H
alos walang nakapansin na
bukod sa kasong isinampa ng
mga biktima ng M/V Princess of the Stars, ang mga biktima at
mga kamag-anak sa mga trahedya sa
karagatan ay walang nakuhang hustisya. Ang mga nag-iimbistiga ang may
kasalanan, na dapat imbestigahan din,
at naturalmente na ang una nilang ililigtas ay ang kanilang sarili. Sino ba naman ang nasa kapangyarihan na naluklok sa ahensya ng gobyerno ang aamin
na siya ang dahilan ng trahedya katulad
ng nangyari sa M/B Kim Nirvana. Ang
MARINA ang nagbigay ng Certificate
of Public Conveyance sa isang bangka
na may dalawang palapag. MARINA
din ang nagbigay ng lisensya sa kapitan
ng bangka. Ang MARINA din mismo
ang nakakaalam kung paano nalagyan
ng plimsol mark ang M/B Kim Nirvana. Ang MARINA din ang nagsabi na
kulang sa kaalaman ang kapitan. Ang
MARINA ang ugat kung bakit nangyari ang trahedya ngunit ligtas ang
MARINA sa bulilyaso sa kanilang sariling imbestigasyon. Lahat ng dahilan
sa paglubog ng M/B Kim Nirvana ay
mananatiling isang hiwaga hanggang
sa pagbalik ni Dr. Mejia sa Sweden.
***** ***** *****
Alam ng mga tauhan ng MARINA at
ng Philippine Coast Guard na halos
lahat ng barkong segunda mano na
nanggaling sa ibang bansa ay hindi na
tama ang hydrostatic table kasi karamihan sa barkong yan ay dinagdagan
ng isang palapag upang makapagkarga
ng maraming pasahero. Gagawa naman ng inclining experiment ang mga
tauhan ng MARINA na humahantong sa isang malamig na patay-sindi na lugar. Kung titingnan ng mga
dalubhasa ang mga hydrostatic table
ng mga barko na naglalayag ngayon,
malamang na wala ito sa ayos. Hanggang ngayon, hindi alam ng tagabarko
kung gaano kabigat ang containers na
kargamento sapagkat walang weighing bridge na dinadaanan ang mga
kargamento. Kung inyong mapapansin, maraming mga containers dito sa
ating bansa na baluktot ang ilalim dahil sa sobra ang bigat habang kinakarga ng forklift. Hanggang ngayon, maraming mga rolling cargoes na wala pa
ring lashing. Kung bakit pinapayagan
ang ganitong sistema, ang mga tauhan
lang ng MARINA at Philippine Coast
Guard ang nakakaalam.
***** ***** *****
Marami pa tayong dapat babaguhin
sa industriya maritima ngunit hindi na nabigyan ng pansin sapagkat
iba ang inaatupag ng mga namamahala sa MARINA at Philippine Coast
Guard sa administrasyon ni Panot
Aquino. Ang ating Philippine Registered vessels ay mahigit 120 na lang
samantalang umabot na ito sa mahigit 800 noong 1988. Sobra na ang dami
ng mga deficiencies ng mga barkong
naglalayag sa bansa na kahit sa isang
dwendeng alon pa lang nagsilubugan
na katulad sa nangyari sa M/V Our
Lady of Mt. Carmel. Nagpalusot kaagad ang regional commander ng Philippine Coast Guard na ang maaaring
dahilan sa paglubog ay isang malaking ipo-ipo sa dagat. Kaya sinabi ko na
pwede ring sabihin na isang higanteng
pusit o dambuhalang pugita na humila sa barko sa ilalim ng dagat. Lumubog din ang M/V Sea Merchant
at M/V Maharlika na walang bagyo
sa mga kasong ganito, walang nababangit na kapabayaan ng MARINA o
Philippine Coast Guard. Napapanahon na upang magkaroon tayo ng Admiralty Court. Ito ang dapat inasikaso
ng ating kinatawan sa kongreso at hindi ang mga batas na kontra marino.
***** ***** *****
Ipinaglaban ko sa loob ng 12 taon na
hindi na kailangang kumuha pa ng
licensure examination ang mga marinong Piliino kung sasakay sila sa
barkong may banderang Panama sapagkat naniniwala ako na ang kapasidad
ng marinong Piipino ay halos pantay naman sa mga marinong magagaling sa ibang bansa. Napagbigyan tayo
ng Panama at lahat ng mga bansa na
may kaugnayan sa industriya maritima
tungkol sa bagay na ito. Nagtataka lang
ako kung bakit ang mga dokumento
ng mga marinong Pilipino na nakuha sa ibang bansa ay hindi binibigyan
ng pagkilala ng ating bansa. Maraming Pilipino ang nagtapos sa ALAM
Malaysia ngunit hindi kinikilala ang
kanilang lisensya dito sa ating bansa.
Ang ibig sabihin ba nito, ang Pilipi-
nas ang may pinakamataas na pamantayan? Hindi ba dapat matuto din tayong rumespeto sa ibang bansa?
***** ***** *****
Isa pang bagay na dapat nating pagaralan. Bakit nga ba hindi kinokonsulta ang mga Greek shipowners tuwing gumagawa tayo ng patakaran na
gusto nating ipatupad? Huwag naman
sana nating hayaan na magtampo ang
mga Greek shipowners kasi maaaring
lumipat sila sa Myanmar. Napapansin ko sa mga pagtitipon na ang mga
ahensiya ng ating industriya maritima ay parang tinuturing na mga
second class citizens ang mga Greek
shipowners kasi hindi sila sinasama
sa mga consultation meetings. Ang
pagkakaalam ko ay kinukunsulta lang
ng ating pamahalaan ang mga Norwegian at Japanese shipowners dahil
sila lang ang nakikilala ng ating mga
bossing sa POEA at MARINA.
***** ***** *****
Palaging ipinagmamayabang ng
MARINA na dapat daw iangat na
natin ang antas ng ating mga marino. Wala naman kumukontra sa panukalang yan. Ang tanong, naiangat
ba ng mga taga- MARINA ang antas
ng kaalaman ng kanilang mga tauhan? Ang mga assessors ba ng MARINA ay talagang mas mataas ang
kaalaman kaysa kanilang sinusuri? Sa maraming pagkakataon, hindi nakakasagot si Dr. Mejia sa mga
tanong na binabato sa kanya sa mga
pagtitipon at dahil walang maisagot
si doktor, kadalasan ang tinatanong
niya ay ang kanyang kasama na
technical person. Madalas, sa kasamaang palad, ay wala ding maisagot ang kanyang dinadalang pambato.
Ang payo ko sa iyo doktor, ay magaral ka naman para hindi ka malagay sa kahihiyan. Iba ang nagtuturo
sa isang paaralan kasi doon walang
kumukontra sa iyo. Ngunit nandito ka na sa tunay na larangan. Hindi
na whiteboard at libro ang ginagamit
dito. Doon sa WMU, ikaw ang aktor
at natural lang yan, kasi sa bayan ng
mga bulag, duling ang aktor.
6
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
6
Grain terminal construction kicks off in Ukraine
BY RAFFY AYENG
T
HE construction of a terminal
in the port of Yuzhny, Ukraine
is now on the go following the
signing of agreement on the implementation of two partnership projects
between the Ukrainian Sea Ports Authority (USPA) and MV Cargo LLC,
a especially formed company for the
Yuzhnyi port project, situated on the
country’s Black Sea coast.
Under the agreement, MV
Cargo will construct a specialized
grain terminal as well as a berth № 25
in the sea port of Yuzhny.
The agreement also states
that on its first phase, the capacity of
the terminal will amount up to five
million tons and the second phase
provides for the increase by another
2–4 million tons.
While the USPA’s job is to ensure navigable operational water area
at the berth № 25 as well as the approaching channel to the future grain
terminal, which will see depths of the
waters and the approaching channel
be dredged down to 16 meters.
The agreement further said
that the estimated investment in the
construction of the grain terminal
will amount to USD 104 million with
USPA investing USD 50 million for
dredging works. A feasibility study of
the project for advanced depths in the
port of Yuzhny has already been submitted for endorsement in core ministries, USPA said.
Through a joint venture
company, the terminal will be majority-owned by US agriculture giant
Cargill Inc.
The pact comes on the back
of an agreement
signed on 24 February 2016, after Cargill and MV Cargo
penned the construction deal for the new
grain terminal in Yuzhny sea port.
“A key component of the agreement for us is the
term under which
the Cargill ensures
the loading of the
terminal with necessary volumes of grain
cargo. This is a vivid
example of an idea to
assign the cargo owner with certain berth,
which creates comfortable and clear
conditions for public-private partnership,” according to CEO of USPA AndreyAmelin.
“We expect the project to
generate over UAH 300 million in
tax payments annually and to create
employment for around 350 people,”
Director of MV Cargo LLC Alexander
Primak said on his part.
The grain terminal comple-
tion is set for September 1, 2018. In
turn, USPA agreed to finish dredging
at the latest, on February 1, 2018.
In August 2015, the Ministry
of Infrastructure of Ukraine signed a
trilateral memorandum formalizing
the intention to implement the investment project in the sea port of Yuzhny, which certified Cargill’s intention
to purchase 51 percent of shares of
cargo terminal.
Joint Venture Company, COSCO Pacific and PSA
to Finance Mega Berths in Singapore
BY KIMBERLY FRIVALDO
A
new investment contract has
been signed between COSCO
Pacific and PSA Singapore in
Shanghai, China last March 28. This
contract states that the two companies
will be investing in new three Mega
Berths located at the Phases 3 and 4
expansion of the Pasir Panjang Terminal which was launched last year.
The joint venture of COSCO
- PSA Terminal (CPT) enables the
application of the investment. It also
allows the influx of mega container ships at the new container Berths
in expectation of gradual increase in
sizes of box ships of trade plying the
international waters.
The operations of the new
Mega Berths are scheduled to start in
2017. As stated by PSA, they will be
supported by the automated and in-
telligent port technologies and completely integrated with PSA's infrastructure.
Josephine Teo, Senior Minis-
ter of State for Finance and Transport
of Singapore, said,
"The co-investment agreement is strategically important to
both partners and will help them up
their competitive game. It is also a
clear demonstration of China COSCO Shipping's confidence in Singapore as a well-connected transshipment hub. I believe the project will
also contribute positively to China's
Maritime Silk Road initiative and
One Belt, One Road vision."
The union of the two largest container shipping companies,
COSCO Group and China Shipping
Group, created the 4th largest container shipping line in the world
which is the China COSCO Shipping.
COSCO Pacific is its subsidiary.
In 2003, COSCO Pacific and
PSA formed COSCO - PSA Terminal
Pte Ltd (CPT) designed to handle the
operations of two berths located at
Pasir Panjang Terminal.
8
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
from page 4
How Fortified is the
Philippine STCW
Administration Part 2
resolution;
2. DETERMINES, in accordance
with Article XII(1)(b)(vii) of the
Convention, that the amendments
annexed hereto shall be deemed to
have been accepted on 01 July 2011,
unless, prior to that date, more than
one third of Parties to the Convention or Parties the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not
less than 50% of the gross tonnage
of the world’s merchant shipping
of ships of 100 gross register tons
or more have notified the Secretary-General that they object to the
amendments;
3. INVITES Parties to note that, in
accordance with Article XII(1)(b)
(ix) of the Convention, the amendments annexed thereto shall enter
into force on 01 January 2012 upon
being deemed to have been accept-
ed in accordance with paragraph 2
above;
4. REQUESTS the Secretary-General of the Organization, to transmit
certified copies of the present resolution and the text of the amendments contained in the annex to all
Parties to the Convention;
5. FURTHER REQUESTS the Secretary-General to transmit copies of
this resolution and its annex to all
Members of the Organization which
are not Parties to the Convention."
Clarifications and Discussions
The 1st significant issue is
01 July 2011 when the amendments
shall be deemed to have been accepted. This is a year after the Conference Resolution which was made
final in Manila, Philippines. Who
among the concerned in the Philippines can claim “I do not know”?
The 2nd significant issue
is the phrase in paragraph 2 above:
“more than one third of Parties to
the Convention or Parties the combined merchant fleets of which constitute not less than 50% of the gross
tonnage of the world’s fleet”. The in-
8
ternational democratic measurement to achieve a strength to disapprove a resolution is the number
of gross registered tonnage! What is
then the significance of more than
400,000 Filipino seafarers on board
at any given time?
It is then clear that STCW’s
definition of the Administration as
“the government of a Party whose
flag the ship is entitled to fly” is effectively at work as applied by IMO!
To understand better the
strength of Philippine Administration for STCW, let us consider the
following figures:
World’s tonnage: 1,676,853,000
Panama flag: 355,700,000 21.21 percent of the world
Liberia: 205,206,000 12.24 percent
of the world
Marshal Islands 152,339,000 09.10
percent of the world
China, Hongkong, SAR 139,134,000
08.30 percent of the world
Total 50.85 percent of the world
It will take only four Parties to disapprove an IMO resolution!
Philippine flag: 6,119,000 00.36% of
the world
It is a pity the number of
Filipino seafarers seemed NOT to
count!
The 3rd significant issue is
01 January 2012 when the amendments to the Convention shall have
taken effect. We are now at the beginning of 2016! Will the Philippines be able to update, refresh and
re-validate more than 400,000 seafarers considering that a seafarer
holds more than one STCW Certificate? Some approved Education and
Training Programs do NOT even exist yet!
What is the Philippines’ approved education, training and experience in accordance with the
STCW 2010 Manila Amendments
for a rating to be issued a Certificate
of Proficiency (COP) under Reg II/4,
III/4 and III/7?
The wisdom in the EU’s deployment
of EMSA to the Philippines is NOT
necessary to know this! Or is it?
IS THERE REALY A SOLUTION?
MEET REVOLUTION!
MAY - JUNE 2016
“Shipping: indispensable to
the world” is World Maritime
Day’s theme for 2016
BY RICK HALOG
his year's World Maritime providing them negotiable shipping
Day theme chose to focus on prices.
the vital connection between
Merchant ships around
shipping and global society, and to understand the purpose of IMO's the world are registered in over 150
role as the international shipping's nations, covered by a million or more
seafarers of every nationality and
global regulatory body.
about 50,000 ships or more travel
Shipping has been one of globally delivering different kinds of
the leading ways in supporting and goods.
maintaining global society needs.
IMO has established an
This shows the relevance of IMO's work in the international shipping over-the-board framework of global
regulations over the past 50 years
industry.
and more. Regulations focusing
The international shipping on maritime safety, legal matters,
protection
and
industry carries around 90 percent environmental
other
aspects
make
shipping
safer,
of today's world trade, thus, it
would be impossible to import and progressive, environment-friendly
export goods, which are necessities and more effective.
in sustaining the modern world,
The celebration for World
without shipping.
Maritime Day will be held at the IMO
The
seaborne
trade Headquarters on September 29, 2016.
continues to grow as it brings profit However. the theme will be applied to
to consumers around the world by other events all throughout the year.
T
TINIG NG MARINO
11
UFS: Always Extending
a Helping Hand
W
e know that it is very their jobs, just like in the case of
painful for a seafarer AB Guillermo Jazmin of M/V Ice
to be hospitalized in Star who had an eye injury while
foreign land and it is nice to hear working on deck in Finland last
that there are people who are more January 15, 2016.
than willing to
reach out a helping
hand to those who
need it.
UFS is the
only maritime organization in the
Philippines
that
provides hospital
visits to Filipino
seafarers overseas.
This visit also offers
the seafarers the accompaniment that
they need.
UFS
has
been long doing
this, attending to
the needs and providing assistance to
seafarers that got
into an accident
while performing Bob Ramirez (right) and a Filipino seafarer
12
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
12
SAILOR’S CORNER
ATTY. AUGUSTO R. BUNDANG
Head, Litigation and Seafarers Department
Sapalo Velez Bundang and Bulilan Law Offices
COMPENSATION FOR THE HEIRS
C
an the heirs claim death benefits even if the seafarer died
after his medical repatriation?
Yes, as pronounced in the
case of Canuel v. Magsaysay Maritime
Corporation, et.al. (G.R. No. 190161,
October 13, 2014), the Supreme Court
granted the claims for death benefits
even though the seafarer’s death happened after he was medically repatriated.
In Canuel, the seafarer was
deployed as Third Asst. Engineer on
board an ocean-going vessel for 12
months. While in the performance
of his duties, he figured in an accident thereby injuring the right side
of his body. He was brought to a hospital in China and was medically repatriated weeks later, and immediately admitted to a Philippine hospital.
About a month after his admission,
he passed away due to acute respiratory failure. After his autopsy, he was
found to have died of lung cancer
which the company doctor asserted to
be non-compensable. When his heirs
filed their complaint for death benefits, the arbiter and the NLRC ruled
in their favor. On appeal, the Court of
Appeals however, dismissed the complaint.
The Supreme Court reinstated the decision of the NLRC and
ruled for the seafarer’s heirs, applying
Section 20 of the 2000 POEA Standard Employment Contract (POEASEC) which governs the entitlement
of the seafarer’s beneficiaries to death
benefits. According to Section 20, two
(2) requirements must be established,
i.e., (1) the seafarer’s death is work-related, and (2) that said death occurred
during the term of his employment
contract.
On the first requirement
above, a “work related death” is one
which resulted from a work-related injury or illness. A work-related
injury is said to arise “in the course
of employment” when it takes place
within the period of the employment, at a place where the employee reasonably may be, and while he
is fulfilling his duties or is engaged in
doing something incidental thereto.
In the instant case, the seafarer suffered a work-related injury within
the term of his employment contract
when he had an accident while performing his duties on board as Third
Assistant Engineer. The said injury,
which is the proximate cause of his
death, then led to the deterioration
of his condition, his hospitalization
in China, his repatriation and eventual admission to the Philippine hospital, and his acute respiratory failure
which was declared to be the immediate cause of his death.
The Supreme Court, citing
its previous ruling, also noted that
compensability does not depend on
whether the injury or disease was
pre-existing at the time of employment, but rather if the injury or disease is work-related or if his employment aggravated his injury, if indeed
it was pre-existing during his employment.
On the second requirement for death compensability, the
High Court pointed out that while
the general rule is that the seafarer’s death should occur DURING
the term of his employment, the seafarer’s death occurring AFTER his
medical repatriation (which equates
to the termination of his employment) due to a work-related injury
or illness, constitutes an exception
to said general rule based on a liberal construction of the 2000 POEASEC. As such, the phrase “work-re-
lated death of the seafarer during the
term of his employment contract”
should not be strictly interpreted to
mean that the seafarer’s work-related
death precisely occurred during the
term of his employment. Rather, it is
enough that the seafarer’s work-related injury or illness, which eventually causes his death, should have
occurred during the term of his employment. If the laborer’s death was
brought about ,whether fully or partially, by the work he had harbored
for his master’s profit, then it is but
proper that his death be compensated. This interpretation is resorted to
so as to avoid any undue prejudice to
the worker and his heirs and in order
that the State policy on labor protection be championed.
South Asia Gateway Terminals tops in
South Asia, fourth in the world
S
ri Lanka ‘s first private container terminal operator,
South Asia Gateway Terminals (SAGT), topped the ranking in
South Asia and got the No. 4 spot in
the world for Terminal Productivity
by the Journal of Commerce USA.
Ports and Shipping Minister Arjuna Ranatunga received
a ceremonial plaque presented by
the Chief Commercial Officer Ted
Muttiah and Commercial and Marketing Manager DhasmaKarunaratne. This is
to recognize Sri
Lanka’s Container Terminal operational competence in the
global arena.
“This is
a very good example of Sri Lanka’s capabilities,”
BY KIMBERLY CHAVEZ FRIVALDO
Minister Ranatunge said.
This government is dedicated in developing the right structures for business to continue doing business.
SAGT’s berth productivity performance ranked among the
best in the world by its 113 container moves per hour and an average
34 container moves per hour per
crane. A vessel with a 1,000 container move count can be accom-
plished in less than nine hours of
quayside dwell time, deploying an
average of 3.3 cranes.
The Chief Commercial
Officer noted that these high productivity benchmarks are achieved
through the combined efforts of
many stakeholders of the Port of
Colombo. SLPA as the regulator and
landlord is the essential part in ensuring a productive outline for high
performance results.
14
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
14
THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE
Capt. Rey Casareo and the crusade
against ambulance-chasers
BY RUTH CERVANTES, CONTRIBUTOR
C
apt. Rey Casareo is not just
a company president. He is a
man on a mission.
The Cargo Safeway, Inc.
president is on a crusade against
what he calls an unholy alliance between seafarers filing bogus claims,
ambulance-chasing lawyers, unscrupulous P & I correspondents
and labor arbiters.
In an interview with Tinig ng Marino, Capt. Casareo said
this prevalent practice of filing unfounded claims and getting away
with it must be stopped. He said it
is hurting the maritime industry in
the country. Shipowners have gone
to other countries for crewing; as a
consequence, Philippine manning
agencies are unable to bring Filipino crew on board.
When it all began
It all started about eight
years ago when he foiled a chief
cook's disability claim against Car-
go Safeway and its foreign principal for an alleged work-related
hearing loss. It turned out that the
man had previously filed the same
claim for “Total Permanent Disability” against three other foreign
shipowners with the aid of conniving lawyers.
would
help
them identify
seafarers with
legal
claims
and those who
have made it
a business endeavor.
Cargo Safeway found itself
facing a string of unfounded and
ridiculous claims, and so did other manning agencies in the Philippines.
C a p t .
Casareo
recounted that
these lawyers
would make
them
sign
documents
but would not
allow them to
read these. So
he decided to
take matters
on his own
hands, so to
speak. In one
case
where
they again lost
at the labor arbiter level, Cargo
Safeway brought in their own lawyers. This time, they obtained a favorable decision
from the NLRC and the labor arbiter's ruling was reversed.
Capt. Casareo, who is also
a director of FAME (Filipino Association for Mariners' Employment,
Inc.), said, they had suspected that
lawyers representing local P&I correspondents are into the scheme.
In brief, they have two reasons for
their suspicion: first, they always
lose at the labor arbiter level even
if they have a solid defense to repel
these claims; and second, the local
correspondents refused to give the
manning agents a database which
Chasing the ambulancechasers
It is no easy task, warns
his friends who fear that he
may be up against treacherous syndicates.
But Capt. Casareo is not
afraid of them, and he is
prepared to chase the ambulance-chasers away.
Tinig ng Marino asked him
how he fends off these fake
claims. He said that for one,
they are no longer dependent on the P&I Club local
correspondents for legal
representation. “We retained the
services of independent and competent lawyers,” said Capt. Casareo.
They also give an orientation or briefing for lawyers who
practice in the field of maritime
law for them to be able to assess
for themselves if the claims of incidents causing illnesses or disability have a leg to stand on. “You see,
these ambulance-chasers do not
know what they are talking about.
They make ridiculous claims in
their pleadings like a pad eye at the
passage way,” he said referring to a
case where a first engineer claims to
have been injured during an emergency fire drill on board the vessel,
he allegedly stepped on the pad eye
at the passage way. Photos taken
during the drill were obtained by
Capt. Casareo and shown to Tinig
ng Marino. There was no pad eye
on the passage way.
continued on page 61
Capt. Reynaldo Casareo:
An athlete at 73
Capt. Reynaldo Casareo of Cargo Safeway Inc., is an alumnus of
PMMA who participated in last year’s Tokyo International Marathon and Kobe Marathon. He is already 73 years old and yet he is a
42k finisher in all marathon events that he participated. He definitely
proves to everyone that age is just a number.
16
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
16
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
I’m now a proud grandpa!
I
’ve always been fascinated watching doting grandparents with their
grandchildren in tow. I see them in
the malls, grocery stores, department
stores, and fast foods.
In our subdivision, couples who started their families like us
-- some of whom are also seafarers -are now grandparents themselves. Last
year, there was a grandbaby boom in
our place. A host of baby showers and
baptisms came after one after another.
Their Timeline on Facebook is flooded with photos and videos of grandkids swimming in the rubber pool;
their first smile, first syllables, first solid food and other firsts.
Friends my age, or even
younger at that, have grandkids already and do most of the talking about
their grandchildren.
Well, except me… But that
was before!
I’m proud to say that I’m now
a full-fledged grandpa to our grandson
Elijah Kemuel who was born on February 4, 2016 in Singapore to my son
Errol and daughter-in-law Eva May. Eli
or EJ is an answered prayer. After almost five years, they were blessed with
a baby and how our respective families
rejoiced! Truly, patience is a virtue.
He is a blessing to our family because he came to our life now that
we are on our 40th wedding anniversa-
ry. God has perfect timing always!
Even though May is in Singapore, my wife Myrna kept close tabs on
her situation the whole day of Thursday from her best friend Bhette. We
are so grateful to her because aside
from being an official photographer
and nurse, she kept May company until she safely and normally delivered
Eli. It was as if Myrna were also with
her, thanks to the Internet. Every now
and then, she would hear her FB Messenger tone and received updates and
photos from Bhette and even got to
speak to her just minutes right after
delivering her baby.
Errol who was also onboard
at that time has got a strong signal and
we could imagine his heavenly feeling
that day as he posted his thanks and
gratefulness to our Lord God on his
Timeline.
Since that time on, we would
eagerly wait for Eli’s photos. How I
laughed and savored the comments
that he looks like his lolo, and got my
cleft-chin, shape of the face and how
my eyebrows crease. We immediatey
decided how our grandson would call
us. I prefer Grandpa, while Myrna,
Lohla (with the “h” please, she says,
for emphasis how it is pronounced
LOL)
When Eva May has to go back
to work and couldn’t find any nanny yet, my wife Myrna hurriedly came
to the rescue and left me, her whole
household, and church duties for the
sake of our Eli. But of course, we had
to buy first pasalubong (gifts) like cute
and little leggings, socks, baby dress,
etc. which I thought were cute and
comfortable for Eli. Yes, I think I am
getting the hang of being a grandfather!
According to Myrna, Eli is big
for a two-month old, more lovable and
adorable in person, and maybe got the
most when heaven opened its window
to pour out cuteness on earth! Taking
care of him is a breeze what with the
“high-tech” sterilizer, bathtub, diapers,
bouncer and baby carrier.
He loves it when people talk
to him and how he laughs, smiles and
giggles. He responds by making baby
sounds as if he is also “talking.” Automatically (or is it an instinct?), Myrna sings lullabies her mother sang to
her and her siblings, and to our own
children to make him sleep. When Eli
cries a lot when hungry or sleepy, she
remembers to just stay calm and collected. But one time, she was in the
shower when Eli woke up with no one
in sight and started to cry with all his
might. No, she denied she came out in
panic mode but immediately went out
wearing only a towel with hair dripping water all over hahaa.
Myrna laughingly said that
we are no longer the experts, no matter
how many children we have raised. So
although she makes it a point to be the
best grandma ever, she attests that truly, May is the best mother ever.
While waiting for Eli to at last
hold him and carry him tenderly in
my arms, I can imagine him staring intently at me as if saying, “So this is my
grandpa that everyone says I look like
him!” He will surely give me a mystifying joy and make me energetic and
young at heart. Our grandpa-grandson
moment will be a blast which he and I
will truly cherish.
I am conditioning my mind
not to spoil him, if I can help it. With
our own children, I love them immediately, and with our grandson Eli, it's
exactly the same. I hope to share with
him and my future grandchildren my
year’s worth of wisdom, and really take
the time to get to know and learn from
them.
Meanwhile, I’d like to think
that I will be a good, cool and hip
grandpa!
Gothong Ads 1 full page
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
18
18
PISOBILITIES
FRANCISCO J. COLAYCO
Chairman, Colayco Foundation for Enducation
Entrepreneur, Venture Developer and Financial Advisor
Pagtatakda ng layunin
(Ikalawang bahagi)
N
oong nakaraang buwan,
sinimulan nating talakayin
ang pagtatakda ng pansariling
layunin o planong pinansyal. Balikan
ninyo kung kailangang rebyuhin.
Narito ang una at ikalima sa
walong tanong na dapat n’yong tanungin sa inyong sarili bago kayo
magtakda ng mga layuning pinansyal.
Tatalakayin natin ang natitirang anim
sa mga susunod na buwan.
1. “Anong klaseng pamumuhay ba
ang gusto ko?”
Bawat tao ay nangangarap mabuhay
nang maayos, pero iba-iba ang ideya
natin sa maayos na pamumuhay. Ano
ba ang sa inyo? Kailangan niyong ala-
min hindi lang kung anong klaseng
pamumuhay kundi kung anong antas
ng pamumuhay ang gusto n’yo. Ibig sabihin, alamin n’yo kung magkano ang
magiging gastusin at magkano ang
kakailanganin niyo kada araw, buwan
o taon. Habang tumataas ang antas,
tumataas din ang kakailanganing gastusin.
Ang pinakamataas na antas
ng pamumuhay na lagi nating pinapangarap ay yung sa mga mayayaman
at sikat, yung mga sosyal na parating
naisusulat sa mga diyaryo, na may
mga mamahaling kotse at malalaking
bahay, na madalas magbiyahe sa iba’t
ibang bansa at magbigay ng magagarang salusalo. Pero ang hindi alam ng
Miraculous Herb Found Effective in
fighting Liver Disease
Medical experts estimated that up to 60% to 70% of world's population
may have been infected with Hepa-B virus.
Most liver damage are caused by a virus-type infection, particularcy
B and C type Hepatitis because when it proceed to chronic stage, its activity
becomes hepatic which then eventually consuming the liver cells; and may
progress further into liver cancer, doctors said.
Meanwhile, Prof. Itoh Oura of Toyoma University in Japan found out
that when a certain medicinal herb was administered o experimental rabbits
with two-thirds partial hepatectomy, the rate of liver regeneration was more
than 34% higher than those of untreated rabbits.
marami, ang iba sa mga sosyal na ito ay
hindi naman kasingyaman ng inaakala nila. Marami sa mga ito ang lubog sa
utang at kapag namatay ay puro problema lang ang maipamamana sa mga
anak.
Marami ring tao ang gusto
lang magkaroon ng limpak-limpak na
perang panggastos kahit hindi naman
nila alam kung ano ang gagawin nila
dito. Kaya tuloy kahit gaano pa kalaki ang makuha nila, madali ring nalulustay. Kaya nga importante talagang
alamin at planuhin kung magkano ang
dapat gastusin araw-araw, buwan-buwan, o taun-taon para mabuhay nang
komportable.
Pwedeng simulan na ito sa
kasalukuyang pamumuhay. Alamin
kung magkano ang kakailanganing
kitain para mapanatili ang kasalukuyang
antas ng pamumuhay at mabayaran ang
mga utang. Kung hindi kakayaning
kumita ng ekstrang pera para dito,
kailangang bawasan ang mga gastusin
at ibaba ang antas ng pamumuhay.
2. “Kung gusto kong bumuti o gumanda ang aking pamumuhay, anuano ang mga kakailanganin kong
makamit?”
On the other hand, Hepa-B is blood-borne and can only be
transmitted through the use of any bladed or pointed instrument contaminated
with blood of an infected person. It can also be acquired in some cases of
sexual intercourse.
Kung paplanuhin n’yo ang inyong kinabukasan, natural na gusto
n’yong bumuti ang inyong pamumuhay. Ang ibig sabihin din nito ay gagastos kayo ng mas malaki. Kailangang ilista kung anu-ano ang kakailanganin para
bumuti ang buhay, at kung magkano
ang magagastos para makamit ang
mga ito. Alam n’yo naman kung magkano ang ginagastos n’yo sa kasalukuyan, kaya madali nang matatantiya kung magkano ang kakailanganin
para mamuhay ngayon tulad ng pinapangarap n’yo.
The "miraculous herb"; which is now drawing a tremendous attention
and curiosity among the medical world, had been found to be free of any side
effect and adverse reactions. For more information about the benefits of the
miracle herb, you may contact Ms. Digna Lizada @ Tels. 400-3488, 736 7732,
or 09285019508
Nagtataka siguro kayo dahil
iniisip n’yo, tataas naman ang presyo
ng mga bilihin sa hinaharap kaya bakit
yung presyo ngayon ang pinapakwenta
ko. Kaya nga kailangang isaalang-alang
Oura called the active component found in that medicinal herb as
Protein Synthesis Stimulating Factor and named it "PROSTISOL" after
confirming its capability and efficacy in combating liver diseases.
The most common liver diseases is the Hepa-A, and in more severe
case is Hepa-B. Both of them are acquired infection. Hepa-A is more highly
communicable than B though it is easier to cure. Most of the causes are
oral-fecal and food contaminaion due to unhygienic peparation and it can be
transmitted through contamination by any of our body fluids in any occasions
such as sexual intercourse, sharing of personal instrument, and in dining.
ang halaga ng implasyon. Darating
din tayo diyan, pero sa ngayon, kwentahin na lang muna kung magkano ang
kakailanganin n’yo batay sa kasalukuyang mga presyo.
3.
“Gaano kalaking panganib (na
pinansyal) ang kaya kong suungin?”
Ang pagsusugal ng ipon ay
hindi kaya ng lahat—depende ’yan sa
inyong pagkatao, edad, at mga negosyo
o pamumuhanan na napasukan na. Ang
dapat lang tandaan ay wala namang
tama sa lahat ng oras. Lahat tayo’y nagkakamali. Kaya nga hindi rin malayong
mailagak n’yo ang pera sa maling
lugar. Ang importante lang naman ay
makayanan n’yong bumangon muli at
matuto sa mga pagkakamali, at sa gayon,
gawing tagumpay ang pagkatalo. Kahit
ano’ng kasawian naman ay kayang malagpasan. Pero kapag pera o negosyo kasi
ang nalugi, makakabawi lang kayo
kung may sapat pa kayong panahon at
lakas na natitira.
Kung kayo’y bata pa, kayangkaya n’yong bumawi dahil malakas pa
kayo at maraming oras na pwedeng
gugulin. Pero hindi ibig sabihin nito
ay dapat na kayong maglagak nang
maglagak ng pera sa mga delikadong
klase ng pamumuhunan. Kailangang
balansehin ang mga pamumuhunan
para kahit malugi ang ilan, may pagkakataon pa para mas mabilis makabawi. Ika nga nila, huwag ilagay lahat ng
itlog sa iisang basket.
Kapag lumalago na ang pera at
lumalawak na ang karanasan, unti-unti na
kayong pwedeng maglagak ng pera sa
mas delikadong mga pamumuhunan.
Pero pakatandaan na dapat lang gawin
ito kung handa kayong maluging lahat ang inyong ipinuhunan. Mangyayari lang ito kung marami pa kayong
ibang pinaglagakan ng pera kaya’t kahit
malugi ang isa, maaabot n’yo pa rin ang
inyong mga layuning pinansyal. Para
rin talaga kayong nagsusugal—alam
n’yong anumang oras ay pwedeng ma-
continued on page 44
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
19
The Ideal Thrusts of an Administration
and the Qualities of a True Leader
O
n INTEGRITY – the ability
of an administration to move
and sustain doing the right
things simply because it is the right
thing to do: by doing things absolutely right with full accountabilities for
every action and inaction. To perform
over and above the mandate of good
and equitable governance for the general good and welfare of the nation and
the Filipino people.
On INCLUSIONS – to ensure inclusive growth and ultimate
welfare of all citizens in programs affecting their daily lives, empowerment,
community development and well-being as progressive and meaningful
members of the society.
On INFRASTRUCTURES
– thorough planning and implementation of well thought and realistic
projects involving road networks, railways, sea transport system, mass transport system, information technology,
port facilities, airport facilities, maintenance facilities, etc. with the end in
view of easing traffic congestion, air
BY CAPT. JAIME D. QUIÑONES, MM , MA
congestion, promoting nationwide accessibility to all islands and regions of
the country and offer competitive public services at par with global standards.
On INVESTMENTS – to attract more domestic and foreign direct investments, promote a structured
PPP (public private partnership) model geared towards the realization of development programs that shall be beneficial for employment and economic
development with due regards to environmental preservation and protection of natural resources.
On INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS – the development and importance of amity and good foreign relations to our neighboring countries
and the world community of nations.
The settlement of disputes through
diplomatic channels and championing
of peace process.
On INSTITUTIONS – the inputting of sensible, doable and realistic
systems and policies for thorough implementation. The setting of standard
for good governance and practices in
government offices and public service
entities.
On INTERGENERATIONAL RESPONSIBILITY – to secure the
future of our next generation by laying
the blue prints for participative and
developmental programs of continual
process of improvement and sustained
growth.
Only a LEADER with the following attributes can realize the above
program:
A Leader must be COURAGEOUS – Courage is the antidote of
fear. A Leader must muster the courage to do things right – simply because
it is the right thing to do, without fearing anyone and without bias to anyone.
A Leader must be CONFIDENT – Confidence is the antidote of
doubt. A Leader must therefore have
such assertiveness to do things, knowing that he can do it and it can be done.
Foremost is the strength of character
and the political will to do things because it has to be done.
A Leader must have CONCENTRATION – It comes in two
parts: FOCUS – by knowing fully well
what you want to achieve and aiming/zeroing how to get it done as per
time bound; and PERSISTENCE – by
not stopping until things get done as
planned.
A Leader must have the VALUES – the ability to practice what he
preaches and to walk the talk. A Leader must be a model, worthy of emulation for purposeful living in service of
the people and our country.
A Leader must SERVE – the
capacity to deliver promises with humility and firm conviction to ensure
that all constituents are accorded with
equitable services sans the intent for
personal gain, knowing well that “public service is a public trust”.
20
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
20
WSS warns ship operators about SOLAS regulation
BY JUDY DOMINGO
W
ilhelmsen Ships Service
(WSS) cautions the ship
operators that to be able
to safeguard crews from the risks of
gas when entering enclosed spaces, they need to combine awareness,
structure and care with the new SOLAS X1-1/7 - MSC.1/Circ.1477 &
MSC.1/Circ.1485 regulations.
WSS emphasized that, as
specified by the IMO, only providing vessels with one portable fourgas detection unit isn’t enough.
“The regulation mustn’t be
seen in isolation,” said Andrew Sheriff, Business Manager, Marine Products - Safety Solutions, WSS.
All ships involved in international trips should have at least
one unit capable of identifying the
occurrence of oxygen, flammable
gases or vapours, carbon monoxide and hydrogen sulphide as per
new regulation requires, effective on
1 July 2016. This is a vital step forward, the leading worldwide supplier of maritime products and services recognizes, but not the end of the
road when it comes to safety.
“It is sound legislating from
the IMO, but it comes with a burden
of responsibility for operators. However, this needn’t be an issue if you
have the correct knowledge, maintenance structure, and testing procedures in place,” Sheriff added.
Sheriff also noted that individuals upon entering enclosed
spaces or tanks, should use the detection units and not forgotten in a
drawer. Next, they
should be visually examined frequently, the batteries charged, and
the units ‘bump
tested’ before use.
So, it is a necessity that an on-board
routine be established whereby the
crew satisfies these
demands.
“It sounds
simple, but it’s very
serious,” he emphasized.
“Also, do
not forget the batteries and sensor needs to be replaced after 30
months to be on
the safe side, or
when their runtime drops below
that of the shortest
on-board shift. A
failure to do this may result to some
units to ‘forget’ they are equipped
with a dual range sensor for combustible gasses.”
“The unit’s audible and
visual alarms must also be checked
regularly and must be free of grime
and dirt - which can obstruct them
– while the housing of the detector
should be free of cracks. If it isn’t
water can corrode the inner circuit
boards and, if the detector isn’t ‘gas
tight’, it can actually, in the worst case
scenarios, cause explosions.”
Basic visual and functional checks suit in these situations, but
not in all. The sensors that distinguish the gas are sensitive to contamination, so must be stored carefully
to protect them. Testing them with a
lighter, as some crewmembers do, is
a big no.
Crews should be trained to
perform ‘bump’ tests because there
are a lot of possible dangers to detector integrity.
“In order to measure the
performance of the sensors a ‘calibration check’, using a traceable
source test gas at a set concentration,
must be done. This involves measuring the sensor’s responses according
to the detector manufacturer’s acceptable limits, which can vary from
brand to brand. It is much more difficult to perform on board than the
other checks.
“Well informed, regimented crew members will be able to safely use and check the basic robustness
and functions of a four-gas detection
unit. However, personally speaking, if I was in a confined space on a
vessel and my life depended on this
piece of equipment, I’d want it calibrated by a professional.”
WSS provides a wide range
of advanced Unitor gas detection
units, such as the Unitor Gas Pro,
with complete maintenance packages distributed by skilled technicians,
hence guaranteeing ideal standards
of operation. This solution dispenses with the need for substituting
units at service centres, or investing
in on-vessel calibration tools. WSS’
service engineers can competently
re-certificate, calibrate and inspect
gas detectors on board when visiting
to test or inspect other apparatus.
“This is an essential device,
but it needs to be looked after properly to work,” Sheriff emphasized. “The
regulations must be backed up by the
right mix of everyday care and professional maintenance. By doing so this
new regulation will really fulfill its potential to safeguard assets, operations
and, most importantly of all, lives.”
The Unitor T4 unit is also
provided with an external filter as
standard for increased protection.
All WSS units have been tested with
stringent drop and moisture tests,
enabling them an increased operational duration.
SEASCORP ADS
MAY - JUNE 2016
Newsbytes
TINIG NG MARINO
Philippines’ Heat index reaches 51°C
23
FastCat mulls to expand in SE Asia
Sasa port modernization budget an
‘election fund-raising’
DAVAO CITY- Government was accused
by petitioners, who are against the Sasa port
modernization project whose budget was increased
from P4 billion to a “graft-labelled” budget of P18
billion to raise election funds.
According to Davao City Chamber of
Commerce & Industry Inc. President Bonifacio Tan,
one of the petitioners, the P18 billion budget is not
practical, as this would result to port fees hike.
Under the public-private partnership
program, Davao City council has blocked the port’s
auction last December. Petitioners filed the petition
to halt the bidding by appealing the Writ of Kalikasan
for the failure of the national government to pursue
the permission of the people and for not obeying the
environmental laws.
Container shipping plunges 78%
Shipping freight rates for transporting
containers from ports in Asia to Northern Europe
have plummeted 78 percent this year, after posting
another drop, according to Shanghai Containerized
Freight Index.
The report said the drop rates fell 6.9 percent to $271 per 20-foot container (TEU) down
from $1232 at the beginning of the year and was the
second consecutive week of falling freight rates on
the world’s busiest route and current level.
Copenhagen-based Maersk Line, the global market leader with a market share around 15 percent and part of Danish shipping and oil group A.P.
Moller-Maersk, reported in February a loss of $182
million for the fourth quarter and the was the first
time since the first quarter of 2012 it reported a
negative quarterly result.
The Danish shipping company controls
around one fifth of all transported containers from
Asia to Europe.
For the second time, an extremely high
heat index was recorded in less than two weeks, as
summer temperature ascended during the El Niño.
The heat index reached an alarming 51
degrees Celsius in Nueva Ecija last April 11. This
heat index is just three degrees below the weather bureau’s “extreme danger” level when heatstroke is about to happen. It was the highest heat
index recorded following the start of the dry season in March, exceeding the former record of 49.4
degrees Celsius noted in Occidental Mindoro on
April 2.
The Philippine Atmospheric, Geophysical and Astronomical Services Administration (Pagasa) cautioned that the country would endure this
temperature the whole month of April.
P&O CRUISE SHIP OCEANA FAILS HEALTH
INSPECTION
ROLL-ON/ROLL-OFF (RoRo) operator
Archipelago Philippine Ferries Corp. (FastCat) is
set to expand in the South East Asian region after
it completes its $290-million fleet modernization
program by 2020.
FastCat Chairman Christopher S. Pastrana
said this would open the country to the ASEAN integration by expanding to Indonesia and Malaysia.
The company, which started commercial
operations in 2013, is acquiring 30 new mid-sized
Catamaran vessels throughout 2020 and its first
10 vessels have arrived and will all be deployed by
April this year, ferrying three million passengers a
year.
Call for Tighter Security in Waters
P&O Cruises’ Oceana has failed a US
health inspection after officials found dirty cooking
utensils, food stored in hazardous conditions, and
sick staff working in the kitchen.
Officials from the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention (CDC), the leading public health body in the US, found 48 violations on
board the Southampton-based ship during an unannounced inspection on March 1, prompting
them to give a hygiene score of 82 out of 100, four
marks below the 86 required to pass.
These violations included unwashed dishes and cooking utensils, inadequately refrigerated sandwiches and cheeses, insects found in food
preparation areas, and a member of kitchen staff
who worked while suffering from acute gastroenteritis.
The swimming pool and whirlpool spa
had to be shut down after it was found they had not
been properly disinfected, with both found to contain insufficient levels of bromine and chlorine.
The governments of Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia were urged by Indonesian seafarers including ship owners to start a formal assistance
to secure the shipping canal between these three
countries.
This is when 10 Indonesian crewmen were
kidnapped by Abu Sayyaf militants in Philippine waters last March 26. The Indonesian National Shipowners Association and the Indonesian Seafarers
Union said that maritime cooperation arrangement
needs to be considered, just like the one arranged in
the Strait of Malacca. Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore have operated to diminish piracy in the Strait of
Malacca through increased patrols. The International Maritime Bureau, a piracy reporting centre, is also
based in Kuala Lumpur.
The seafaring community has voiced its apprehensions over the kidnapping incident and is advising that more be done to ensure safety of ships
and seamen. The Indonesian and Philippine governments’ focus now is to free the hostages being held by
the Abu Sayyaf group. Yet, a long term resolution is
needed. However, informal deliberations are assumed
to be already happening between countries to deliver
much needed security of waterways between Indonesia, Philippines and Malaysia.
26
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
26
PMMA President RAdm Admiral Richard Ritual (left)
PMMA Cadets' silent drill
Engr. Nelson Ramirez (right) with fellow class 1967 alumni
PMMA celebrates Alumni Homecoming 2016
T
hemed with Wild West concept, the Philippine Merchant
Marine Academy (PMMA)
grand homecoming celebration was
successfully held as alumni, families, guests and friends came in cowboy suits and keenly participated in
the activities at the PMMA Grounds
in San Narciso Zambales last April
8-10, 2016.
The highlights of the event
were the crack platoon presentation
wherein PMMA cadets amazed the
audience with their well synchronized
silent drill performance followed by
BY JUDY DOMINGO
an entertaining dance number.
In his speech, PMMA President RADM Richard Ritual said how
blessed the PMMA has been this year
for having alumni who generously
gave donations for the improvement
of the academy’s facilities. He specifically thanked classes 1970, 1981,
1984, 1985, 2000 and 2015 for the
sponsorships while the class of 1983
for donating the school’s new barbershop. He added that although the
homecoming is usually done, the excitement was still present in each and
every one due to the thought of look-
ing back to their memories when
they were still cadets.
In the evening, a live band
entertained the attendees while they
were having their sumptuous dinner. The raffles and special awards
were the most anticipated parts of the
night.
The special awards in each
category and the respective winners
were as follows:
Best in Uniform – Class of 1996
Best Marching Unit – Class of 2011
Most Number of Attendees – Class of
1981
Oldest Alumni Attendee – Capt. Rey
Casareo
Best in Costume – Mr. Raul Trajano
and his wife, Mrs. Candy Trajano
Meanwhile, the luckiest person of the night was Mr. Arthur Corpuz from Class 1981 who won the
grand prize of a brand new Toyota car.
Winner of Best in Costume - Class of 1996
Mr. Arthur Corpuz and his wife, winner of brand new Toyota car.
PMMA President RAdm Richard Ritual giving his speech
MAY - JUNE 2016
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27
Piracy: a major global hit back
BY ARNEL P. FLORES
I
t is a real deal that pirates exist. They are not a film flicks plot
or characters who are ruggedly dressed and searching for the chest
of gold. How we wish. But pirates are
acknowledged as a global threat in
the maritime industry. They are not
just after the possession of the ship or
money, they engage in illegal detention of the ship’s crew or worse, they
take away lives. Simplifying the rundown, they will detain you, ask for
ransom and in worst case scenario,
kill you.
The ICC International Maritime Bureau made a report regarding
Piracy and Armed Robbery against
Ships for the year
2015. It has shown
that the actual and
attempted attacks
from 2011 to 2015
decreased impressively. From 439 in
2011 sliding down
to 246 in 2015 recorded pirate attacks illuminates
a positive development in the anti-piracy campaign
at the high seas.
60% of total global
piracy attacks were
reported in South
East Asian countries. In addition,
Indonesia
holds
108 out of 246 attacks which made
it the highest record-holder
for
2015.
The Ship
MT Leon
Diaz, an oil/chemical tanker under
Liberian flagship
transiting the Gulf
of Guinea near the
coast of Nigeria.
Tanker’s track led
to believe that
there was an accident because the
vessel bound for
Bata, Equatorial Guinea, turned
back and sailed
to Cotonou, Benin. It means that
MT Leon Diaz was attacked by pirates.
The Chase
MT Leon Diaz was attacked
by pirates, taking five hostages and a
Filipino second mate officer who was
then identified as 2/M Edwin Acasio
who was shot and seriously injured on
January 31 at the Nigerian waters. A
source at Secure Anchorage Area has
issued a high piracy report. Prior to
the latest reports, the news in Nigerian media revealed that a group of terrorists were threatening to blow up a
foreign vessel with all the crew if the
group’s demand won’t be met by Nigerian Authorities. The Indigenous
People of Biafra (IPOB) has claimed
responsibility for the declaration. It
is the same group who demands for
the releasing of their leader named
Nnamdi Kanu.
The Aid
The seafarers’ guardian angel, the Mission to Seafarers, a Christian welfare charity at service for
merchant crews around the world,
came to help the victims of the piracy. The Manila chapter organized
the meeting of Acasio and his family in the Philippines together with
the family’s local church, Philippine
Independent Church. They contacted the ships agent and noted where
the seafarer was taken care of and
arranged a flight back to the country. The organization holds prayers,
counseling and post-trauma care
with the family. Acasio is steadily recovering.
Piracy is not a sugar-coated
matter which will not thrill our legs
and shake our nerves. This is a serious
phenomenal problem which greatly
affects the industry. The decreasing of
the number of attacks is noteworthy,
it may give tranquility to the ventures
at sea but it is not as bad as the rough
seas to envision a zero crime rate at
the waters in the future.
28
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
28
MACONDRAY FINANCE CORPORATION, a pioneer in providing Seafarers Loan, invites you
to avail a loan on-line. Visit us at www.macondrayfinance.com.ph and experience its simple and fast
service.
National Maritime Polytechnic holds
Stakeholders’ Forum
O
n April 27, the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP)
held a Stakeholders’ Forum
on NMP Completed Researches in
CY 2015 at the Bayleaf Intramuros.
DOLE Regional Director
Henry John Jalbuena, in behalf of
DOLE OIC-Undersecretary and Presiding Chairperson, Mr. Nicon Fameronag, welcomed the guests in his
opening speech.
In accordance to the topic about “The Potential Impact of the
ASEAN Integration on Philippine
Maritime Manpower”, highlights of the
study was discussed by the first presenter Ms. Ma. Nissa Espiritu, such as
the opportunities in shipping wherein
there is a rapid rise in trade volume, reports indicating increase in trade and
there were also growth on demand for
shipping services. They’ve come up
with a conclusion that there has been
a skills enhancement at all levels.
After the paper presenta-
BY JUDY DOMINGO
tions, NMP revealed their research
agenda for 2017-2019 with the following suggested research topics: (1)
The in-demand jobs in the shipbuilders and ship repair sector, (2) Seafarers landbased business opportunities,
(3) Correlation between academic
performance in the maritime college
and success as officers onboard ship,
(4) Shipboard training as prerequisite
to BSMT/BSMarE as well as ESLP, (5)
Supply and demand of Filipino Maritime Manpower (overseas/domestic),
(6) How valid are the test questions
given in the licensure exams, are these
competency based? and (7) Entry of
women in the maritime industry.
The event was concluded
with the closing speech of National
Maritime Polytechnic OIC-Executive
Director Manuel Roldan.
MAY - JUNE 2016
from page 3
The MARINA
Countdown to
Doomsday 2017
have failed to comprehend what Section 2 means? This mistake in translation means that
In a bid to stave off the wide
scale repatriation of Filipino seafarers, MARINA had introduced a
three-shift, 24/7 timetable. It has also
decentralized the regional officers to
help ease some of the burdens for
the Manila offices, and authorized
document processing through manning agencies and employers. They
are all very good measures that we
wish they could have implemented
earlier as part and parcel of efficient
service, and not as a last-minute bid
to stick the Dutch boy’s finger in a
leaking dike.
Let’s crunch the numbers:
the POEA estimates that at the moment, there are around 400,000 Filipino seafarers onboard vessels plying
TINIG NG MARINO
international waters. UFS President
Engr. Nelson P. Ramirez explains
that: “If they have just signed their
contract now, it would be extremely
challenging for them to renew their
CoCs and CoPs before the end of
the year, which would mean merciless repatriation by the port authorities wherever they may be at the start
of the 2017 New Year, as any mariner who doesn’t have the proper endorsements by Dec. 31, 2016 will be
unable to sail on any STCW-compliant vessel. Some of them will be
holding between three to five certificates depending on their ranks and
position on board the ship. According to the records, only 12 to 15 percent have been able to comply with
the requirements.”
Come 01 Jan 2017, the Philippines will be facing the very quandary that the transitional period was
designed to avoid: a massive backlog
that will probably affect the flow of
deployment for the country’s seafarers.
Given the MARINA’s history of setbacks in handling their typical workload, Ramirez doubts that
MARINA would be able to handle
the massive requirements. He explains: “MARINA is already starting
to work round the clock. Meaning,
they are now working in three shifts
or 24/7. Granting that MARINA has
to issue around five certificates for
every one of the 385,000 deployed
seafarers, there are about 1,925,000
certificates to be issued until December 31, 2016. Do you think that MARINA's main office will be able to do
it? My answer will be definitely a big
NO. DEFINITELY, thousands of seafarers will lose their job.”
Ramirez’s arguments are
strong, especially when you consider
that in addition to his figure, MARINA also has to handle other processing requests for seafarers who are not
yet onboard but are already preparing for deployment in the next coming months. And there is no accounting for unexpected developments
such as the recent power outage at
the MARINA offices which brought
everything to a halt since the agency’s generators did not even function. Officials say that three million
pesos’ worth of power sources had
already been purchased, but have yet
to be delivered.
29
Another point for blame is
the patently late response to this impending problem. Considering that
the Philippines is the largest global supplier of maritime manpower,
the impact of impending repatriation is much heavier for the Philippines compared to other countries.
To place our situation in context, the
United States Coast Guard has been
planning for the 2017 deadline since
the first part of 2015. They established a “gap closing period” for experienced mariners who have begun
their sea service before March 2014
when the new Manila Amendments
were put into full effect for their
seafarers. Ramirez shares that way
back in 2013, then MARINA OIC
Atty. Nick Conti has already anticipated the scenario come the end of
the transition period. Consequently, Conti had conceived of the decentralization of MARINA regional
offices so that they can also handle
some of the processing. “Unfortunately, his successor found himself busy with other matters, such
as globetrotting for his campaign
for the IMO secretary general post,
at which he failed miserably, I must
add.”
30
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
30
Demand for weapon ships restrictions
BY JUDY DOMINGO
D
ecrease on maritime security demand may result to
armed black market.
Amidst warnings that the
scaling back of the Indian Ocean
high-risk piracy area may result
to arms flooding onto the black
market, Nautilus International still
supported a security firm’s demand
for tighter flag state supervisions over
private maritime security companies
(PMSCs) last month.
According to ESC Global
Security (ESCGS), the decline in
Somalia piracy means that more
PMSCs who had secured a protection
contrary to pirates operating in the
region are likely to close, with massive
stores of floating armories remaining
unknown.
Due to the reduction in
the requirement for security aboard
merchant vessels transiting the Gulf of
Aden, the number of licensed PMSCs
was cut down into half over the past
four years. Reports show that as many
as 70 PMSCs have already gone out
of business and if the risk of attacks
remains low, a further 20 could fold.
“The geographical reduction
to the Indian Ocean HRA from
December 1 is good news for
shipping but my main concern is what
will happen to the arsenal of very
sophisticated weapons that bankrupt
PMSCs have stored in floating
armories,” Chief Operating Officer
Madis Madalik stated.
He also said that lots of
security firms have kept weapons
onboard floating armories in
international waters, but that maritime
storage is at present unrestricted –
although there are approximations
that about 15,000 weapons and four
million rounds of ammunition could
be kept in Indian Ocean armories
solely.
Mr. Madalik asked if what
could happen to weapons if clients
were unable to pay to get them back
for decommissioning or proper
disposal. “There is certainly no
register of vessels or barges operating
as armories and no inventories of the
weapons they store,’ he advised.
He added that absence of regulation
can possibly damage the reputation of
the PMSC industry.
Controlling the weapons
rental market are being taken initially
with flag states starting to carry
out procedures to guarantee that
the weapons used are only those
possessed or licensed by the PMSC
employed by the ship owner.
Still, there are cautions that
ship masters may become accountable
for checking license documents
against weapon serial numbers before
security personnel come onboard.
“It is hoped this is neither a
premature decision nor brought about
for political convenience. There are
possible consequences that flag and
coastal states may have to address,”
Nautilus senior national secretary
Allan Graveson claimed.
A report commissioned
by the Remote Control Project and
issued in 2014 found that none of the
more than 30 vessels being used as
floating armories have been purposebuilt and therefore may not have
safe and secure storage for arms and
ammunition.
ANGLO-EASTERN
32
MAY - JUNE 2016
32
Anglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines: Setting S
A
nglo-Eastern Crew Management Philippines’ Inc. (AECMPI) held its Annual Officers Seminar at the New
World Hotel on April 20, 2016. With
the theme “Taking Responsibility for
Your Actions,” Anglo-Eastern Filipino
officers attended and interacted with
office directors and managers from Anglo-Eastern Manila, Hongkong, Singapore and Glasgow.
Acknowledging the presence of ship owners and representatives, speakers, company management
and attending officers, Capt. Gregorio
B. Sialsa, AECMP President and Operations Manager, set the festive tone of
the day in his welcome address.
In his opening remarks, Capt.
Bjorn Hojgaard, Anglo-Eastern Univan
Group CEO, shared that “Anglo-East-
ern Univan Group’s (AEUG) culture of
responsibility towards safety standards
was the crucial factor that allowed the
Group to maintain its excellent standing among competitors within a cutthroat market.”
“Safety is good business. The
best organizations in the world hold
safety as sacred, and that has served us
well during the past years. Anglo-Eastern Univan Group (AEUG) achieved
great growth despite the general poor
industry outlook of global shipping.
This was achieved by the Group’s continued efforts for delivering quality performance onboard our ships and the
equal dedication of our crew,” he added.
AEUG EXPANSION
Capt. Hojgaard further highlighted that the Filipino seafarers can
look forward to more opportunities
within the Group as the foundation of
the company’s expansion plans are already set for the Philippines.
Meanwhile, Mr. Peter Cremers,
Anglo-Eastern Univan Group Executive Chairman, supported the Group’s
massive growth prospects in the country in his Keynote Address. He further
reminded the 116 Filipino Officers in
attendance to always take responsibility at the individual level. He also gave
a lot of emphasis on "AEUG" being one
big family where we believe in “Doing
the Job Properly.”
“The Group has a strong 27,000
population but the importance of doing
a proper job remains just as important
as always,” Mr. Cremers said.
He reiterated on the importance
of the element of passion in one’s work.
“It has to come
from the heart,
from loving what
you do. If you can
bring that, then
half of the battle
is already won.
Never forget that
our major job is
bringing people
and cargo safely from A to B.”
GUEST OF HONOR
Hon. Hans Leo J. Cacdac, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) Administrator was the
guest of honor during the seminar. He
gave valuable insights into the roles and
functions of the POEA, various employment challenges and outlook in the
Philippines and the POEA’s role in promoting seafaring in the country.
PROGRAMME
The array of technical lectures
that followed include Owners Perspective of Current Market Scenario by
Capt. D. Venkatraman (Marine Operations Manager of Petredec Holdings
(Eastern) Pte Ltd.) and those given by
representatives from Anglo-Eastern
Univan offices in Hong Kong: Performance Review & Focus Areas by Capt.
Vikrant Malhotra, QHSE Director
and Manning Review and Challenges
Ahead by Mr. K.N.Menon, Group HR
(sea staff) Director.
Company statistics for 2015
was relayed to the attendees including: zero navigational incident, zero oil
spill, number of deficiencies well below
benchmarking ratios, improvements on
TINIG NG MARINO
Sails for More Expansions
vetting inspection performance and
consistently increasing near-miss reporting which the company believes
to be the key to the prevention of
hazards.
Reviews of Deck and Engine incidents were facilitated separately for Officers and Engineers during the afternoon. Quality Assurance
and Operations Department speakers from AEUG Hong Kong and Singapore offices discussed the latest Incident reports, Port State Control
deficiencies and other Navigational issues with the Deck officers while
the Technical Department speakers
conducted a workshop for the Engineer officers covering Engine room
current issues, communications, oil
spill incidents, machinery damage
events and other technical topics.
Informative lectures were
also given for the general information of the attending officers. These
were: Safety Begins with ME- Taking Personal Responsibility by Ms.
Vilma Julaton, Responsible Healthy
Living by Dra. Glennda Canlas and
Responsibility & Possibilities by Mr.
Ruel Montenegro.
An Open Forum culminated the seminar where the attendees
were encouraged to ask questions
relative to their sea service and had
the opportunity to interact with the
AESM Managers.
GALA COCKTAILS AND
DINNER
An evening of cocktails,
dinner, live music and a dance show
awaited the Officers at the hotel’s
Grand ballroom. They were joined
by their wives who also had a full-day
seminar at the hotel’s Press Room.
The presence of the Ambassadors from India and Belgium and
their families was another highlight
of the evening.
Executive Chairman, Peter Cremers opened the Gala Dinner
and in his inimitable style welcomed
all the officers, wives and guests to
the evening party.
“By the next year, at least an
additional 50 percent more employment from the Philippines for the
Anglo-Eastern Univan Group shall
be seen. How about that?” he concluded.
33
AECM Philippines holds 6th
Officers’ Wives Seminar
“I
t is my husband’s first contract
with Anglo-Eastern, and this is
the first time that I have attended
an Officers’ Wives Seminar with the many
companies that my husband has worked
for. Realizing the level of importance that
this company gives to seafarers and also
to their families, I feel how lucky we are
that my husband is now employed by Anglo-Eastern. I will encourage him to stay
with this company.”
Such statement is only one of
the many encouraging feedbacks that
were received during the 6th Officers’
Wives Seminar held at the New World
Hotel on April 20, 2016.
Concurrent with the Officers
Seminar which is also held at the same
hotel, this year’s seminar theme is “Taking
Responsibility for your Actions.” It was attended by Officers Wives and joined by
lady office personnel and Managers. The
Ladies were given an opportunity to introduce themselves to each other during
the “Meet and Greet” session where old
friendship were rekindled and some new
friendship formed.
Capt. Bjorn Hojgaard, Anglo-Eastern Univan Group CEO, welcomed the ladies to the one-day event.
He emphasized how important the role of
a supportive spouse is on the overall career path of her husband. Meanwhile, Mr.
Peter Cremers, Anglo-Eastern Univan
Group Executive Chairman, inspired the
ladies to envision and be prepared for the
future with the robust expansion plans of
the Company for the Filipino Officers.
During the day, the AE company profile was presented and accounting
policies and procedures were discussed
by company managers. A representative from AE healthcare benefit provider
also presented tips and procedures in the
availment and how to maximize the free
healthcare benefit given by Anglo-Eastern to their Officers and families.
To encourage “Responsible
Healthy Living,” Dra. Glennda Canlas,
presented on the seafarers’ pre-employment medical statistics compared to the
Filipinos' general health information.
Various guidelines, particularly on sugar, salt and oil intake were discussed in
addition to healthy lifestyle, exercise and
smoking effects.
To augment the financial literacy of the attendees, “Estate Planning” was
discussed comprehensively by Mr. Danilo Panganiban Jr. The attendees were particularly concerned with the tax implications on estates and showed heightened
interest on managing their financials.
Ms. Naira Orbeta, a psychologist, encouraged each participant to evaluate their life choices and examine their
thoughts, feelings and actions in order to
move to “Proactive Ways to Seize Control of Life and Happiness.” This was done
by providing practical evaluative measures of present life choices, identification
of personal areas, introductions of ideas that will aid in shaping future choices,
experiences discussion and exchanging
thoughts about events and personal circumstances.
“Personal Responsibility towards Achievement” was presented by
Mr. Ruel Montenegro who coursed the
wives on what is one’s concept of achievement and how it is a personal choice and
personal responsibility.
The day was capped by the Closing Remarks of Capt. Ravi Anand, Director of Anglo-Eastern Crew Management
Philippines who thanked and encouraged
the Officers’ wives to continue inspiring
their husband to be responsible father,
husband and seafarer all at the same time.
After the seminar, the ladies
joined the officers, Anglo-Eastern staff
and guests from global offices as well as
Ship owners at the Gala Cocktails and
Dinner at the Grand Ballroom of the hotel were pure music and entertainment
immersed them through the night.
34
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
34
Seafarer's son finishes 3rd overall at ICTSI
Luisita championship
BY RAFFY AYENG
A
son of a seasoned seafarer
has finished 3rd overall at the
pro ranks after three rounds
in the recently concluded ICTSI Luisita Championship in Luisita Golf
and Country Club in the province of
Tarlac on March 28 to April 2, 2016.
Many were impressed since it was his
first crack at the said golf competition.
Quiban has proven that
that he is more than ready in battling neck and neck with some of
the country’s veteran golfers including former three-time Order of Merit
winner Tony Lascuña; last year’s tournament erstwhile leader Erwin Arcillas; Miguel Tabuena; Angelo Que and
other international contenders from
Japan, South Korea and Australia.
Before the 20-year old golfer earned his 3rd spot in the tournament, the 20-year old Quiban turned
in a flawless, course record-tying
round of seven-under 65 to share the
lead with Lascuña as former leader
Arcillas fumbled with a 79 and fancied Tabuena withdrew due to a bad
back midway through.
In the early going, Quiban did hold his own, matching Lascuña’s eagle feat on the fifth and hitting one birdie. But he stumbled with
two bogeys and fell by five at the turn
despite a 35.He recovered with backto-back birdies from No. 11, fell back
with back-to-back bogeys from No.
14 but birdied the final hole for a second straight 71 in an impressive performance by the rookie pro.
At the start of the competition, Quiban strongly served notice
of his presence as a promising upstart
by taming the par-72 Robert Trent
Jones Sr.-designed course with bogey-free nines of 33 at the back and 32
that fueled his blazing charge after an
opening 71.
Quiban carved his name
in the record books of Luisita as he
equaled the mark at the 7,042-yard
layout set by now retired Danny delos
Santos way back on April 30, 1988.
Quiban turned pro after
leading Manila Southwoods to a second straight Philippine Airlines Interclub men’s title in March, this year.
Davaoeño veteran golfer
Lascuña emerged as the overall champion after turning the final round of
the competition
into a blowout, firing a near-impeccable seven-under
65 and winning by
four over Korean
Park Jun Hyeok.
The P3.5
million
tournament is sponsored
by
International Container Terminal
Services
Inc. and organized
by Pilipinas Golf
Tournaments Inc.
It is backed by Custom Clubmakers,
Adidas, KZG, Summit Mineral Water, Pacsports, TaylorMade, Sharp and
Champion.
Quiban in his younger age
The rookie-pro golfer has the
heart of a golfer, according to his seafarer father Jun Quiban, when interviewed by Tinig ng Marino.
New Panama Canal to be installed June 26
BY RAFFY AYENG
T
he long-delayed inauguration
of the Panama Canal Expansion will be held on June 26,
the Panama Canal Authority (ACP)
announced recently.
The canal expansion is now
97 percent complete, ACP said. Final
testing will be conducted in the following weeks.
Jose Ramon Arango, an ACP
official, told industry members at the
annual Connecticut Maritime Association conference that the Authority
plans to test the expansion's new locks
with a tanker beginning in May, well
in advance of the opening.
“We have had some problems with the contractors and also
some problems with seepage — all of
that has been resolved,” Arango said.
He gave a less precise forecast for the
opening, and suggested that the inaugural ceremony would be held by "the
end of June or by early July."
The expansion is expected to
raise the Canal's record-high traffic
levels yet further, to as much as 360
million tons in 2017.
The project was initially set
to be finished at the end of 2014, but
the date was pushed back to April of
this year, then June, due to a dispute
between the ACP and the building
consortium over
costs and lock
seepage
problems.
Separately, in Panama, President
Juan Carlos Verela attended the
opening of ACP's
new training facility for pilots
and tug captains,
built to anticipate
the expansion.
The center is a
35-acre mockup,
with two lakes
connected by a
channel
modeled after the Canal's Culebra Cut.
It features dock-
ing bays, replicas of the new and existing locks, gates, and chambers, plus
wave and wind generators, all at a 1:25
scale. Mini tugs and vessels, including
bulk carriers modeled after the Nord
Delphinus and a container ship modeled after the Maersk Edinburgh, are
on hand to simulate canal transits. A
1:25 scale LNG carrier is expected in
September.
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35
36
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36
HEALTH TIPS
ELPIDIO C. NOLASCO, MD, FPCS, PACS
General & Cancer Surgeon, Laparoscopic Surgeon
President & Medical Director, Nolasco International Medical & Diagnostic Clinic
Diabetes
D
iabetes describes a group of
disease caused by high blood
sugar (blood glucose) levels. There are two main causes for increased blood sugar levels: the inability to produce enough insulin (the
hormone involved in breakdown of
carbohydrates and fats to release energy) or the inability of the cell to utilize the available insulin.
Types of Diabetes
1. Type 1 diabetes- patients are unable
to produce the insulin and hence will
require an externasource of insulin.
2. Type 2 diabetes- patient are unable
to produce insulin or use the insulin
produced by the cells.
3. Gestational diabetes- seen in pregnant women.
The following symptoms of diabetes are typical. However, some people
with type 2 diabetes have symptoms
so mild that they go unnoticed.
glucose of greater than or equal to
200mg/dl.
Complications of Diabetes
Common symptoms of diabetes:
Diabetes is a serious disease because it can lead to other fa• Urinating often
tal disorders , such as heart disease,
• Feeling very thirsty
stroke, eye complications, damage to
• Feeling very hungry even though the nerves, kidney failure, and gum
you are eating
and teeth disease. However, patients
• Extreme fatigue
can learn to manage the disease well.
• Blurring of vision
A healthy lifestyle that is inclusive of
• Cuts/bruises that are slow in healing a healthy diet, regular exercise and
• Weight loss even though you are management of weight can prevent
eating more (type 1)
the onset of type 2 diabetes and also
• Tingling, pain, or numbness in the keep diabetes under check in patients
hands/ feet (type 2)
who already have disease.
How is diabetes Diagnosed?
Types of Medicines used in
this test gives the measure of blood
glucose after eight hours of fasting.
• Oral glucose tolerance test- this test
gives the measure of blood glucose after 8 hours of fasting and 2 hours after having a glucose- containing beverage.
Medication is very crucial
part of the diabetes treatment plan.
Depending upon the symptoms, complications and blood glucose levels,
patients with diabetes are advised oral
pills, injections or insulin.The firstline treatment for type 2 diabetes is
usually lifestyle modifications, for example, meal planning, weight loss and
exercise. However, when these measures do not control blood glucose to
desired levels, oral medication, injections or insulin is prescribed.
• Fasting plasma blood glucose test— Diabetes patient
Random (also called casual)
Plasma Glucose Test- this test is a
blood check at any time of the day
when you have severe diabetes symptoms. Diabetes id diagnosed at blood
Diabetes medicines are divided into
eight classes, and they act to different
organs of the body:
• Sulfonylureas
• Meglitinides
• Biguanides
• Thiazolidinediones
• Alpha-glucosidase inhibitors
• Dipeptidyl peptidase-4 inhibitors
• Glucagon- like peptide-1 agonists
• Insulin
• SGLT2 inhibitor
Benefits of Oral antidiabetic pill
Oral antidiabetic pills are
useful only in type 2 diabetes patients,
and the best results are seen with meal
planning and exercise. They may become less effective in patient with
prolonged diabetes (duration of more
than 10 years).
What is Insulin?
Insulin is a hormone secreted by the pancreas. Patients with diabetes will require an external source
of insulin because their bodies cannot naturally make or use the insulin available in their body. Depending upon the severity of the disease,
the doctor will recommend different
types of insulin to different patients.
Target Ranges for Blood Glucose
Blood glucose targets are individualized based on:
• Duration of diabetes
• Age/life expectancy
• Comorbid conditions
• Known CVD or advanced micro
vascular complications
• Hypoglycemia unawareness
• Individual patient considerations
Patient Categories that benefit from
blood glucose checks
• Type 1 diabetes patient and in patients taking insulin, the blood glucose levels should be checked at least
four times a day (most commonly
fasting, before meals, and before bed).
• Type 2 diabetes patient taking
oral antidiabetc pills, the frequency of blood glucose level monitoring will depend upon the HbA1c levels. These patients may need to check
their blood glucose levels, particularly at times of increased stress, changes
in diet or physical activity.
• In patients with type 2 diabetes and
on insulin, blood glucose level need
to be checked at least four times per
week (two tests before meals and two
tests after meals).
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37
WORKERS' VANGUARD
CONG. EMMELINE Y. AGLIPAY - VILLAR
Representative, DIWA Party-List
Congress of the Philippines
L
ast month (April 2, 2016), a
power outage which lasted for
more than five hours at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport
(NAIA) Terminal 3 stranded thousands of passengers, and cancelled and
delayed a total of 86 domestic as well as
international flights.
According to NAIA-3 officials, the reason for the power outage was a tripped sub-station of power
provider Manila Electric Co. (Meralco), but Meralco spokesman Joe Zaldarriaga denied such claim. Meanwhile, Department of Transportation
and Communication (DOTC) secretary Joseph Emilio Abaya explained
that although NAIA-3 has 10 generator
sets in place, these generator sets failed
to transmit enough power to keep the
terminal operations going.
With NAIA Terminal 3 handling an average of 350 domestic and
international flights daily, the more
than 5-hour blackout was naturally all over our local news and quickly
spread out in social media. The news
of the blackout generated strong criticisms from the public as thousands
of exhausted passengers were forced
to camp out inside Terminal 3, missing important appointments and personal errands as check in counters shut
down. Long passenger queues also
formed outside the terminal as entrances were closed during the blackout.
Making matters worse is the
fact that even prior to this incident,
NAIA has already been hounded by
various other problems. From leaking
toilets, collapsed floors, dilapidated facilities, malfunctioning equipment,
passenger congestion, and rude or corrupt personnel, NAIA has always been
the subject of countless criticisms from
the public. Just early this year, we were
outraged when the “tanim-bala” controversy exposed the modus of some
airport personnel in extorting money from our innocent and unsuspecting overseas workers. For all these, the
international travel website “Guide to
Sleeping in Airports” even used to label NAIA as the world’s worst airport.
I must say, however, that this
recent blackout takes the cake. This
NAIA-3 Blackout: Compromised security
and appalling incompetence
is no longer simply a matter of inefficiency, nor is it simply a matter of inconvenience. A 5-hour long blackout without any adequate emergency
back-up plan in place is already a grave
national security concern which must
be taken very seriously by the concerned governmental agencies.
The significance of national
security, particularly in the area of airport security, has never been as critical
as it is in this present day and age. After
the tragedy of 9/11 and the emergence
of extremist groups around the world,
almost all countries have made it a
matter of national policy to constantly
beef up their respective national security policies. It seems, however, that we
have been moving in the opposite direction. With this recent incident, not
only did we realize how unsafe and unsecure we are within our own airports,
we have also embarrassingly illustrated to the whole world how vulnerable
we are from potential attacks. If security breaches transpire in broad daylight with a fully operational logistical
system in place and in countries with
far more superior security capabilities
than us, how can we be secure if we do
not seem to even have any contingency
or back-up plan for airport power outages which can last for hours? As inconvenient as it already is for our overseas
workers who use our airports upon departing from and arriving to the country, the last thing we need is a breach in
our security which could compromise
their safety and of the riding public.
Having said that, it is now imperative for the DOTC to restore the
credibility of the security policies we
have in place in our airports. This is
important not only just to provide an
efficient system for the sake of convenience, but more importantly to establish the fact that we have a competent
security system in place.
In line with this, we call on the
NAIA management and the DOTC to
invest in long-term solutions and be
more proactive in preventing another crisis like this. An in-depth, acrossthe-board vulnerability check on all
international and domestic airports is
also in order. We must also understand
and perhaps even reflect on the proxi-
mate cause of the recent blackout – is
the problem merely an isolated infrastructure issue or is the problem really a matter of incompetent administration of our airports? An urgent need to
assess our current infrastructure capacity is also in order so we can immediately implement a sustainable solution.
As we move forward, we also
need to look into our ASEAN neighbors and carefully assess and compare
our own capacity. It is only in acknowledging our government’s shortcomings that we can successfully integrate
much needed reforms within our system which hopefully one day can be at
par with the standards set by the international community.
By anticipating the cause and
providing a clear set of guidelines in
case of emergencies such as a power
outage, we not only solve the problem
of providing the riding public a right
so basic that it need not even be demanded, but equally important is that
we can deter any potential security
threat that we could encounter in the
future.
If there’s anything good we
can take away from this horrific incident, it’s probably the fact that at least
we are now aware how miserable our
situation is, and that we are now presented with an opportunity to make
sure we put the necessary reforms in
place to bring about positive changes. But we can no longer afford to dilly dally on this. Last month’s blackout caused thousands of passengers
to miss important flights. Next time,
it might cost more than just missing
flights. It might cost lives. We certainly
would not want to wait for that to happen before we take action.
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Net Ship Management 2016 Officers and
Crew Conference a Success
I
n continuance of its long-standing tradition for excellence, Net
Ship Management, Inc. (NSM)
held its 2016 Officers and Crew Conference last March 15-16 at the Ballroom in Hotel Jen, Manila. With the
theme “Steering the Wheels of Change
Towards Organizational Success”, this
year’s conference zeroed in on pertinent industry issues such as the recent MARINA updates and policies, a
review of Port State statistics and reports, and workshops that targeted
improved intra-organizational communication and teamwork. In attendance for the two-day event were over
200 principals, owners, representatives, management, officers and crew.
In her welcome remarks,
NSM President and Managing Director Dr. Rosalia Caballero underscored
the importance of human resource
quality to the company’s competitive
standing within the maritime industry, citing information and communication as key attributes to elevating
the standards of practice within the
company. This message was likewise
reiterated in the inspirational talks
delivered by Guest of Honor Administrator Hans Leo Cacdac (POEA),
Admin Rebecca Calzado (OWWA),
and Mr. Jose Lamug (AMOSUP), who
also recognized NSM’s reputation for
efficiency and dedication to the welfare of its seafarers and their families.
NSM’s own Mr. Kenneth
Thoren also made a statement to remind the conference attendees of the
importance for open communication during the conference. Encouraging the seafarers to ask questions, Mr.
Thorne elaborates: “Remember, there
are no stupid questions here. Whatever
you may be thinking, for sure the other seafarers are also wondering about
it, so speak up. This is your chance to
be heard.” True to the NSM culture of
feedback and mindfulness, the conference had provisions to facilitate real-time interaction with its audience,
such as downloadable handouts, and
online audience participation.
For the seafarers, one of the
most appreciated segments was the
talk and Q&A by MARINA representatives Ms. Christine San Luis, Ms.
Josephine Castillo, Mr. Herbert Nalupa, and Mr. JD Torres de Guzman.
BY JOANA CHRYSTAL VENTURA
The esteemed representatives provided an informative overview of MARINA’s current structure, organization
and mandates, and introduced the
audience to the most recent changes
that the agency has implemented to
improve responsiveness to documentation and accreditation requests. As
some of these changes had only been
approved a few days before the NSM
conference, the attendees were one
of the first to find out about the government agency’s rollout of improvements and policies, namely: (1) the
devolution of STCW functions to allow provincial and regional offices to
process CoPs; (2) the introduction
of online processing for the seaman’s
book, examinations, and certifications; (3) a 24-hour, 3-shift scheme
and no-noontime-breaks policy the
processing of STCW documents for
officers; (4) expedited, 1-day processing for CoP, CoE, and GoC documents; and (5) on-board processing
of papers through company liaisons.
During the Q & A with the
MARINA representatives, the officers
and crew made the most of the opportunity to verify some of their concerns
about document processing and validity of credentials. A few also expressed
their dissatisfaction with the lack of
amenities at the current MARINA location, stating their hope for the agency to eventually acquire better facilities
in the near future. For their part, the
MARINA representatives acknowledged the feedback from the audience
and reassured everyone that concrete
steps are already being undertaken to
resolve the aforementioned issues.
Mr. Michael Boeller discussed Port State statistics from Bureau Veritas to set the stage for a
re-examination of the agency’s performance during the past year, while Dr.
Caballero and Mr. Thoren conducted
a communications seminar for the top
management officers to promote their
appreciation for the challenges of coordination and information dissemination within the company. Day one
ended with an evaluation and Principal’s meeting, while Day two was entirely devoted to Breakout seminars
that intensively tackled issues, concerns, and expectations for principals,
management, officers and crew.
39
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from page 4
EDITORIAL
A Question of Value
and Respect for
Filipino Seafarers
transitional provisions of the STCW
Manila Amendments; and two, the
MARINA’s approach to damage control is once again too little, too late.
In the 2010 Manila Amendments to the STCW Code, it was clearly indicated that within the transitional period, each Party could continue to
issue certificates in the same manner
as it has always done, provided that
the validity of the said certificates cannot be extended for longer than five
years. For example, CoPs and CoCs issued in 2012 will expire in 2017; those
issued in 2013 will be valid until 2018;
and so on. This was what other Parties have been doing, because apparently, their maritime administrators
40
are capable of common sense and basic English comprehension. The logic
behind this transitional provision (as
delineated in Article VII, Section 2 of
the Manila Amendments) is to minimize the impending backlog in certificate issuance come 2017 so that the
flow of operations in shipping companies and other related industries can
continue unimpeded. But in an amazing display of ineptitude, MARINA
has mangled this logic by insisting on
issuing certificates that are due to expire at the end of the transition period, overriding the allowable five-year
validity that the transitional provisions has legitimized. In short, MARINA has rigged every seafarers’ credentials to expire all at the same time. The
other countries in the world are no
doubt finding our dilemma laughable, only they are also worried somewhat because a large-scale repatriation of Filipino seafarers on-board
STCW-compliant ships is bound to
throw a wrench into operations. Our
loss is others’ gain, however; Nigeria,
for example, hasn’t been exactly shy
about expressing their intentions to
replace the Philippines as the global
supplier of mariners. This could very
well be the opportunity that they have
been waiting for, handed to them on a
silver platter by Meija and his cohorts.
Last March 12, MARINA
made a big to-do about their decision
to implement a three-shift certification system for the processing of certificates. They also smugly announced
that regional offices can now handle
document processing, and manning
agencies can now coordinate directly on behalf of their personnel. They
say this as if it was good news, as if
they did a great job. But the ugly truth
is that this is a last-ditch effort to rectify their mistakes. Like irresponsible
students who are ill-prepared, they
are desperately cramming to meet the
2016 deadline that they themselves
had sabotaged. Considering that we
now have around 400,000 seafarers
deployed, with each of them needing
to revalidate three to five certificates
by the end of the year; that means
MARINA has to process almost two
million certificates just to maintain
the current deployment rate. This is
not yet counting the document requests from seafarers who are still
on shore, and who are still newly-accredited. We doubt if MARINA will
be able to do everything in time, especially given their history of fiascos
such as printing machine failure, outof-stock supplies, and delays due to
power outages and human errors. We
fear that at the stroke of the New Year,
thousands of seafarers’ families will
be trying to cope with their breadwinner’s loss of income instead of celebrating the start of a fresh year.
In a few weeks, we will be
welcoming a new President and his
Cabinet into office. We would be
greeting a new Vice President, a whole
new clutch of senators and important
public servants. We pray that the next
leadership in the country could at
least recognize the value of the maritime sector in the greater scheme of
our nation, and give us the respect
that we have definitely earned. May
the next President care enough to entrust our welfare to the right leaders.
Gulf Joint Maritime Force to be led by UK
to Stop Piracy and Terrorism
S
tarting April, the Combined
Task Force One Five Zero
(CTF150) will be headed by
United Kingdom. The CTF150 spans
over two million square miles which
covers the Gulf of Aden, Indian
Ocean, Red Sea and Gulf of Oman
– A major route of transportation in
the World Trade.
The CTF150 has activities
that affect events ashore, stopping
illegal drug trafficking, denying
terrorist groups such as Daesh
(IS) and conducting safe methods
of launching attacks or moving
personnel.
According to Michael Fallon,
UK Defense Secretary, UK holds one
of the strongest navies in the world
and they were looking forward to
leading the CTF150. Fallon states
that the UK is determined to fight
Daesh and help diminish terrorism
from across the region.
The UK with its international
partners including the countries that
make up the 31-nation Combined
Maritime Forces will lead the
BY RICK HALOG
CTF150. Distressed mariners will
be assisted by CTF150 vessels and
undergo required humanitarian
work.
A new defense cooperation
agreement between Britain and
Qatar was signed in London last
week. The MOD assured that the
new agreement will provide closer
coordination on both training and
exercises.
“Last week’s attacks in
Brussels are a reminder that all of
us, the Gulf and Europe, must stand
together to defeat Daesh (IS) and
disrupt its attack planning. The new
agreement will en hance the security
of both countries,” Fallon concluded.
42
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42
The heat is on…
BY ENGR RAINERO B., MSC ENV
al warming driven by humanity’s
greenhouse gas emissions is the
largest factor in the astonishing run
of temperature records.
“While the current spike in
global m temperatures is getting a
boost from El Nino, most of this
anomalous warmth is a result of
the ongoing human-caused global
warming trend”, said Professor Stefan Rahmstorf, a climate scientist at
Potsdam University in Germany.
“T
he PangGulo ng Pilipinas” latest pool survey
as of this writing shows
Duterte and Marcos pulling away
from their opponents according to
the ABS-CBN stats. And while Philippine politics are becoming heated
and heated each day with foolishness, lies, and false promises, climate disruption continues to wreak
havoc. Last month, some northern areas in the country particularly Cabanatuan registered a temperature reading of 51 degree C. Just
imagine the body’s normal temperature is 38 C. Climate change? El
Nino effect? Phil Politics? Maritime
Issues?
ry average, March was 1.07 C hotter across the globe, according to
the JMA figure, while February was
1.4 C higher.
THE HEAT IS ON…
The World meteorological
Organization, the UN body for climate and weather, said the march
data had smashed previous records.
According to JMA (Japan Meteorological Agency), March
temperature smashes a 100-year
global record . Average global temperature was 1.07 C hotter - beating
last month’s previous record.
The global temperature in
March has shattered a century-long
record and by the greatest margin
yet seen for any months. February was far the long-term average
globally, driven largely by climate
change causing some ocean to rise
and was described by some scientist as a “shocker” and signaling a “kind of climate emergency”. But data released by the JMA
shows that March was much hotter. Compared with the 20th centu-
The JMA Measurement
go back to 1891 and show that
every one of the past 11 months
has been the hottest ever recorded
for that month. Data released later on Friday by NASA confirmed
that last month, March, on record
but the US agency’s data indicated February had seen the biggest
margin. The NASA data recored
March as 1.28C above the average from 1951- 1980 while February was 1.34C higher.
R e fe re nc e : http s : / / t . c o / e rh OM 82TOX#climateactionpic.twitter.
com/uROGpMTdq6Q
Climate change is usually assessed over years and decades,
but even scientists have been struck
by the recent unprecedented temperatures. Furthermore, annual heat
records have been also tumbling,
with 2015 demolishing the record
set in 2014 for the hottest year seen
in data stretching back to 1850.
The UK met office expects
2016 ton set a new record, meaning
the global temperature record is set
to have been broken for three years
in a row.
Prof Michael Mann, a climate scientist at Penn University
in the US, responded to the March
data by saying “Wow, I continue
to be shocked by what we are seeing” he said the world has now
been hovering close to the threshold of “dangerous” warming for two
months, sometimes not seembefore.
"The new data is a reminder of how perilously close we now
are to permanently crossing into
dangerous territory”, Mann said. “ It
underscores the urgency of reducing global carbon emissions”
Prof Adam Scaife, at the
UK Met Office, said the run of the
record temperatures was set to continue, but that records would be less
likely in 2017 as the impact of El
Nino waned. While the El Nino is
now decaying, its impact on global temperature tends to peak a few
months later due to a delayed effect
on the rest of the world’s oceans.
This means that there is a high risk
of record global temperatures over
the next few months” Scaife said.
“Global temperatures are expected
to continue to rise in future decades
due to climate change, but El Nino
may well end later this year, reducing the chance of record temperatures in 2017”.
The impact of the heat has
been seen around the world and
at the end of March, scientist announced that the winter peak of
the Arctic ice cap was the smallest ever recorded on records going
back to 1979.
The Met office, along with
the US agencies NASA, NOAA
keep the most-used global temperature records and will release their
assessment of March temperatures
later this month. But the JMA records have shown the same trends
as these in the past.
Whatever it will be…may it
be climate change, El Nino, global
warming, air pollution or gas emissions, definitely, PHILIPPINE POLITICS has added to the heated contribution and arguments.
The UN climate summit in
Paris in December confirmed 2C as
the danger limit for global warming which should not be passed.
But it also agredd to pursue efforst
to limit warming to 1.5C , a target
now looking highly optimistic.
All seafarers and mariners
know that only God knows the true
heart of a man, the true heart of
the candidates. So let’s just not vote
but protect that those ballots are
really counted.
A major El Nino weather event, the biggest since 1998,
is boosting global temperatures.
But scientists are agreed that glob-
Let’s all vote come May 9, 2016.
NO MORE POLITICAL DISRUPTION…like climate change, politics
should also change.
GO FOR CHANGE!
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43
China’s maritime expansion and USA’s response
S
BY: ENGR RAINERO B. MORGIA, MSC ENV
ome Key Facts from the
Heritage Report:
1.Given its dependence on global sea lanes for its economic development, China will develop its
maritime capabilities , civilian and
military. This is given.
2.At the same time, China is likely to expand its maritime forces,
which not only patrol Chinese waters but also assert Chinese maritime claims and exploitations.
3.Chinese maritime expansion, in
and of itself, does not constitute
a threat to the USA but the Chinese are pursuing systems that appear to be focused on countering
specific American capacities.
4.The USA should respect China’s growing use of the seas but
not accede to China’s demands.
In particular, the United States
should hold firm on freedom of
navigation and sustain its regular military activities throughout
Western Pacific.
5.It is essential that the USA
maintain a strong forward posture
in East Asia, including modernizing its forces and supporting its
friends and allies in the region.
CHINA’S EXPLOITATION
BULLYING:
and
China’s rise to maritime power as shown by its recent moves relating to the seas as
representing “maritime expansion”.
Once, General Secretary Hu Jintao
declared “We should enhance our
capacity for exploiting marine resources, develop marine economy,
protect the marine ecological environment, resolutely safeguard China’s maritime rights and interest
and build Chinas maritime power”.
For the past several decades, the Chinese military has
been steadily improving its operational capabilities. Based in part
on lessons learned from observing foreign militaries and foreign
wars, the People’s Liberation
Army (PLA) has
expanded some
of its forces (e.g
the number of
ballistic
missiles), improved
its
command
and control, and
begun
implementing
joint
operations.
It
has also moved
from being centered primarily
on ground operations to improving its air
and increasingly, its naval forces.
The expansion of the PLA
is in many ways a logical and
even forgone conclusion. China is
the world’s second-largest economy, its heavy dependence on
trade, both for raw materials to
fuel that economy and to ship its
export abroad, inevitably makes
the seas of growing importance to
national level.
Not all navies are created equal. Intentions matter as
much as - if not more than - capabilities. China’s maritime development may simply be aimed at
safeguarding its economic lifelines,
or it may be intended also to coerce or bully and compel China’s neighbors, many of which are
also dependent on the seas. China hve the capability to exploit –
thru contentious land reclamation,
illegal fishing and the bullying of
commercial ships from other nations.
China’s expansion has long
been expected. It must therefore
be carefully and soberly appraised.
Many observers have said a new
cold war, in which a rising China
gradually seeks to push US Military out of the Western Pacific is
inevitable.
Any such conflict would
of course be dangerous whenev-
er it happens because the USA is
likely to resist these efforts strenuously.
But what’s surprising and
worrisome is how the timeline for
this conflict or at least its begin-
ning stage, has seemed to accelerate over roughly the past two
years. Suddenly and aggressively, China has begun advancing its
military interest throughout the
region, catching its neighbors and
continued on page 50
44
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from page 18
PISOBILITIES
talong lahat ng puhunan.
Laging tandaan: HABANG
LUMALAKI ANG KITA, LUMALAKI RIN ANG PANGANIB NG PAGKALUGI. Madaling maakit sa matataas
na interes, lalo na kapag maraming
mga kaibigan at kamag-anak na naguudyok sa inyo. Kaya nga dapat talagang pag-aralan lahat ng pwedeng pagpilian bago mamuhunan.
4. “Ano bang antas ng kaginhawahang
pinansyal ang gusto kong makamit sa
susunod na tatlong taon? Sa susunod
na limang taon? Sa susunod na sampung taon?”
Madali namang sabihing gusto n’yong yumaman at mabili ang lahat ng gusto n’yo. Pero ito ay maaaring hindi naman pareho ng gusto ng
iba. Halimbawa, may mga taong
ang pakiramdam ay mayaman na sila
kapag hindi na nila kailangang intindihin ang halaga ng pagkain sa kantina
at kaya nilang bilhin alinmang gusto
44
nila. Ang iba naman, pakiramdam na’y
mayaman sila kapag kaya nilang kumain sa kainan ng fastfood anumang
oras, at ang iba nama’y kailangang sa
sosyal na restoran nakakakain. Kaya
nga kailangan talagang matukoy kung
anong klaseng kaginhawahan ang gusto n’yo at kung kailan n’yo ito gustong
makamit. Halimbawa, pwedeng ang
isa’y gustong magkakotse sa loob ng
tatlong taon. Ang isa nama’y gustong
makaipon ng pangmatrikula ng anak
sa kolehiyo sa loob ng limang taon. At
ang isa nama’y gustong makabili ng bahay sa loob ng sampung taon. Bawat
tao ay may kaniya-kaniyang mga layunin.
Para makamit ang mga layunin, kailangang isaayos ang mga ito
para malaman kung magkano ang eksaktong halagang kakailanganing ipunin at ipuhunan buwan-buwan para
makamit ang bawat isa. May mga pormula para sa pagkwenta nito sa Pera
Palaguin Workbook. Kapag nakwenta na ang lahat ng buwanang halaga, kwentahin ang suma total—’yan
ang halagang kailangang ipunin buwan-buwan.
Habang nag-iipon para sa
mga layunin, huwag kalimutang magtabi buwan-buwan para sa inyong
pagreretiro. Kung di na kasya ang
pera at di na makapagtabi ng perang
pangretiro, bawasan na lang ang mga
layunin, lalo na yung mga “kagustuhan” o luho lang gaya ng pamamasyal
o pagbili ng bagong kotse. Siyempre
kailangang itakda ang mga prayoridad. Halimbawa, dapat unahin ang
edukasyon ng mga anak, at huwag
na huwag kakalimutan ang perang
pangretiro.
5. “Magkano ba ang kaya kong ipunin
araw-araw?”
Walang ibang makakasagot
ng tanong na ito kundi ikaw rin mismo. Maraming nagsasabing wala silang perang maitatabi, pero madalas
naman silang makitang naninigarilyo o
bumibili ng diyaryo at kendi sa bangketa. Kung sabagay, hindi naman siguro natin sila dapat husgahan dahil
baka yun lang ang tanging paraan para
makalimutan ang gutom o mapigilan
ang pagkabaliw dahil sa hirap ng buhay. Pero ang tingin ko pa rin, kahit
sinong kumikita ng pera ay pwedeng
maging wais at kayang mag-ipon kung
gugustuhin nila.
Pwede namang itigil ang
paninigarilyo at manghiram na lang ng
diyaryo. Ang mga kaibigan at kamaganak ay laging handang tumulong basta’t tayo’y magiging tapat at ang hihingin nati’y pagkain at hindi pera. Pero
kadalasan kasi, yung mga taong matapat ay nahihiyang manghingi at minsan pa nga’y ayaw tanggapin ang pagkaing ibinibigay sa kanila. Sa tingin ko,
depende na lang sa tao kung gusto talaga nitong umangat sa buhay.
Antabayanan natin ang susunod na isyu.
Para sa karagdagdagang
kaalaman bisitahin ang www.colaycofinancialeducation.com, www.franciscocolayco.com, www.youtube.com/colaycofoundation at www.kskcoop.com.
Tumawag sa 637 3741 o 637 3731 o
0917 863 2131.
Sa Pilipinas makinig sa Pera
Mo, Palaguin Mo tuwing Lunes sa
DZXL 558AM magmula 11 hangang
12 ng tanghali. Maaari mo rin kaming mapanood sa Pisobilities RealiTV
tuwing Martes, 8:30 p.m., at sa Light
Network Channel 33 tuwing Sabado sa
GMA News TV 11, 6a.m..
Alassia holds Annual Officers’ Conference
A
lassia Newships Management, in
cooperation with its sister companies Safe Bulkers Management Ltd
and VH Safety Management Overseas, held
its annual officers’ conference last April 12,
2016 at the Avior's premises at Coral Way
CBP, Pasay City, Manila.
The conference was on “On
board Crisis Management and Human Reaction in Crisis Situations.”
The speakers were Mr Geir B.
Skoglumd, Senior Advisor Loss Prevention
& Emergency Response at the Norwegian
Hull Club, Mrs Anna Doumeni, Senior
Claims Executive at the Standard Club Europe Ltd, Mr Vangelis Roussas from Alassia’s Technical department, Capt. Stefanos
Poupalos from Alassia’s Operation department and Mrs Katerina Xenou, Crewing
Manager at Alassia.
With the aim of improving the
seafarers’ awareness and preparedness as
BY JUDY DOMINGO
part of their training, Alassia holds a conference in Manila annually.
“Having in mind that in case of an
accident the first human reaction is to panic, the training and preparation for an emergency situation assists the seafarers to have
a clear thinking when an incident happens
and to be able to react and act under stressful conditions. A trained seafarer can save
his and his colleagues’ lives in case of an accident” says Mrs Xenou during her interview.
Further, she emphasized the fact
that the seafarers should be always aware
of the company’s policies and procedures
so that they can implement them in case of
emergency and save their lives.
Mrs. Xenou’s response to our
question regarding the loyalty of Filipino
seafarers was “In general, we have a high retention rate due to our continuous presence
in Manila and personal relationship of the
company with seafarers; we consider them
part of Alassia’s family. All three companies
provide to their Senior Officers additional
health cards, the payments of their wages are
on time and job security is achieved through
pre planning of the yearly crew changes.”
Participants also shared some of
their thoughts regarding the Conference:
“Seminars like this give us the opportunity
to add knowledge especially for emergency
response and human management in time
of crisis which is something you have to deal
under an unpleasant situation of a serious
accident on board. All seafarers should attend to this conference as it is a unique experience” says Capt Pacis Wilfredo, Alassia’s
ex crew.
“This kind of seminar is very important for me being a Chief Engineer on
board as my role is to include and adopt this
extra knowledge to the daily operation of
the vessel and train also our subordinates in
order to be ready to face a critical situation
or as we call it “an emergency,” C/E Henry
Pascua, ex-crew of VH Safety Management
Overseas, commented.
Currently, Alassia Newships
Management Inc. are looking to expand
their fleet and to recruit more Filipino seafarers hoping that in a few years they will
succeed in having a well -trained, loyal and
great pool of seafarers in terms of size in
order to satisfy the future requirements of
their fleet.
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
Detained North Korean
Ship Released
O
BY JUDY DOMINGO
n March 25, 2016, a North
Korean freighter was released after it was seized in
the Philippines while it was unloading palm kernels last February 27.
It was detained under tough new
United Nations sanctions. No team
from UN came to inspect the ship;
however UN still cleared it since local authorities haven’t found any
contraband onboard except
for some broken aids to navigation equipment.
Coastguard spokesman Commander Armand
Balilo announced that after M/V Jin Teng, a 6,830
deadweight ton cargo ship,
cleared the immigration,
customs, quarantine and
port authorities, it has left
the Philippines with its 21
North Korean crew heading
to China.
“At the policy level there is no more basis
to continue to hold M/V
Jin Teng after U.N. Security Council delisted it from
the annex of UNSC Resolution 2270,” Foreign ministry spokesman Charles Jose
stated in his text message.
The new U.N. sanctions, passed in March to
punish North Korea after its
fourth nuclear test in January, blacklisted 31 ships
owned by North Korean
shipping firm Ocean Maritime Management Company (OMM). The sanctions'
goal is to run out the funds
of North Korea for its nuclear weapons program.
However, UN Security Council granted China's
request to take away sanctions on four ships blacklisted for ties to Pyongyang's
arms trade. China said the ships were
not OMM ships and secured an assurance that
the ships would no longer
hire North Korean crews.
The four ships
included the Jin Teng,
seized by the Philippines
days after the sanctions
took effect.
47
48
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
48
Wärtsilä 31 engine wins big in European Marine Engineering Conference
BY RAFFY AYENG
T
he Wärtsilä 31 engine has
won the Marine Engines
Award at the recently concluded European Marine Engineering Conference’s gala dinner held in
Amsterdam on April 13, 2016.
The Wärtsilä 31 engine, designed to serve a variety of vessel
types requiring main engine propulsion in the 4.2 to 9.8 MW power
range, has been recognized by Guinness World Records as being the
world’s most efficient 4-stroke diesel
engine.
The category entry requirements noted that “the winning entry will be an innovative and original development that demonstrates
an engineering innovation that represents a step-change in engine technology.”
“The Wärtsilä 31 truly rep-
resents a breakthrough in marine engine efficiency, and its introduction
last year marked the setting of a new
benchmark for 4-stroke engines. It
provides
customers with the
marine industry’s most advanced, powerful, fuel efficient,
fuel flexible, and
environmentally sound engine.
The engine’s development has
been based on
the very latest
technology, and
it opens the door
to a new level of
optimization that is valid throughout the entire life of the vessel,” according to Stefan Wiik, vice president, Engines, Wärtsilä Marine
Solutions.
The Wärtsilä 31 engine,
which comes in three alternative
versions namely Diesel, Dual-Fuel (DF) and Spark-Ignited Gas (SG),
has multi-fuel capabilities and brings
to the market extend the possibilities for operators to utilize different
qualities of fuels from a very light to
very heavy diesel, and a range of dif-
ferent qualities of gas.
The remarkable increases in fuel efficiency and fuel flexibility that the Wärtsilä 31 brings
to the market are matched by significant reductions in maintenance
costs. For example, the first service
on the Wärtsilä 31 is required after
only 8000 running hours, whereas
alternative standard marine engines
require maintenance after 2000 running hours.
The first Wärtsilä 31 engines
have already been ordered. They will
power a state-of-the-art new generation icebreaker currently under construction at the PJSC Vyborg Shipyard in Russia. The ship is being
built on behalf of FSUE Atomflot, a
subsidiary of ROSATOM, the Russian State Corporation for Atomic
Energy. The order was signed in September 2015.
No Salary Increase for Seafarers
S
BY JUDY DOMINGO
till the same minimum wage for
seafarers.
It has been equally decided
during the ILO Joint Maritime Commission (JMC) in Geneva last April 6
& 7, 2016.
Significant representatives of maritime
employers and seafarers’ unions organized by the International Chamber
of Shipping (ICS) and International
Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF)
correspondingly attended the meeting.
In accordance to International Labour Organization’s (ILOs)
recommendation, the minimum wage
for able seafarers will remain at the
same amount. Currently, the basic
salary per month is $614 and this may
last until 2018. This is correspondent
to 431 GBP, 538 Euros, 808 Australian
dollars and 825 Singapore dollars.
Excluding eleven countries,
the fees have been augmented in all
other countries and areas were concerned over the period of modification. Around 37 countries and are-
as, the increase was no greater than 10
percent. Besides, the other countries
had a raise of more than 10 percent.
The ruling classes came into the conclusion based on the following thoughts:
That the formula contains a
weighting of one for countries
and areas with less than 10,000
seafarers and of two for those
with 10,000 or more.
That the formula applies the
regular United States dollar exchange rate for the three most
current months in order to diminish the short-term effect of
extreme variations in currency
exchange rates.
The standard salary is based on
the list of countries and areas
that are representative of maritime nations and of countries
and areas which are major suppliers of seafarers.
That the period of measurement of the change in consumer
charges parallels to the full period of time between alterations.
“The continuation of the current minimum wage until at least 2018,
at the increased level which came into
effect in January 2016 as a result of the
previous JMC agreement, means that
employers should benefit from a period of stability in what are otherwise
very challenging markets for the global industry,” said Max Johns, spokesperson for the Shipowners’ Group,
(German
Ship owners’
Association)
on behalf of
ICS said after
the ILO JMC
meeting.
ICS being the
official
ILO
social
partner supported
and showed
affirmative
signs regarding the global basic salary.
This basic sal-
ary is an idea limited to the international shipping industry.
The ILO minimum pertains
to the standard salary for the non-officer grade of Able Seafarer. Whereas
the over-all minimum payable is significantly greater while account is taken of
overtime payments and other fee related rights under the ILO Maritime Labour Convention.
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
49
Abducted Pinoy, 3 Greeks freed off Nigerian waters
T
he four abducted crew members, comprising of a Filipino and three Greeks aboard a
Greek tanker, were released by their
kidnappers last March 28, according to reports from the owners of the
ship company.
Reports reaching Tinig ng
Marino said that the four seamen abducted by pirates from the Greekowned, Panama-flagged tanker
“Madonna 1” have been released unharmed in Nigerian territory.
The said crew members were
abducted in early March while the
ship was sailing without cargo about
15 nautical miles from the coast of
Nigeria.
The Greek ship’s captain,
first engineer and an agent of the
shipping company have already returned to Greece and are in good
health, the company said.
The ship was sailing with a
crew of 21 and one passenger, the
BY RAFFY AYENG
shipping firm’s agent, and was heading toward the port of Lome in Togo
when it was attacked by armed pirates that abducted the four men.
After the abduction,
the ship continued its
journey and the Greek
Shipping ministry mobilized its crisis management team, which
alerted the ministries
of national defense,
foreign affairs and international centers for
fighting piracy to the
incident.
The
report
also noted that after
the pirates abandoned
the vessel, the remaining crew members
managed to sail the
tanker to a safe port.
The terms of
the crew’s release have
not been disclosed, but it is highly
likely that the ship owner had to pay
ransom to free his crew.
Kidnappings in Nigerian wa-
ters and most recently off Philippines
have become ever more frequent as
pirates resort to taking hostages for
ransom as a funding method.
50
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
from page 43
nese behavior - a headliner in
Daily Inquirer.
CHINA’s MARITIME EX
The United States insists
PANSION and USA’s
that the increasing American presRESPONSE
ence in the South China Sea and
the USA offguard.
AMERICA’s RESPONSE :
“What’s new is not an
American carrier in this region.
What’s new is the context of tension that exist which we want to
reduce,” Carter said. As US shows
power in Asia, Carter cites Chi-
the broader support for allies and
is not aimed at any one nation.
But the US military presence also
reinforces carter’s assertion that
America will continue to fly and
sail throughout the region, despite
China’s claims of sovereignty over
the vast South China Sea. .
US
Defense
Secretary
Ashton Carter said the only rea-
50
son America’s presence in the region came up as an issue was
because China’s behavior in the
South China Sea over the past
year. Carter’s announcement of a
joint US-Philippine patrols in the
South China Sea and the rotation of more US troops with combat aircraft and equipment to the
Philippines under a new security
agreement.
Carter emphasized the
United States would back up the
Philippines and allies in the region. “At a time of change in this
dynamic region, and democratic
transitions in the Philippines and
the United States, we will continue to stand shoulder to shoulder”,
Carter said at the closing ceremony for Balikatan 2106, the annual
war games between US and Philippine troops at Camp Aguinaldo,
the Phil Army HQ in QC. The exercise was more of a message of
solidarity.
CHINA’s REACTION
China reacted defiantly. “US-Philippine joint patrols in
the South China Sea promote regional militarization and undermine regional peace and stability”, The Chinese Defense Ministry
said in a statement. The Chinese
defense ministry’s statement also
referenced China’s long standing
opposition to US military alliances in the region. It regards those
as a form of unwelcome interference that stymies its desired status
as the preeminent military power
in the Asia-Pacific region.
“Strengthening
the
US-Philippines military alliance is
a sign of cold war mentality that
is unbeneficial to peace and stability in the South China Sea”, it
further says.
China has misinterpreted
the Philippines joint military exercises with the United States in the
South China sea.
CONCLUSION
The risk of conflict in the
South Chian is significant. China,
Taiwan, Vietnam, Malaysia, Brunei and Philppines have competing territorial and jurisdictional
claims particularly over the rights
to exploit the region’s natural resources - oil and gas and minerals. This common resources will
always end up in the tragedy of
the commons. A tragedy of exploitation.
The statement and protest
of China cannot be underestimated. Will this cold war escalate into
WW III in the near future? Let’s
hope to save South China Sea first
without staring World War III
ABANGAN
Part 11.
ANG
KASUNOD!
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
53
Together with the other protesters, Engr. Ramirez voices out his arguments about the
issuance of Voter's Verification Paper Audit Trail
Legal forum in Adamson University, organized by Sr. Maruja Padre de Juan and Adamson
Legal Staff, attended by Engr. Nelson Ramirez
United Filipino Seafarers' President Nelson Ramirez with Mayor Rodrigo Duterte
NPR at the OWWA Meeting on OWWA bill
Hon. Nick Conti discussing things with Engr. Ramirez
at the Proclamation Rally of the latter
Engr. Nelson Ramirez with fellow Alyansang Duterte-Bongbong (Aldub) supporters
Engr. Nelson Ramirez assisting the fishermen, who were not paid of their salary,
at POEA
NPR at the MITC Meeting on the IRR of Seafarer's Protection Act
54
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
54
Naglipana na naman ang mga peke
S
GLASSBOX
ino o ano itong GLASSBOX? Ayon sa ating source, ang GLASSBOX ay
ang IT ng MARINA. Bakit ba nababalita na may utang ang MARINA
sa GLASSBOX? Kung may utang ang MARINA sa GLASSBOX bakit
nandyan pa ang mga tauhan ng GLASSBOX kung hindi na sila nababayaran
ng MARINA? Sino ngayon ang nagpapasweldo sa kanila? Bakit ang dalawang tauhan ng GLASSBOX na walang sweldo ng ilang buwan, ay nakabili ngayon ng bagong Honda Civic at Toyota Vios? Yan ba ang dahilan kung
bakit ang isang review center ay namamayagpag ngayon? Yan ang tanong na
naghihintay ng kasagutan. PAKI-EXPLAIN?
ORLANDO "ORLY" CARBONELL
S
Huli ka
a kasamaang palad nahuli si Allan P. Castillon nang ipinakita niya
ang kanyang Certificate of Completion sa Updating Course for Management Level Marine Deck Officers na kinuha "kuno" niya sa Navigator International Maritime Training and Assessment Center Inc.
Hindi naman ginamit ang utak nitong si Allan Castillon kung bakit doon pa siya kumuha ng assessment sa Navigator International Maritime
Training Center Inc. Nang tingnan ang kanyang certificate sa Updating MLC,
hindi lumabas ang kanyang pangalan sa records ng Navigator, kaya sinita tuloy siya ng registrar kung papaano niya nakuha ang kanyang training certificate na wala naman sa listahan ng Navigtator. Kaagad niyang binawi ang
kanyang dokumento at tumakbo palabas ng gusali.
Tila hindi talaga pabor
ang swerte kay Allan. Kaagad sumugod sumugod ang GM ng Navigator sa MARINA at isinumbong
na may isang nagngangalang Allan Castillon ang nagparehistro para
sa assessment sa kanila ngunit ang
dala-dalang dokumento ay peke.
Ayon kay Allan, isang nagngangalang Orly Carbonel a n g n a g alok sa kanya na makakuha siya ng kahit anong klaseng dokumento kung
magkakasundo sila sa presyo. Si Allan
aniya, ay palagai sa Luneta.
S
a isang Lloyds Manning and Training Conference sa Hotel Sofitel ilang
taon na ang nakararaan, nabanggit ni Obando Rojas ng Maritime Research Center ng England ang maraming mga pekeng dokumento na
nakikita niya sa Recto na palagi ginagamit ng mga marino. Nagpagawa siya
noon ng PRC license,PRC I.D. at iba pang mga dokumento. Ang mga problemang ito ay napigilan noon ng PRC sa kanilang masusing pagsusuri sa mga
dokumento na dumadaan sa kanila.
Muli na namang nanalasa ang gumagawa ng pekeng dokumento
noon ngunit nang maipakulong namin ni Atty. Nick Conti ang 32 mga fixers
sa T.M. Kalaw, huminto din ang galaw ng sindikato ng mga pekeng papeles
ng mga marino.
Ngayon, muli na naman silang naglipana ngayon sa T.M. Kalaw at
lalong bumabagsik ang kanilang operasyon sapagkat pati I.D. ng MARINA
ay napipeke na rin. Hindi na rin ako magtataka kung maglipanang muli ang
mga pekeng Seafarer's Identification and Record Book sapagkat madali na
lang itong gayahin. Sinalaula na kasi ang dating SIRB na may security features.
Madali lang makilala ang pekeng I.D. na ito sapagkat walang holographic water marks. Bukod pa dyan, mali ang SRN. Ang maige, huwag magpauto sa mga fixers. Kayo rin ang magdurusa. Lumaban ng patas.
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
55
NOTICE OF REWARD
A reward of SEVENTY FIVE THOUSAND PESOS (P75,000.00) will be given to
anyone whose information will lead to the apprehension of any person who sells
or distributes pirated Deckmaster Marine 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 uses pirated
Deckmaster Marine programs.
The information received shall be treated with utmost confidentiality.
Please Contact:
Deckmaster Marine
Mobile: 0917 845 8221
Landline:524 6556
E-mail: [email protected]
56
TINIG NG MARINO
Dare the difference!
What 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.
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.
MAY - JUNE 2016
56
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
57
58
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
58
GOLF TOURNAMENT
ALVIN PATRIMONIO
PHILIPPINE BASKETBALL
ASSOCIATION LEGEND
PMMA Alumni Battle of Batches
Golf Tournament 2016
G
olf is really one of the best sports to share with your friends. It could also be a great way to bond with your reunited colleagues. Thus, the PMMA Alumni members assembled and played on the greens of Club Intramuros
as they held the “PMMA Alumni Battle of Batches 2016” Golf Tournament last April 3, 2016.
More than 50 participants consisting of PMMA alumni, regular, honorary and adopted members of the class, and
golfing friends with PMMA Batch Affiliation participated in the fund-raising tournament.
Winners of the said event were awarded with trophies during the Alumni Homecoming which was held this time
at the PMMA Zambales last April 9 as shown
Game results were as follows:
Awards:
Overall Low Gross Champion - Rick Loyola representing Class 1991: Gross 73
Overall Low Net Champion - Capt Jones Tulod, Class 1983: Gross 75 Net 64 winner by count back
Class A Div. Champion - Lt. Jan Terazona, representing Class 1993: Gross 75 Net 64
Class A Div. Runner Up - Januario Lansang HM of Class 1977: Gross 81 net 66 winner by count back
Class B Div. Champion - Jonathan Galam: Gross 88 Net 65
Class B Div. Runner Up - Renato Jestre Mañago, representing Class 1985: Gross 93 Net 65 winner by count back
Class C Div. Champion - CE Procis Aquino, Class 1997: Gross 95 Net 67 winner by count back
Class C Div. Runner Up - CE Franklin Duana, Class 1985: Gross 95 Net 67
Ladies Div. Champion – Ms. Connie Mamaril, representing Class 1981: Gross 89 Net 67
Ladies Div. Runner Up - Ms. Vicelyn Aquino, representing 1997: Gross 92 Net 71
Longest Drive Champion - Capt. Jones Tulod '83: 220 yards
Most Accurate Drive - Lt. Jan Terazona '93: on the Line
Nearest to the Pin - Capt. Jones Tulod '83: 1 foot
Longest Putt - Eng'r Ernan Rodio '86: 13 feet
2016 Overall Class (All Batches) Champion - CLASS 1983 (represented by Capt. Jones Tulod and Capt. Orlando Palenzuela)
2016 Overall Class (All Batches) Runner Up - CLASS 1991 (represented by Rick Loyola and Benru Regalado)
Ryder Cup Team (Seniors vs. Juniors) Champion - JUNIORS (represented by Class 1986 to 2010)
Overall Team “Young Once” Champion (Seniors represented by Classes 1970 to 1985) – CLASS 1983
Overall Team “Young Ones” Champion (Juniors represented by Classes 1986 to 2010) – CLASS 1991
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
nited
ilipino
eafarers
59
Born to Make a Difference
Tinig ng Marino
Awards
Although UFS is
considered a dragon
slayer among illegal
recruiters, abusive
manning agencies
and
shipowners,
owners of sub-standard schools, and other groups and individuals involved in
anomalous activities
in the industry, the UFS also honors and gives tribute to the organizations and
individuals who have rendered valuable contributions to the sector. It has institutionalized the Tinig ng Marino Awards, which is now widely-recognized as
one of the more prestigious award-giving bodies in the local maritime industry.
Regular Conduct
of Bloodletting
Activities
The first bloodletting
activity of the UFS began when Sen. Richard
Gordon, who is also the
National Chairman of
the Philippine National
Red Cross, asked the
assistance of UFS to
donate blood because
there was a shortage of
blood during Christmas
and New Year season due to firecracker accidents. Engr. Ramirez called on
Admiral Wilfredo Tamayo, then Commandant of the Philippine Coast Guard,
for support. The following day, UFS cadet volunteers, together with hundreds
of new recruits of the Philippine Coast Guard, donated blood to augment the
stock of the blood bank of the Philippine National Red Cross. From then on,
bloodletting has been a regular collaborative activity of the UFS and Philippine
National Red Cross in several maritime schools all over the country.
UFS Condemns
Hazing in Maritime Schools
UFS believes that
the maritime industry is a professional
sector and there is
no place in it for barbaric acts. The union has exposed the
hazing activities in
one maritime school
that resulted to the
death and injuries of several maritime students. UFS continues to condemn
this kind of act and never fails to impart to maritime students during seminars
and forums the pitfalls of being lured to conducting hazing activities to their
fellow students.
Driven by a passion to champion
the cause of Filipino seafarers, the
United Filipino Seafarers has embarked on a journey of commitment to stand and face the challenges besetting Filipino mariners
including illegal recruiters, abusive
manning agencies and maritime
training centers, red tape in government maritime agencies, substandard maritime schools, among a plethora of other problems. Armed with a dedication
comparable to a battle-ready knight in shining armor, UFS ventured into the
maritime industry’s realm where no organization has ever been before. While
uncertainly lurks in the horizon, it did not deter UFS from pursuing its goals
and objectives, always ready and willing to be the proverbial dragon-slayer.
Active
Participation in
Maritime Safety
Inspections
with the
Philippine
Coast Guard
and MARINA
Although considered as the manning capital of the
world, the Philippines has also earned the moniker as the capital of maritime
disaster. In fact the biggest maritime disaster in recorded history – the collision of MV Doña Paz and MT Vector in 1987 – happened in the Philippines
that claimed more than 5,000 lives.
As a strong advocate of maritime safety, UFS pushed for a series of Emergency Readiness Evaluation and Machinery Readiness Evaluation (ERE-MARE)
together with the personnel of Philippine Coast Guard. UFS immediately reports to MARINA and Philippine Coast Guard any maritime violation committed by any vessel sailing in the domestic waters.
At one point, UFS was responsible for the grounding of two unseaworthy vessels – MV Golden Dragon and MV Silver Dragon – when one of the crew disclosed to the union that the two vessels had several safety deficiencies but
were able to hide it nonetheless from maritime authorities. UFS relayed the information to the Philippine Coast Guard and MARINA and the two agencies
immediately conducted random inspection. The authorities found more than
50 violations in each vessel. The two vessels were not allowed to sail until they
were brought to a scrapping yard.
The UFS also joined the team of the Philippine Coast Guard that conducted
ERE-MARE on all Sulpicio Lines vessels after the sinking of MV Princess of
the Orient in 1998 that resulted to the death of more than 300 innocent lives.
TV Hosting,
Guestings and
Interviews
As an acknowledged stakeholder in the local maritime industry, the
UFS is often on
tab on most of the
issues
happening around. Engr.
Ramirez is often invited as a resource person or interviewee in many public affairs or news programs on TV involving maritime issues like maritime disasters, piracy, situation of seafarers all over the globe, and the economic contribution of the local
maritime industry to the Philippines because of his insightful views of current
issues as well as his no-nonsense, no-holds-barred, and honest-to-goodness
commentaries, not to mention his colorful analogies.
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
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60
Online
60
Tinig ng Marino's aid is
exemplified to our seafarers.
"
-Wilfredo Cloud Pacis and
Henry V. Pascua Avior Marine
"
O
ne of the world’s leading petroleum companies, Chevron Corporation, has announced that its first shipment of
liquefied natural gas (LNG) from the
Gorgon Project has departed Barrow Island off the northwest coast of
Western Australia and will be shipped
to one of Chevron's foundation buyers, Chubu Electric Power, for delivery to Japan.
In a statement, Mike Wirth,
executive vice president, Chevron
Midstream and Development said
that the departure of the first cargo from the Gorgon Project is a key
milestone in Chevron’s commitment
to be a reliable LNG provider for customers across the Asia-Pacific region.
"This is also important for
our investors as we begin to generate
revenue from a project we expect will
operate for decades to come," Wirth
further noted.
The Chevron-operated Gorgon Project is a joint venture between
the Australian subsidiaries of Chev-
"
"
"
"
"
Tuloy lang Sir Nelson Ramirez sa
paggawa ng kabutihan lalo na sa mga
seaman at ofw, paglaban sa mga
baluktot na daan at kulubot. Di ka
pababayaan ng Panginoong Diyos at
ika'y gagantimpalaan. Bayani ka sa mga
seaman Sir at OFW. Salamat.
Good job sir, ikaw dapat
huwaran naming mga
marino. Sapagkat ikaw
ang sumulong sa sektor
ng marino sa kongreso at
senado. God bless you Sir
Nelson Ramirez and good
health.
Salamat po at andyan kayo
para sa mga kababayan
at kabaro natin. Kung sa
Angkla lang, nganga na
lang kami. Congrats Sir.
God bless UFS and Good bless you Sir
Nelson Ramirez
"
Chevron vessels first LNG cargo
"
BY RAFFY AYENG
ron (47.3 percent), ExxonMobil (25
percent), Shell (25 percent), Osaka Gas (1.25 percent), Tokyo Gas (1
percent) and Chubu Electric Power
(0.417 percent).
More than 80 percent of
Chevron's Australian subsidiaries'
equity LNG from the Gorgon and Wheatstone projects
are covered by sales and purchase agreements and heads of
agreements with customers in
the Asia-Pacific region.
The LNG cargo will
be delivered by the Asia Excellence, one of Chevron's
new state-of-the-art LNG carriers. To support Chevron's
growing position as a leading
LNG supplier, Chevron Shipping Company is in the final
stages of its largest shipbuilding and fleet modernization
program in recent history,
which includes the addition
of six new LNG carriers from
shipbuilder Samusng Heavy
Industries in South Korea to its operated fleet.
The Gorgon Project is supplied from the Gorgon and Jansz-Io
gas fields, located within the Greater
Gorgon area, between 80 miles (130
km) and 136 miles (220 km) off the
northwest coast of Western Australia.
It includes a 15.6 MTPA LNG plant
on Barrow Island, a carbon dioxide
injection project and a domestic gas
plant with the capacity to supply 300
terajoules of gas per day to Western
Australia.
MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
from page 14
THE UNHOLY ALLIANCE
Capt. Rey Casareo and
the crusade against
ambulance-chasers
For Capt. Casareo, vigilance is key. They have intelligence
as to how much the seafarers actually get after everything has been
said and done, and how much goes
to their lawyers. In one case, the
seafarer said he only received about
P800,000 out of the P2.8M monetary award in his claim. Capt.
Casareo requested that Tinig ng
Marino withhold the identity of
the seafarer and his lawyers for the
time being, because the seafarer
told him that he feared for his safety. At any rate, Capt. Casareo and
his legal team are able to use said
intelligence in warning other seafarers and in filing administrative
charges before the Supreme Court.
Seafarers and the Maritime Industry at heart
At the heart of this crusade
is Capt. Casareo's concern for the
seafarers and the maritime industry.
Capt. Casareo shares that at
Cargo Safeway, Inc., they give priority to his kababayan in his hometown Sampaloc, Quezon, home of
skilled and diligent mariners like
himself. They also prioritized training and hiring relatives of the seafarers they were able to deploy on
board, because they are like family. That is why he laments the fact
that some of them have become victims of ambulance-chasers. He said
that he is sad that the seafarers let
go of jobs on board in exchange
for the promise of recovering huge
amounts of cash by filing unfounded claims, but ended up with very
little money on their hands.
The indefatigable crusader,
who at 72 still competes in marathons, said that he will just keep on
doing what he is doing to protect
the reputation of Filipino seafarers,
and more importantly, to ensure
that Filipino seafarers will still find
jobs in international vessels.
COMING VERY SOON!
Message us on our facebook page
“United Filipino Seafarers” or email us through
[email protected]
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MAY - JUNE 2016
TINIG NG MARINO
62
ACROSS THE WATERS
A Lutheran pastor, a Catholic priest
and a Rabbi were fishing from a boat
far from the lake shore. The pastor
had to make a trip to the shore, so he
got out of the boat, walked across the
water and in the same manner, came
back to the boat after he was done.
A little later, the priest had to make
the trip also. He got out of the boat,
walked across the water, visited the
bathroom and in the same manner,
came back to the boat. Still later, the
rabbi needed to go ashore. He got out
of the boat and immediately sank. The
pastor looked at the priest and said,
"Don't you think we ought to tell him
where the rocks are?"
"LUCKY 5"
A 55-year-old man, who was born on May 5,
has been married 5 years, has 5 children, makes
$55,555.55 a year, whose lucky number is 5,
receives a phone call from a friend. The friend
informs the man that a horse named Lucky 5 will
be running in the fifth race at the local track that
evening Excitedly, the man withdraws $5,555.00
cash from his bank account, goes to the race
and bets on Lucky 5. Sure enough the horse
came in fifth.
MANKIND
ESSAY WRITING
in order to understand mankind,
we have to look at the word itself:
Mankind, basically, is made up of
two separate words, "mank" and
"ind." What do these words mean?
It's a mystery, and that's why mankind is so mysterious
OMEGA
PROFESSIONALLY KNOWN
A Captain went ashore after all his work
was done. He took his dinner in a first class
restaurant downtown and met a lovely waitress who introduced herself as "Omega."
"Omega, what a beautiful name!" said the
Captain. "By the way, how are you related to Omega watch?" The pretty waitress
smiled, then answered very sweetly: "The
same price, sir, but different movement!"
The young chief officer, walking along the
street of Mabini with his wife, was greeted by a beautiful sexy young lady. The jealous young wife asked him who his girl friend
was. "Can't remember her name," he said.
"Just a girl I met professionally." "Whose
profession, dear, yours or hers?" I married
"Miss Right." I just didn't know her first name
was "Always."
A university creative writing class
was asked to write a concise essay
containing these four elements: 1) religion 2) royalty 3) sex 4) mystery
The prize-winning essay read: "My
God," said the Queen. "I'm pregnant
I wonder who did it?"
TOILET PAPER
A deck cadet tells a stewardess: "I want some toilet paper." She replies:
"What color?" He shouts back: "Just give me white, l'll color it myself.