the Blue Ocean

DOLE Secretary Rosalinda Dimapilis Baldoz and Undersecretary Danilo P. Cruz witness the signing of a MOA among
the OWWA, AMOSUP and NMP on a seafarers’ welfare research collaboration held at the DOLE Executive Building,
Intramuros, Manila. Signatories to the MOA are OWWA Administrator Carmelita Dimzon, AMOSUP President
Dr. Conrado F. Oca, and NMP OIC-Executive Director Josephus B. Jimenez.
The data gathering component of the research was
jointly conducted by the NMP study’s Research
Team with the Philippine Coast Guard Personnel
from the different Coast Guard Districts/ Stations/
Detachments, as Data Enumerators. A total of 47
shipping companies representing 41% of the total
target number of companies responded to the
survey. In terms of the number of vessels, a total
of 206 sample vessels or 84% of the target number
of 2011 vessels Annual were surveyed. Report
The research is 100% completed as of end of
December 2011. It is slated for presentation in a
Stakeholders’ Meeting in 2012 to validate findings
and recommendations.
3. Challenges Facing the Welfare of Filipino
Seafarers— An Analysis of Current Welfare
Services vis-à-vis Seafarers’ Needs
A collaborative undertaking among the NMP,
OWWA and the AMOSUP, the research findings and
recommendations revolved on the availability of
welfare programs for Filipino seafarers in relation to
their articulated needs, identified issues and gaps
involved in the process, and proposed policy and
program interventions to address said gaps.
The seafarers’ welfare research was conducted in
the context of the Philippines’ position as the biggest
provider of maritime manpower in the global market.
Filipino seafarers are widely recognized for their
competence, industry, dedication, adaptability, and
reliability. Related studies project that this leading
position will be maintained in the short to medium
term, ensuring general stability in the market.
That it is high time for the Philippine government to
give due recognition to the fact that seafarers are
deployed in a special work environment governed by
a complex and fast-evolving regime of international
standards was emphasized by the study. The
uniqueness of the working and living condition of
Filipino seafarers and the need for equally unique
measures to promote their well-being as a distinct
group of workers also emerged in the findings.
Various data gathering methods were employed to
arrive at the study’s findings and recommendations.
Foremost among these is the conduct of eight
(8) focus group discussions with employers and
government representatives. Twenty-seven
(27) in-depth interviews with seafarers and
their dependents, associations, employers and
government representatives were also done. To
validate previously gathered data from focus group
discussions and in-depth interviews, a National
Tripartite Consultative Conference on Seafarers’
Welfare was held on the 10th of November 2011
at the AMOSUP Convention Hall, AMOSUP Seamen’s
Center, Intramuros, Manila. This was attended by a
total of forty-nine (49) participants.
The research is 100% completed as of end of
December 2011. It is for presentation in a
Stakeholders Meeting scheduled in February 2012
to validate findings and recommendations.
2011 Annual Report
NMP Annual Report 2011 10