Maritime News
MARINA exam
leaks exposed
A
group of concerned seafarers are
now calling for a stop to alleged
exam leaks in the licensure
exams for seafarers under the
Maritime Industry Authority
(MARINA).
They called on Dr. Max Mejia Jr. that
before he exits as administrator and go back
to Malmo, Sweden, he must do something
fast to clean the system and bring back the
integrity of the seafarers' licensure exams.
Earlier, some concerned groups had
caused the publication of news reports
recently urging investigation of the alleged
tampering of the exam system under
MARINA.
They claimed that an examinee would
be spending ranging from P100,000 up
to P130,000 in taking the exams and
upgrading courses. Yet, they cannot expect
to be proud if they passed because of the
present anomaly.
According to sources, the present walkin licensure exams of would-be marine
officers had been rendered difficult under
MARINA. It will require a lot of takes and
reviews before a seafarer could pass it if no
leakage or tampering is being employed,
they said.
Because of the difficulty in passing the 17
to 19 competencies so-called, enterprising
syndicates have proliferated that naturally
caused the mushrooming of review centers
now more than 100 at present.
Sources said some of these review centers
working in connivance with some examiners
have become the operators of leakage that
resulted in the agency's loss of credibility
and lack of integrity in the exams.
12
Maritime security
tackled at ASEAN
Regional Forum
T
hePhilippines recently hosted the two-day
8th ASEAN Regional Forum (ARF) InterSessional Meeting (ISM) on Maritime
Security in Makati City. The meeting got
together 103 officials from Australia, Canada,
China, the European Union, India, Japan,
New Zealand, Pakistan, Republic of Korea, Russia, Sri
Lanka, Timor Leste, and the US, as well as ASEAN
Secretariat officials.
The Philippines co-chaired the ARF-ISM on Maritime
Security along with Japan and the United States for
2015-2017. The ARF is the foremost multilateral forum
of the 27 Member States for official consultations on
peace and security issues in the Asia-Pacific Region.
At the opening session, Philippine Department of
Foreign Affairs Undersecretary for Policy Enrique A.
Manalo underlined the Philippines’ commitment to
pursue regional efforts to build a rules-based maritime
security regime in Asia. Manalo also highlighted the
Philippines' interests as a maritime and archipelagic
nation as well as the country’s adherence to international
law, including the 1982 United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In a related development, the Philippine government
has created earlier a special task force to coordinate and
consolidate various agencies’ policies and operations in
the West Philippine Sea.
Under the office of the president, National Security
Adviser Cesar Garcia, will chair the new task force and
includes members from the departments of National
Defense, foreign affairs, Justice, environment and
natural resources, energy, and transportation and
communication.
The task force also consists of the Armed Forces of
the Philippines, Philippine National Police-Maritime
Group, Philippine Coast Guard, National Economic
and Development Authority, National Coast Watch
System, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, and
other government officials. It will be “responsible for
orchestrating the different national government agencies’
capabilities to achieve the national objectives.”