Maritime
Now , it takes a day to issue seafarers ’ books
Seafarers ’ Identification and Record Book-SIRB Credits : marina . gov . ph
T he more the seafarers contribute with their remittances to improve the country ’ s economy and the more they put to good test their competence and professionalism that has earned respect from manning agencies worldwide , the more they deserve streamlined application processes to enhance their peace of mind .
This premise was also shared by Department of
Transportation ( DOTr ) Secretary Arthur Tugade to the seventh batch of graduates of the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy in Laguna last 17 Nov . 2017 who lauded the seafarers-to-be as being blessed with ‘ the unique privilege to serve the country .’
Being the commencement speaker , Tugade also rallied the cadets to take pride in the brand of excellence fueled by hard work , professionalism , dedication and passion to bring out their best that Filipino seafarers possess .
“ Napakapalad ninyo dahil mabibigyan kayo ng pagkakataong ipakita sa buong mundo ang kakayahan ng mga Pilipino . Saan man kayo makarating , my only plea is that you always keep within you , your love for our country ,” Sec Tugade proudly declared .
The Philippines is among the top producers of personnel in the manning and seafaring profession . According to the Department of Labor and Employment ( DOLE ), Filipino seafarers account for more than 25 percent of the 1.5 million mariners worldwide . According to MARINA , 450,000 out of the 780,000 total registered Filipino seafarers are now overseas .
In his bid to help upgrade the maritime sector and its sub-sectors , which include seafarer skills / training enhancements , the DOTr Secretary added that the government is relentlessly implementing improvements in the fields of infrastructure ( via the Build Build Build program which translatesin to the construction and upgradement / modernization of port facilities and inter-island modes of conveyance ), policies and reforms — of which includes streamlining application processes for important documents such as the issuance of seafarers ’ books .
From what took 15 days in the past , now takes only one day for the seafarers ’ books to be released . Also complementing this innovation was the launching by the Maritime Industry Authority ( MARINA ) of an online appointment system for speedier processing . The validity of the Seafarer ’ s Identification and Record Book ( SIRB ) was likewise extended from 5 years to 10 years , benefitting around 90,000 Filipino seafarers . dotr . gov . ph
This premise was also shared by Department of Transportation ( DOTr ) Secretary Arthur Tugade to the seventh batch of graduates of the NYK-TDG Maritime Academy in Laguna last 17 Nov . 2017 who lauded the seafarersto-be as being blessed with ‘ the unique privilege to serve the country .
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