A lawmaker on Sunday backed proposals for joint supervision by two regulators of education programs for future ship officers saying it would boost the global competitiveness of Filipino sailors.

“We support the combined efforts of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) and the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to supervise the quality of the Bachelor of Sciences in Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering programs being supplied by maritime schools,” said ACTS-OFW Rep. Aniceto Bertiz III.

Graduates of the two marine education programs, once licensed and certified, can become ship officers such as masters, chief mates, officers-in-charge of a navigational watch, chief engineers, second engineers and officers-in-charge of engineering watch.

“We have to constantly upgrade the quality of the two education programs if we are to keep our competitive edge in the deployment of merchant ship officers to global labor markets,” Bertiz said.

He said this would also ensure the best sailors run domestic ships that comply with the highest operating and safety standards.

“We are after all an archipelago that relies heavily on efficient and safe inter-island shipping to move people and goods,” he said.

Remittances by overseas Filipino sailors via banks is projected to top the $6-billion mark this year amid mounting deployment.

Likewise, the number of Philippine-educated sailors and other staff deployed on foreign ocean-going vessels, including those on cruise ships and floating casinos, is likely to surpass the 500,000-mark for the first time this year.

The enlistment of Filipino sailors is expected to increase along with international ship traffic, as the global economy continues to grow, according to the lawmaker.

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