The Maritime Industry Authority on Friday urged the public, especially budding seafarers, to ease up on rumors that Filipino seamen are going to lose thousands of precious jobs, as they have already submitted the needed rectification on deficiencies found by European assessors in its recent audit.

Last 2020, auditors of the European Maritime Safety Agency or EMSA conducted an audit and saw 13 deficiencies in the education and training programs for Filipino seafarers, making some stakeholders fear that the Philippines will once again fail in the audit.

"So far, our seafarers have continuously been able to secure onboard jobs on international ships. Marina has already submitted a compliance report to the European Commission. We are still waiting for their decision, but rest assured, we continue to prove, through various initiatives and programs, that we are complying with the standards that are set under the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping," said Atty. Jabeth Dacanay, chief of staff, Office of the Marina Administrator.

Dacanay, who is concurrently STCW Deputy Executive Director, added, "Don't be alarmed because Marina and CHED have been continuously doing our best so that our country is able to adhere to our obligation to the Convention."

Since 2006, EMSA has been scrutinizing the education and training of seafarers to make sure that it heeds STCW regulations.

From the staggering 216 deficiencies found when EMSA made its first audit in 2006, these were reduced to 42 on March 2017.

These further slid down to 13 areas of concern, requiring the Philippine authorities to submit three separate reports showing how these deficiencies have been addressed when EMSA re-checked with Marina from 24 February to 12 March 2020.

Failure of the EMSA audit would put thousands of seafarer jobs at risk as the European Union would no longer recognize Filipino certificates of competence.

Marina was able to submit in March 2022 the Philippine Response to the Assessment Report to the European Commission which detailed the corrective actions it has already put in place and is currently being implemented, as well as short and long-term measures it intends to take to address findings.