Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista on Wednesday said the Philippines did not fail the audits of local maritime schools and training centers made by the European Maritime Safety Agency in 2021 and this year.

"We did not fail. Let me reiterate that. There are findings and observations that should be addressed particularly in the training and education of seafarers. And these non-conformities are already resolved by the Maritime Industry Authority and the Commission on Higher Education. The rectification of the findings was already forwarded to EMSA for review and evaluation," Bautista said in response to a report from the German news agency Deutsche Welle saying the country has not been complying with the amended Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping Convention for Seafarers.

A total of 16 non-conformities and grievances were found in the EMSA audit of 2021 and another five deficiencies this year for a total 21 faults.

He said the European Commission will revert to its findings by the first or second quarter of 2023.

"Let me make it clear that all certificates of our seafarers issued by Marina are still being recognized by the EU (European Union)," he stressed.

The transportation secretary urged seafarers to get the right training such as the Management Level Course that is currently being implemented by Marina for deck officers.

"Seafarers should heed those requirements by the STCW, particularly the training. The issue here is more to those new graduates as EMSA discovered in their assessment that the curriculum of our maritime schools is not that good, which CHEd and Marina have been addressing. We already have arrangements with these agencies and the maritime schools to implement the right curriculum," Bautista said.