Increase in government funding for seafarer education sought
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The increase in national government funding for the training of seafarers in the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) is sought by its alumni during the Alumni Grand Homecoming 2026 held at the PMMA in the town of San Narciso, Zambales on 24 January 2026.
According to outgoing PMMA Alumni President and CGA Commodore Jeremias M. Simon, MNSA, the national government needs to add more funds for the training of seafarers in the country since the Philippines is the world's largest supplier of seafarers.
"Filipino mariners comprise over 25 percent of the 1.5 million international seafaring workforce, particularly dominating in both officer and rating positions. In 2024, over 500,000 seafarers were deployed, contributing roughly P1.06 trillion to the Philippine economy," he said.
As part of their thrust to nation building, the Alumni Association during Simon's term focused on developing the graduates of the PMMA.
He added that the Philippines is not a maritime power but a maritime manning power.
"The government must invest in maritime education like what the Spanish did in 1820. They invested in Filipino seafaring officers, not non-officers," he cited.
The official pointed out that the budget for the Philippine Military Academy (PMA) is P1.7-billion, the Philippine National Police Academy (PNPA) is about P1.5-billion, while the PMMA only receives P300-million.
This includes the three meals a day for 1,100 cadets, salary of 300 employees, and maintenance for 69 hectares of land and infrastructure.
The Philippines becoming the maritime Manning power of the world didn't happen recently, with Simon citing that it happened 200 years ago during the Spanish-era.
"If the government will not invest on its maritime industry, specifically maritine education, we will remain the same. Since 40 years up to today, it's the same," he said.
Filipino seafarers are major pillars of the Philippine economy, with a 2024 study revealing they generate approximately P1.06 trillion in economic impact, accounting for about 4 percent of the country's GDP.
As the world's leading source of maritime labor, they support nearly 400,000 jobs nationwide, providing crucial foreign currency inflows and driving local consumption.
