Despite being surrounded by water, Eastern Visayas is experiencing a dearth of maritime schools, forcing students who want to pursue high-paying careers at sea to enroll in Metro Manila and Cebu City.

Lawmakers from Eastern Samar are pushing to enact legislation to address this gap through a measure to establish a state-run maritime college in the province, which will open new pathways for high school graduates from rural communities to pursue their dreams of becoming globally competitive seafarers.

Under House Bill No. 7693, a College of Maritime Studies would be established at the Eastern Samar State University campus in the coastal municipality of Guiuan.

The proposed college would offer the Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation and Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering programs that are compliant with the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping for Seafarers set by the International Maritime Organization.