TACLOBAN CITY – The National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP), the only government-owned maritime training and research center in the Philippines, is seeking to be reconstituted as an attached agency under the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW).

NMP completed on Tuesday the first of four public consultations with various stakeholders representing national government agencies, local government unit, academe, and the seafaring community, with some maritime professionals coming from across the Visayas regions.

NMP executive director Victor A. Del Rosario said inputs from the public consultations will guide the refinement and finalization of the draft Executive Order for the reconstitution of the training center as an attached agency of DMW.

Del Rosario said NMP, which previously was an attached agency of the Department of Labor and Employment, was subsumed under DMW in December 2021 after the formation of the new department.

“As an attached agency, we can enjoy wider operational autonomy, streamlined bureaucracy and inter-agency coordination thereby making us more responsive in dispensing our specialized focus mandate on maritime training and research for the country,” Del Rosario told the Daily Tribune.

Del Rosario said with its modernization and expansion plans, NMP needs to strengthen its institutional capacity and operational efficiency that can only be done once reverted as attached agency of DMW.

He said the consultation served as a platform for stakeholder to discuss, validate, and provide recommendations on the proposed Executive Order and enhance NMP’s ability to respond to the evolving needs of Filipino seafarers and the maritime industry.

After the Tacloban leg, NM is also set to conduct public consultations in Davao, Cavite, and the National Capital Region.

By virtue of Presidential Decree No. 1369 in 1978, NMP was established as the country’s premier maritime training and research institution, mandated to upgrade the competencies and qualifications of Filipino seafarers in line with evolving international standards.

In 1987, NMP became an attached agency to DOLE through Executive Order No. 126 and was subsumed under the DMW with the enactment of Republic Act No. 11641 in 2021.

"This initiative is not solely about strengthening NMP as an institution. More importantly, it is about ensuring that we are better equipped to serve Filipino seafarers and support the continued growth of the Philippine maritime industry, Del Rosario said.

Since its inception in 1978, NMP has trained nearly 500k seafarers and published more than 60 major maritime related researches and studies. The agency plans to establish additional training centers in Luzon and Mindanao