A seasoned ship captain has sought the help of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. and lawmakers as Filipino seafarers face a serious and urgent problem in securing their Seaman’s Book and other essential documents.

“Following a cyberattack on the Marina system, the processing of essential documents such as the Seafarer’s Identification Document (SID) and Seafarer’s Record Book (SRB) has been disrupted. These documents are crucial to the employment and deployment of Filipino seafarers,” Capt. Edgardo Flores, a consultant for a manning agency, appealed in an open letter posted on Facebook on Monday.

He said it has been 11 days since the cyberattack and thousands of seafarers have been affected.

“Many cannot process the documents required for employment, while some seafarers who are already onboard may be forced to extend their contracts because their replacements cannot complete the necessary processing of the SID/SRB in time,” Flores said.

“This situation may also affect their well-being, especially those assigned in high-risk areas such as the Black Sea and the Persian Gulf, as well as seafarers ashore who have long been on standby for their next employment,” he added.

He said the seafaring community deserves clear, regular updates and immediate solutions.

“Questions also need to be addressed regarding contingency and backup systems for essential government services that directly affect the livelihood of thousands of Filipino families,” he added.

Flores said the situation is approaching a serious national maritime and employment crisis for Filipino seafarers.

“We respectfully call on President Marcos, the Senate, and Congress to urgently look into this matter and help ensure that Marina and the government agencies concerned take immediate action,” Flores said.

He noted that Filipino seafarers have long been recognized as modern-day heroes, contributing billions of dollars to the economy and supporting countless Filipino families.

“Please help our seafarers before this situation gets worse. Urgent action and clear solutions are needed now,” Flores stressed.