European Council chief backs PH moves to tackle seafarers’ issues
European Council President Charles Michel. (REUTERS FILE PHOTO)
BRUSSELS — European Council President Charles Michel has expressed support for the country’s bid to address issues facing the Philippines’ seafaring industry.
Undersecretary Cheloy Velicaria-Garafil said this was among the issues President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. discussed with Michel in a bilateral meeting here on the sidelines of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations-European Union (Asean-EU) Commemorative Summit.
Garafil did not specify the support, but the European Council supervises the European Maritime Safety Agency, which has repeatedly complained in the past 16 years over concerns about the training of Filipino seafarers.
Marcos told reporters on Sunday night that the government was doing everything it could so that the Philippines would pass the European Maritime Safety Agency’s evaluation.
“It’s not something you can debate about. You comply. We’ll have to comply so that we will be accredited… it’s not discretionary,” the president said.
In a press briefing, Speaker Martin Romualdez said there’s a “sense of urgency” on the passage of the proposed Maritime Education and Training Act, which seeks to push for a modern maritime education and training regime and support the needs of maritime students and professionals.
On Tuesday, Marcos ordered the creation of an advisory council to avert possible job losses of Filipino seafarers EU-flagged vessels and to address other concerns of about 600,000 Filipino seafarers worldwide.
Romualdez also said the president would likely attend the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland, in January 2023 and that would be a great opportunity to invite investors to the country.
The speaker said the president was invited by the forum’s founder Professor Klaus Schwab who spoke with Romualdez during the Association of Southeast Asian Nations Summit in Cambodia last November.
“We’ve seen the growth numbers and it’s quite positive and we like to hear the Philippines’ story in Davos,” Romualdez quoted Schwab as saying in Phnom Penh.
The speaker said he was “very, very excited” to hear the President talk about the proposed Maharlika Investment Fund in Davos, where business investors will be present.
