De Vega on Magna Carta for Seafarers bill: ‘I hope it passes right away’

Some 123 Filipino seafarers from Spain arrive in the Philippines. (File photo dated April 3, 2020 from DFA Office of the Undersecretary for Migrant Workers’ Affairs or OUMWA)

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) has pushed for the immediate passage of the Magna Carta for Seafarers.

This move on Tuesday is in relation to the recent missile attack by Houthi rebels on a cargo vessel off Yemen, which killed two Filipino seafarers and injured three others.

“Any law which will improve the lot of seafarers should be signed as soon as possible, but we fully respect the president and the legislators’ desire to improve the bill as it is. But we’d certainly like a law passed,” Foreign Affairs Undersecretary Eduardo de Vega said in a Palace briefing.

De Vega’s statement is in response to the question if it is about time that the President sign the bill, given the recent deaths and injuries that struck Filipino seafarers.

When asked if it should be passed as soon as possible, the DFA official answered yes.

“But not so soon that they forgot whatever they wanted to fix in the first place. Pero sana, mapasa right away (But I hope it passes right away),” he noted.

The Magna Carta for seafarers was supposed to be signed by President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. last month.

However, it was put on hold as it is still undergoing review.

The bill seeks to provide seafarers with the right to humane working conditions and just compensation by ensuring that recruitment agencies provide them with adequate information about onboard conditions and laws that apply to Filipino seafarers.