THE labor department said a regional conference for seafarers in Asia that it co-organized will help ensure their work conditions are acceptable.
On Tuesday, the Department of Labor and Employment (DoLE) said it teamed up with Seafarers鈥 Rights International (SRI) at the first Regional Meeting of Seafarers for Asia to come up with a declaration on seafarers鈥 rights.
The partnership produced a 鈥淢anila Declaration on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers鈥 to help establish broader concern for the rights of seafarers. The declaration will also seek recognition for seafarers as a special category of worker.
The meeting follows up on the International Maritime Organization鈥檚 (IMO) Workshop on the Fair Treatment of Seafarers held in London last year.
President Rodrigo R. Duterte, in a message read by Labor Secretary Silvestre H. Bello at the meeting, said that the Philippines鈥 partnership with SRI will benefit Filipino workers in the maritime industry.
Mr. Duterte said 鈥淚 am confident that with this event, we can build a strong partnership that will bind us in even stronger collaboration for the protection and welfare of our seafarers.鈥
Mr. Bello told reporters on Tuesday that the Manila Declaration will 鈥減rovide seafarers with maximum protection.鈥
IMO Maritime Ambassador Carlos C. Salinas said efforts to improve treatment of seafarers will benefit the entire industry.
鈥淲e should never allow any mistreatment of any individual which includes our global maritime profession,鈥 Mr. Salinas said.
DoLE said that the Philippines accounts for more than a third of the 1.5 million seafarers worldwide according to 2015 data. — Gillian M. Cortez
