Senate President Franklin M. Drilon is
pushing for the passage of a bill seeking to modernize the practice of
Naval Architecture in the country.
Senate Bill No. 2482, authored by Drilon,
seeks to update and incorporate innovations to the existing law in line
with the latest international practices and standards.
“Given the advances in the technology and
developments in the profession, the law, which has been in existence for
50 years, is no longer responsive to the needs of the Filipino
professionals,” Drilon said.
The Senate leader said it is important that
for the profession to be updated to modern standards since the country’s ship
building and repair industry is starting to be recognized by other countries.
“Our position of influence in the
global maritime industry has started to encompass the shipbuilding sector. In
2012, the Philippines ranked 5th largest shipbuilding country
following China, Japan, South Korea and Brazil,” said Drilon.
“The economic upswing in this sector rests
on the appeal of our naval architects, who are highly valued for their proven
competence and remarkable diligence,” he said.
Drilon pointed out that nearly one-third of
the world’s 1.5 million seafarers are Filipinos who helped keep the economy
going with US$ 5.2 billion in remittances in 2013.
“We need to ensure the global
competitiveness of our shipbuilders and secure our position as a leading global
maritime nation. We can only do this if we harness the skills of our naval
architects by providing them continuing professional development and training,”
he stressed.
According to Drilon, Filipino naval
architects and maritime professionals are expected to be in greater demand with
the upcoming ASEAN economic integration because of the expected rise in cargo
and shipping activities.
The bill aims to revise the definition of
Naval Architecture, update the scope of the professional practice, strengthen
the Professional Regulatory Board of Naval Architecture, outline the procedure
and requirements for licensure examination and registration, and impose heavier
penalties for the practice of such profession without a valid certificate of
registration and professional identification card.
Its counterpart bill in the House of
Representatives is authored by Angkla Partylist Rep. Jess Manalo.
Back in 2014, when more than 80,000 Filipino
seafarers faced the threat of losing their jobs in EU-flagged vessels because
of the country’s failure to comply with the international convention on
seafarers, Drilon and Manalo worked for the passage of the Marina Law which
introduced major structural changes to the maritime regulatory system and thus
helped avert such threat. –End-
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