PBBM earns praise of Danish gov’t

The President has ordered the creation of an advisory board to address deficiencies identified by the EU concerning Filipino seafarers.

President Ferdinand “Bongbong” Marcos Jr. has earned the praise of the Danish government for his assurance that the Philippines will comply with the standards set by the European Maritime Safety Agency for Filipino seafarers, Malacañang said on Friday.

Press Undersecretary Cheloy Garafil said Danish Ambassador Franz-Michael “Dan-Dan” Mellbin reaffirmed his country’s support for the Philippine government’s efforts to comply with the standards set by the EMSA for Filipino seafarers.

In a Facebook post citing a recent interview, the Ambassador said Denmark is happy with Filipino maritime professionals as he expressed concern on the issue of compliance with European maritime standards.

Failure to comply, he added, would be a great loss to the maritime industry and the Philippines.

With Danish shipping companies being one of the major employers of Filipino mariners, the Philippine leader’s assurance on the government’s intention to resolve the certification issue during his recent trip to Belgium is a very welcome development, Mellbin said.

The Danish Maritime Authority paid courtesy visits to Philippine maritime authorities last month to explore further strengthening maritime cooperation including the protection of seafarers’ rights.

Earlier this year, the EMSA flagged the Philippines for deficiencies in local seafarer education, training, and certification.

In his recent official visit to Brussels, Belgium, President Marcos reiterated that his administration will do everything to address these deficiencies to prevent job losses among Filipino seafarers deployed to work for European Union vessels.

The President has ordered the creation of an advisory board to address deficiencies identified by the EU concerning Filipino seafarers.