Magna Carta of Seafarers: Making a detour

THEY mean well, those who are proposing to enact the Magna Carta of Seafarers. Nonetheless, understanding the origin of the whys and hows of a magna carta, could put any effort to draw up a great charter for seafarers closer to what it is meant to be.

The circumstances that led to the execution of the Magna Carta centuries ago had a long and rather complicated account. Yet one has to understand one viewpoint which stands out, the Magna Carta was the result of the demand for safeguards against the abuse by the ruler of his power. Translated into the present day, the magna carta must be seen as simply an assertion by the governed to be protected from exploitation, corruption and other forms of mistreatment.

There are at least 10 versions of bills on the

18th Congress, all of which purport to transpose the Maritime Labor Convention (MLC) 2006 and other international agreements into local legislation. Accordingly, the bills reiterate the rights that seafarers must enjoy according to these conventions, most of which are stipulated in existing maritime and labor laws.

If one follows the origin and basis by which a magna carta should be formulated, it is at least expected that the bills provide how the State and its instrumentalities guarantee the exercise of the rights afforded to a seafarer. The Declaration of Policies cites provisions, which in a magna carta, could best be appreciated if found in the main

commits to perform to ensure that seafarers enjoy