A Magna Carta for the Filipino Seafarers
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A Magna Carta for the Filipino Seafarers

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Behind international merchant ships is a group of unsung heroes who make global trade possible: seafarers. These men and women, often away from their loved ones for months on end, live their lives marked by solitude and sacrifice which is a stark contrast to the routines of life on land.

For many Filipinos, the word seafaring is synonymous with economic prosperity. Remittances from seafarers have lifted countless families out of poverty. However, these material gains come at a significant cost: time. As they say, time can never be bought. The financial boom comes at a significant personal cost. While their families reap the benefits, seafarers equally grapple with the setup of being away with their families. Even more, the demands of a physically taxing job, and the constant uncertainty of life at sea.

Work at sea is far removed from the nine-to-five grind. For seafarers, their workplace and home for the duration of their tenure at sea is a floating world, subject to the whims of the weather and the complexities of international law. Unlike land-based workers, they operate in a borderless environment and thread a life of a complex interplay of diverse cultures, languages, and legal systems, demanding immense physical and mental tolls from this workforce.

Beyond the economic contributions, seafarers play a critical role in global trade. The world economy would grind to a halt without them. Yet, despite their significance, these modern-day heroes often find themselves overlooked and undervalued - leaving them vulnerable to the perils of the sea from isolation and loneliness to the dangers of piracy and maritime accidents.

As a maritime nation, the Philippines owes a valuable portion of its economic progress to the arduous work of Filipino seafarers. They must be recognized and the challenges they face. Hence, the passing of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers is a crucial step in this direction. This legislation will provide them with strengthened legal protection, social support, and healthcare benefits.

It is time to shift our perspective. These men and women are not just economic lifelines or statistics on a report but the modern-day heroes who power our globalized world. Providing them with their much-needed support is also uplifting countless lives of seafarers and their families and strengthening the maritime industry.

Let us remember the brave souls who navigate next time we see a ship, and the untold stories that keep the world connected.

Filipino seafarers deserve to be valued and protected with policies that serve their best interest. Like any other families whose partner, friend and loved one are working, seafarers deserve to be acknowledged for the sacrifices they make as the backbone of world trade and global exploration. Even so at the expense of these complicated interplays of being afloat at sea, always so far away from their families, and navigating through waters with this unique work environment. By Atty. Iris V. Baguilat

For further reading:

McConnell, M. L., Devlin, D., & Doumbia-Henry, C. (2011). The Maritime Labour Convention, 2006: A Legal Primer to an Emerging International Regime. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.

Chircop, A., McConnell, M. L., & Coffen-Smout, S. (2009). Seafarers’ Rights: Context and Developments. In Chircop, A., & Coffen-Smout, S. (Eds.), The Regulation of International Shipping: International and Comparative Perspectives. Leiden: Martinus Nijhoff Publishers.

Sampson, H. (2013). Seafarers: The Forgotten Workforce. In Guérin, P., & Sampson, H. (Eds.), Seafarers’ Rights in the Globalized Maritime Industry. Oxon: Routledge.

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