By Junex Doronio
MANILA — Stressing its commitment to safeguarding the welfare of Filipino seafarers, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Wednesday (24 April 2024) issued an order prohibiting their deployment on passenger and cruise ships that are set to traverse the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden.
In his Department Order No. 2, DMW officer-in-charge (OIC) Hans Leo Cacdac underscored that all Filipino seafarers to be employed for passenger and cruise vessels shall not be allowed to sail in the two bodies of water that were recently included in the list of high-risk areas and war-like zones.
“The DMW remains steadfast in its commitment to safeguarding the well-being of Filipino seafarers. These measures reflect the DMW’s dedication to ensuring safe working conditions and protecting our seafaring workforce,” the DMW said in a statement.
Under DO 2, licensed manning agencies (LMAs) are required to sign an affirmation letter guaranteeing that the ship that will be boarded by the Filipino seafarers will not navigate the Red Sea or the Gulf of Aden.
It also provides that Filipino seafarers listed as crew members must likewise sign an affirmation letter acknowledging that their vessel will not enter the two areas.
This affirmation letter, along with the vessel’s detailed itinerary, must be submitted to the DMW during the documentation of crew employment contracts or before their deployment.
It will then be uploaded to the DMW’s Online Processing System for Sea-based, along with the processed Standard Employment Contract (SEC).
(el Amigo/MNM)
