Pinoy sailors remit P27.8B in Jan. 2019, says ACTS-OFW

ABS-CBN NEWS

MANILA – A total of $533 million or P27.8 billion have been sent by overseas Filipino sailors to the Philippines in January 2019 alone, the ACTS OFW party-list said on Sunday.

This figure is 12.7 percent higher than the $473 million or P24.6 billion remittances recorded in the same month last year, the party-list added.

Following this development, ACTS OFW party-list representative John Bertiz III expressed “guarded optimism” that cash transfers from Filipino sailors will increase in the coming months.

“As long as we keep on complying with global training and certification standards for sailors, the job prospects of Philippine-educated ship officers should remain bright,” Bertiz said in a statement.

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) earlier said that the Philippines remains in the “white list” of nations that are fully compliant with the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers.

The agency vowed to also keep the Philippines on the “white list” of the International Maritime Organization (IMO).

If such status continues, all IMO member-countries would accept the certificates of Filipino sailors issued by Philippine authorities.

“Filipino sailors will find it easy to get jobs on foreign vessels and to obtain endorsements from other countries, as long as we are in the list,” Bertiz said.

In 2018, Filipino sailors transmitted a total of $6.14 billion to the Philippines through bank channels – an increase of 4.5 percent from $5.87 billion in 2017.

“We are counting on MARINA’s declaration that it is taking all the necessary steps to consistently improve the country’s maritime education, training, examination and assessment system,” Bertiz said. (GMA News)

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