Council established to assist seafarers

The Maritime Industry Tripartite Council (MITC) was formed Friday to promote the welfare of Filipino seafarers and raise standards for the maritime labor industry.

“The MITC will be the ally of the Filipino seafarers as the government works hand-in-hand with the management and labor sectors to strengthen the expertise of our seafarers in the ever-changing global maritime sector landscape,” said Transportation Secretary Jaime Bautista.

Bautista added that the MITC, in collaboration with the government, the labor sector and relevant stakeholders, aims to resolve maritime labor issues and promote cooperation between workers and management.

Among the government agencies represented in the MITC were the Department of Migrant Workers, Department of Transportation, Department of Foreign Affairs, Department of Labor and Employment, Social Security System, Philippine Health Insurance Corp., Pag-IBIG Fund, Commission on Higher Education, National Telecommunications Commission and Ministry of Information and Communications Technology.

The Philippines is the world’s largest supplier of seafarers, with more than 600,000 Filipinos working in the maritime industry.

By 2022, more than 400,000 Filipino seafarers were deployed in various countries around the world.