THE travails of Filipino seafarers invaded anew the consciousness of the Filipino people when in April 2009, international attention was riveted by the dramatic rescue of American captain Richard Phillips from the hands of Somali pirates.
The drama on the high seas was successfully executed through the combined efforts of France, European Union, Canada, China and some African countries, which sent their navy armada to resolve the crisis.
At that time, there were about 228 seamen of various nationalities being held captive by Somali pirates from 13 ships they seized on various occasions. Half of those hostages were Filipinos.
The swift action of the United States in securing the release of Captain Richard Phillips highlighted the inadequacy of the Philippine government in ensuring the safety of Filipino seafarers when they fall prey to piracy and other dangers related to their work.
Piracy on the high seas
Considered the scourge of the maritime industry, piracy caught international interest when Maersk Alabama, a US cargo ship, was seized by Somali pirates off the Horn of Africa sometime in April and took hostage the ship’s captain, Richard Phillips.
Piracy off the coast of Somalia is a booming business. With warlords offering protection, it has become too easy for pirates to pull off attacks in exchange for hefty ransom that runs to millions of dollars.
Somali pirates have been attacking ships plying the Gulf of Aden in the Horn of Africa since the early 1990’s.
Piracy in Somalia started off as an upshot against illegal fishing and dumping of toxic wastes by other nations into Somali waters. With no functioning central government, and a civil war to boot, there was much chaos around. The local fishermen banded together to protect their source of livelihood. And very soon after, they transformed themselves into pirates upon discovering that piracy is a lucrative business that pays in millions of dollars.
International piracy experts have estimated that in 2008 alone, the pirates have gained at least $80 million dollars in ransom payments.
Somali pirates have had at least 78 piracy attacks since January this year, compared to 111 during the same period in 2008, according to a Malaysian-based International Maritime Bureau.
In November of last year, Somalis took hostage a Philippine tanker and its 23 all-Filipino crew. The longest in captivity so far, the ship and seamen were freed only on April 21 this year, after the ship’s company paid an undisclosed amount of ransom.
Somalis however, are not the only pirates preying on merchant vessels plying the Gulf of Aden off North Africa. Nigerian militants are also involved in the lucrative business of piracy whose notoriety is second only to Somalis.
Job benefits outweigh risks
Filipino seafarers comprise about 25% of manpower in around 80% of ships in the world today. Hailed as among the very best in the world, Filipino crews can be found anywhere—onboard transport ships, tankers, ro-ro ships, riggers, fishing vessels, luxury liners and yachts. It has been said that without the big percentage of Filipino seafarers working onboard, the global shipping industry would suffer a crisis.
Seafaring, perhaps more than any other profession exacts a lot on the emotional and psychological wellbeing of the person and his loved ones.
“It can be lonely sometimes, especially when you have to think of your loved ones left behind. But in my profession that is a sacrifice that you have to accept,” says Jonathan Luman-ag.
Working as an able-bodied seaman (AB) in a salvage towing ship, Luman-ag says his ship has traveled many times in pirate-infested waters of Africa and Malta. But he is not worried about dangers at sea.
“God is there to protect,” he says.
Indeed, life in the oceans is fraught with risks. Seafarers have to contend not only with their own personal struggles of being separated from family for a long period of time, but with other factors as well. Loneliness sometimes drives them into illicit relationships every time they call on every port. There are instances too when their salaries are withheld for months or they are not given sufficient food by their employers. At the top of it all is the problem of piracy which has been pillaging the high seas for years already.
Notwithstanding threats of piracy or otherwise, Filipino sailors still are lured to seek a seafaring job because the profession pays far better than any other job they can find at home.
Ordinarily, able seaman and oilers can earn as much as US$1,500 monthly. Bosuns earn US$1,700; chief cooks get a pay of US$1,600; and third and second engineer officers US$2,350 and US$2,500 monthly, respectively.
Seafarer Hydee Denoy admits he also worries about being taken hostage, but says he is willing to take the risk.
The Leyte native says he would rather stay in the country than board a ship if only he could find a job that pays as much as he gets as a seaman. Working in a product tanker ship, Denoy gets as much as P60,000 a month in salaries.
“Life is really hard in the beginning because of adjustments, but after a few months you tend to get used to the routine,” he says in a mixture of English and Tagalog.
Lack of opportunities at home
Like thousands of other overseas workers who opted to leave the country and loved ones in search for better opportunities abroad, Filipino seafarers are mostly driven by the same motivation. Certainly, it is not all love for travel that moves them to endure the hard life at sea, separated from family for months, sometimes without the possibility of communication.
The Department of Foreign Affairs, approximate the number of Filipino seafarers deployed all over the world at around 350,000, most of them on board ships that travel through African waters, particularly the Gulf of Aden in the Horn of Africa.
According to the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA), since 1987 the Philippines has been the leading contender in the supply of manpower in the international shipping industry. In 2007 alone, 266,553 seamen were hired to work in international passenger and cargo ships.
Despite receiving pay less than what their contracts state, still the salary is bigger compares to what they will normally get if they worked in the country. To be able to sail around the world for free is also another plus factor.
“Besides earning dollars, you can travel around the world,” says Luman-ag, who gets a monthly salary of $1,500.
Seafarers’ remittances make up 15 percent of the $14.5 billion sent home by overseas Filipino workers (OFWs). In 2007, the remittances sent home by seamen totaled around $2.2 billion. This amount went up in 2008. According to Central Bank, Filipino seafarers sent home $2.393 billion in the first nine months of 2008, a 43.35-percent higher than the $1.669 billion they sent in the same period in 2007.
Demand remains high
Although the demand for Filipino crews has remained high as shown by increase in deployment this year despite the global economic crisis, the emergence of other countries like China, Ukraine, India, Indonesia, Poland and Greece, as sources of labor can drastically cut the need for Filipino seamen.
But ship owners still preferred Filipino seamen for various reasons. The Filipinos’ ingenuity, flexibility, loyalty, willingness to work long hours and facility in English language are among the many positive factors why ship owners would choose Filipinos to man their ship. But ship owners also tend to exploit the seamen in many ways, like withholding their salaries for sometime or paying them less than what was stipulated in their contracts.
Apostleship of the Sea
The Church is deeply involved in protecting the welfare of Filipino seamen and their loved ones. To be able to assist the needs of mariners who are highly vulnerable to dangers and exploitation, the Church has established the Apostleship of the Sea (AOS) organization which gives all kinds of assistance to seafarers and their families. The AOS which is present in many countries works hand in hand with national and international organizations, private agencies and maritime institutions to protect the welfare of the estimated 1,200,000 seafarers worldwide, more than 300,000 of whom are Filipinos.
Magna Carta for Seafarers
Recently, a bill providing a Magna Carta for Filipino Seafarers, which aims to improve the economic and social status of Filipino sailors has been introduced in Congress. Filed by Senator Edgardo Angara, the piece of legislation is touted to be a “major breakthrough in Philippine Maritime industry,” as it proposes better educational curriculum, employment system and post-employment support for Filipino seafarers and their families.
Indeed, global competitiveness should push the country to improve the Maritime industry by creating policies that would safeguard the rights of Filipino seafarers.
At the home front, the government may do well to urge for the revitalization of the country’s shipping industry so that Filipino mariners who may not wish to go out of the country at one point in their life will have an equally satisfying opportunities right within our shores.
But with little possibilities offered to them at home, our seafarers may yet choose a riskier alternative. Brave it out in the pirate-infested waters of Africa where yet a number of Filipinos are being held hostage.
While the Filipino seafarers in rough seas are living turbulent lives enough, the government seeming indifference to their plight is more than chaotic. But all that is nothing compared to the catastrophic turbulence of bad governance which is the root cause why the unwilling Filipino has to become a seafarer in the first place.
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