FAME Annual General Membership Meeting and Election of new Board of Directors for 2018-2019
FAME outgoing President, Mr. Marlon R. Roño, started his term amidst poor global shipping market conditions together with internal and external factors that pose challenges to this sector. Despite this, the industry was determined to be steadfast in accepting the situation where changes had to be initiated to strengthen its position for the betterment of the manning industry.
Mr. Rono leaves a legacy behind a beacon of accomplishments and new opportunities for the Association to successfully navigate a sea of challenges.
“It was indeed a very challenging year for all of us brought about by the downturn in the Global Shipping. Our nation was also undergoing radical transformation and our Industry was not spared from such transformation and changes. But with the support of all stakeholders, we remained at the forefront despite of all the challenges”, Roño remarked during the Filipino Association for Mariners’ Employment, Inc.’s (FAME) Annual General Membership Meeting and Election of new Board of Directors for 2018-2019, which was held last 22 November 2017 at the AG New World Manila Bay Hotel, Manila, stressing on the accomplishments of the association during his two-year term. Among these notable actions include the creation of a Maritime Industry Roadmap and proposal of the National Seafarers Administration which could define the path that the industry will be moving toward in the next decade. Centered on a framework to address President Rodrigo Duterte’s 10-point National-Economic Agenda, specifically on job creation, the Agenda which is entitled Maritime Roadmap for Blue Philippines aims to embody the use of the sea and its resources for sustainable development, maintaining the maritime industry as the backbone of the Philippine economy.
The Industry Maritime Roadmap was also submitted as part of the Maritime Industry Authority’s (MARINA) 10-year Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP). For the longest time, the seabased industry has been lumped together with the landbased sector in handling their government regulatory requirements. But this has proven throughout the years to be counterproductive to the seabased industry simply because of the unique and peculiar employment practices on board a ship that would not be in parallel with of the other sector. The creation of the National Seafarers Administration could finally establish the maritime sector as a totally separate entity which organize, maintain and operate exclusive adjudication and welfare office for domestic as well as overseas seafarers and fishermen to protect their welfare.
FAME likewise actively participated in the formulation and revision of government regulations and policies such as the 2016 Revised POEA Rules and Regulations and its Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR), Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the new Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) Act, the new Social Security System (SSS) bill, revision of MARINA Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of R.A. 10635 or the MARINA STCW Administration Act of 2014, and the Magna Carta of Seafarers Bill, which has already been approved at the House of Representatives for the third and final reading. The Association also maintained harmonious relationship with industry stakeholders such as the Panama Maritime Authority and US Embassy to address the issues of its membership concerning processing of seafarers’ documents and licenses. They also conducted meetings with International Group of P&I Clubs (IG) to address legal cases lodge in NLRC and NCMB and submitted its position regarding the issues of piracy and robbery to the International Labour Organization (ILO).
Guest speakers for the event were Undersecretary Dominador R. Say of the Employment and Policy Support of Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) and Atty. Vida Bocar, AttyIV–Compliance and Monitoring Division of the National Privacy Commission (NPC).
Usec. Say said DOLE is aware of the many impediments that need to be addressed but it should be confronted together with the industry. First of which is to make the industry more developed and at par with international standards. The industry also must be instrumental in charting more productive and safe employment pathways for seafarers and to become more streamlined and efficient so to continue to be a prime source of ethically-recruited seafarers.Resonating on the policy thrust of President Duterte, the Speaker insisted to invest in human capital and ensure equal access to economic opportunities. Atty. Bocar, on the other hand,presented a concise orientation of the R.A. 10173 or the Data Privacy Act of 2012. FAME proposed to conduct an Info-Series to tackle the matter in detail.
With a quorum of seventy-six (76) out of the one hundred thirteen (113) regular FAME members, the election of Board of Directors was concluded and consequently followed by the election of Officers on December 06, 2017.The new set of FAME Officers & Board of Directors for 2018-2019 is hereby announced.They are set to sworn into office in January 2018.
PRESIDENT : MICHAEL J. ESTANIEL
Trans-Global Maritime Agency, Inc.
VP-INTERNAL AFFAIRS : JOSE ALBAR G. KATO Albar Shipping & Trading Corp. VP-EXTERNAL AFFAIRS : ERICSON M. MARQUEZ Virjen Shipping Corporation BOARD SECRETARY : ATTY. RODELLO B. ORTIZ Stolt-Nielsen Philippines, Inc. TREASURER : CARMEN B. REBUSI IMS Philippines Maritime Corp.
DIRECTORS :
JOSEPHINE J. FRANCISCO NYK-Fil Ship Management, Inc.
MARLON R. ROÑO
Magsaysay Maritime Corporation
CAPT. RONALDO SJ ENRILE Philippine Transmarine Carriers, Inc. CAPT. TEODORO B. QUIJANO Barko International, Inc. ENGR. ELMER A. PULUMBARIT Pacific Ocean Manning, Inc.
CAPT. GAUDENCIO C. MORALES Astra Marine International, Inc. CAPT. EMMANUEL L. REGIO Island Overseas Transport Corporation
CAPT. REYNALDO D. CASAREO Cargo Safeway, Inc. VICENTE RAYMUNDO P. BRILLANTES Intermodal Shipping, Inc. CAPT. ROLANDO B. MAGCALE Seacrest Maritime Management, Inc.
