The Philippine’s Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has promised full assistance to the family of a Filipino seafarer who has been missing since December 5 while aboard a ship.
Migrant Workers Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac vows to pursue their own investigation until the truth about the disappearance of the seafarer is uncovered, while continuing to provide the necessary support to his family in Philippines.
Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on March 7 called on all Filipino seafarers and their families to report cases of abandonment.
Records show that there are a total of 742 recorded abandoned vessels from 2020 to 2024, most of which were abandoned in the Middle East, Europe, Asia Pacific, Africa, Latin America, North America, and at sea.
From 2018 to 2024, there were a total of 842 abandoned Filipino seafarers on board fishing vessels, passengers, yachts, long liners, and bulk carriers.
“The guarantee of the protection for seafarers in cases like this was precisely prescribed by the law and is enshrined in the Magna Carta signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. When there is a missing seafarer, the family should be informed adequately about the investigation, and any relevant reports that could help to precisely inform them about what happened,” Cacdac said.
Secretary Cacdac noted that based on the implementing rules and regulations of the Magna Carta for Seafarers, the DMW is required to conduct investigation and provide sufficient information to the “next of kin (NOK)” of the seafarers involved in abandonment and disappearance, even in death situations.
The DMW stressed strong resolve to implement the Magna Carta for Seafarers in the recent abandonment cases of seafarers to ensure seafarers are protected against unfair practices including abandonment.
In line with the directive of President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. to safeguard the welfare and ensure the protection of the seafaring industry through the implementation of the Magna Carta for Seafarers, the DMW stressed that abandonment is a clear violation of the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the Magna Carta, and the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 (MLC 2006) and the POEA Rules and Regulations.
The DMW emphasized that there are already international standard measures in place specifically to address the abandonment cases, including ensuring the licensed manning agencies in the Philippines to monitor situations of abandonment, including order to pay wages of seafarers, ensuring that standards are implemented in accommodation, food, water, medical care, among others.
“All Filipino seafarers and their families are encouraged to report to the DMWs One Repatriation Command Center (ORCC) if abandonment occurs. Likewise, the DMW reiterates its call to licensed manning agencies and shipowners to report to the DMW within five days, and they must arrange the immediate repatriation of the seafarer,” said the DMW in its statement.
According to Maritime Labor Convention, abandonment not only pertains to physical abandonment but also includes ship owners who fail to fulfill their obligation to the seafarer such as non-payment of wages.
If the concerned LMA and shipowner fail to repatriate, the DMW says, through its MWO office in the Port State where the abandoned seafarers are found, will arrange the repatriation of the seafarer through the AKSYON Fund.
