President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. on Tuesday met King Philippe of Belgium at the Royal Palace in Brussels, as he said he looks forward to pursuing a strategic partnership with Belgium in various fields.
The President also said they are poised to sign a Philippines-Belgium Joint Plan of Action for 2023 to 2027 that could enhance their bilateral cooperation.
Marcos made this remark during his meeting with the Filipino community at the Event Lounge in Brussels ahead of his participation in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN)-European Union (EU) Commemorative Summit.
Mr. Marcos also met Brussels Airport Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Arnaud Feist at the sidelines of ASEAN-EU Union Commemorative Summit in Belgium.
According to the Office of the Press Secretary, the President and Feist discussed the possible opening of direct flights from Belgium to Manila to support the development of the economy and tourism of the Philippines, Western Europe, as well as countries in Southeast Asia.
In his speech, he told Filipinos in Brussels about his scheduled meeting with Belgium’s King Philippe and how they would discuss the recent commemoration of 76 years of bilateral relationships between the Philippines and Belgium.
He also thanked the Filipino community for playing a huge part in strengthening Philippine-Belgian ties.
Aside from King Philippe, Marcos is also set to hold 10 bilateral meetings with leaders from Belgium, Estonia, the Czech Republic, Spain, Denmark, Germany, Poland, Finland, the Netherlands, and the European Union.
Other Filipinos who attended the Filipino community event came all the way from Luxembourg, the United Kingdom, Germany, France, Poland, the Netherlands, and Switzerland.
Meanwhile, Mr. Marcos ordered the creation of an advisory board with government agencies, international shipowners, and other stakeholders to address the concerns about the deployment of Filipino seafarers.
The President issued the directive during a meeting with international maritime employers and various shipowners in Brussels.
In his remarks, the President assured the European Union’s transport officials that the Philippine government is working hard to address certification issues concerning Filipino seafarers to make them compliant with the Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) Convention.
“Our seafarers are of great importance to the Philippines in many, many ways. Although we recognize that in the last many years, the Philippines has done very well in terms of being the leading seafarers around the world, however, with the changing situation after the pandemic, with the changing situation especially when we talk about supply line problems, all these areas have to be revisited,” Mr. Marcos told shipowners and stakeholders during the meeting.
“That comes with the training, changes in the curriculum, all of these things have to be ascertained,” the President pointed out.
Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Susan “Toots” Ople said the law identifies the establishment of an advisory body to assess training and qualifications.
“Under the law creating the Department of Migrant Workers, we checked and there’s a provision there that the department can actually form or create advisory bodies with the participation of key stakeholders including employers and, in this case, the international shipowners,” Ople said.
“We can meet on a regular basis with MARINA (Maritime Industry Authority), CHED (Commission on Higher Education), and other relevant institutions,” Ople added.
The move is also part of the Marcos administration’s efforts to comply with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) standards after the EU flagged the Philippines for deficiencies in local seafarer training and education earlier this year.
About 50,000 Filipino seafarers working in European vessels are reportedly at risk of losing their jobs due to the Philippines’ repeated failure to hurdle the EMSA evaluation in the last 16 years.
Mr. Marcos, meanwhile, said one of the key policies of his administration is strengthening the relationship between the public and private sectors.
“Perhaps we can develop that idea further especially when it comes to training. We have always regarded our seafarers,” the chief executive said.
The Philippines, the President said, appreciates the gesture extended by the international organization to meet with the Philippine delegation, not only to introduce its officials but more importantly, to reinforce Manila and the European Union’s strong working relationship.
For years, the Philippines has provided EU Member States with competent and hardworking seafarers to man their vessels.
A United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) 2021 study showed the Philippines remains the top provider of seafarers for both officers and ratings, across all departments, aboard merchant cargo vessels.
Last year, Filipino seafarers remitted a total of $6.54 billion from $6.353 billion in 2020, or an increase of 3 percent, making them a significant contributor to the country’s economy.