ALMA lauds ratification of Magna Carta of Seafarers

THE Association of Licensed Manning Agencies (ALMA) Maritime Group welcomed the recent ratification of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, especially with the re-inclusion of Section 59 or the Execution of Judgement and Monetary Awards.

Section 59 protects Filipino seamen from ambulance chasers or lawyers who lure them into filing court claims against their employers and extracting unwarranted fees thereafter.

ALMA previously flagged the removal of Section 59, originally comprised in House Bill 7325. It said the provision would have been a more elaborate safeguard for seafarers.

Section 59 is said to protect Filipino seamen from ambulance chasers or lawyers who lure them into filing court claims against their employers and extracting unwarranted fees thereafter. PHOTO from Dohle Seafront- Manila

In the July version of the Magna Carta, Section 59 was re-inserted.

Importance of Section 59

In a grievance letter by ALMA addressed to President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. last May, the group emphasized the importance of Section 59 in the Magna Carta.

Advertisement

The group said that fraudulent and costly injury claims made by ambulance chasers against maritime employers were costing Filipino seafarers their jobs.

A report by the International Group of P&I, a mutual society of shipowners covering 80 percent of ships worldwide, revealed that approximately P2.8 billion in reversed judgments have been wrongfully paid to seafarers.

This data is corroborated by both the Department of Migrant Workers and the National Conciliation and Mediation Board.

The predatory seafarer claims industry in the Philippines has resulted in companies looking for their seafarer workforce in other countries.

Advertisement

The International Maritime Employers' Council cautioned that Filipino seafarers' employment opportunities could vanish within a decade if the ambulance chasing crisis remains unaddressed.

It also stressed that international maritime groups such as the International Transport Workers Federation strongly advocate for reforming the predatory seafarer claims industry in the Philippines.

The German, Norwegian, Dutch and Danish ambassadors supported the same, whose concern for the current