Two groups of seafarers on Saturday expressed gratitude to Senator Raffy Tulfo and House Deputy Majority Leader and Tingog Rep. Jude Acidre for shepherding the landmark Magna Carta for Seafarer’s bill from the bicameral conference committee to the plenary of both chambers.
The Philippine Trade and General Workers Organization (PTGWO-TUCP), the country’s biggest federation of labor unions and organizations, and Seafarer’s Rights Philippines, an organization working to uplift the welfare of Filipino mariners said the comprehensive measure which provides for mechanisms to protect and uplift the welfare of the Filipino seafarers, is now expected to be finally signed by President Ferdinand Marcos, Jr.
“When the first enrolled bill of the Magna Carta of Seafarers was not signed by the President, there were several reasons cited. But now it appears that there is just a solitary reason. This is the bond requirement provision,” stated PTGWO, listed by the Bureau of Labor Relations (BLR) and the Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE) as the labor federation with the highest individual membership.
Section 58 of the old bill disallows the immediate execution or payment to the complainant seafarers of awards they received from final judgments of the National Labor Relation Commission (NLRC) and the Voluntary Arbitrator under the National Conciliation and Mediation Board (NCMB-DOLE).
These are mostly awards for disability benefits the seafarers suffered in the line of duty, and which would render them permanently or temporarily incapacitated to continue working. The seafarer would have to put up a bond, in an amount equivalent to the award, to be able to receive his/her award.
This provision was persistently challenged by labor groups, PTGWO and Seafarer’s Rights, included, for being violative of the equal protection rule under the Constitution. It makes seafarers as the only group of workers, local or OFWs, who would not receive their awards immediately.
The awards won by seafarers would be tied up with appeals to the Court of Appeals and the Supreme Court, which usually lasts for years or even a decade.
“It was magnanimous of Senator Tulfo, Congressman Acidre and the rest of the members of the committees, to heed the clamor of our seafarers and their families. They recognized that the bond requirement provision is not only not germane to the Magna Carta but is actually detrimental to the welfare our seafarers.
“What they now passed in Congress is truly a Magna Carta of Seafarers. Senator Tulfo and Congressman Acidre are genuinely the champions of our seafarers, OFWs and workers,” the seafarers groups said.