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President Gloria Arroyo has ordered a ban on the deployment of
Filipino sailors for commercial ships that travel in the Gulf of
Aden in order to prevent more of them from being held hostage by
Somali pirates.
The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea and the
Indian Ocean and is one of the world’s busiest waterways with some
20,000 ships passing through it each year. It is also called by its
nickname Pirate’s Alley.
Pirate attacks in that vast waterway have become
so numerous and serious that the United States, Germany, France, and
other countries have sent naval warships to patrol the waters in
order to protect merchant shipping.
Since 2006, a total of 227 Filipino sailors on
foreign vessels have been seized in the pirate-infested waters off
Somalia. At least 122 of them have since been freed.
Filipino sailors have a greater chance of being
pirate victims because they make up one-third of the world’s
merchant seamen. The Philippine Overseas Employment Agency (POEA)
said there were more than 300,000 of them all over the world in
2008.
It’s easy to impose a ban on work orders and
deployment, but not that easy to enforce it. It’s a matter of
economics really. Filipinos desperate for jobs will go to great
lengths to find them wherever they are.
Deployment bans have been imposed on Filipino
workers in countries like Lebanon, Iraq, Nigeria and Afghanistan for
security reasons, but still they have been able to sneak into these
countries illegally. When they were ordered to be repatriated, a lot
of them chose to stay despite the hazardous conditions.
I reckon it would be the same for these RP
sailors. For as long as there are ships willing to risk trips in the
Gulf of Aden there will be RP sailors willing to man them.
Some countries like Malaysia have banned their
shipping lines from passing through the Gulf of Aden. For most
though, the alternative trade route, round South Africa’s Cape of
Good Hope, would add three weeks or more to a typical journey,
pushing up the cost of goods they transport.
Thus, it would be hard to pressure all shipping
lines to bypass the Gulf of Aden, or urge the International Maritime
Organization for a ban on using the pirate-infested waterway.
Also, seamen when they sign up for jobs are not
obliged to give notice to the government about their routes, which
makes one wonder how such a ban could be enforced by government to
begin with.
Govt should do more
to help free RP sailors
Meanwhile, the government should step up
pressure on foreign shipping firms to secure the release of 105
Filipino sailors still being held hostage in seven vessels in the
Gulf of Aden. No effort should be spared to safely recover all of
the hostages without further delay.
The government should also see to it that the
families of the sailors are getting adequate help and timely updates
on the conditions of their loved ones from the shipping firms or
their staffing agencies here.
Besides the emotional distress associated with
having a member in captivity, our worry is that the families of the
victims might also be having financial difficulties. We presume they
have not been receiving their remittances, since those who are
supposed to send the money have been unable to do so, although I
understand some of the shipping lines have been kind enough to
continue paying the salaries of the hostages and have been sending
these to their families. Nevertheless, the government should make
sure that the families are getting enough assistance to tide them
over financially.
The government should likewise see to it that
there are active negotiations to free all Filipino sailors still
being held captive, and that no one has been left out or abandoned
by their employers. This, apart from ensuring that the victims are
being properly looked after. It is quite possible that some of them
may have become ill in captivity, or may require some medical
attention.
According to Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas, more
than 350,000 Filipino sailors wired home a record of $3.034 billion
in 2008, up 36 percent, or $798.19 million compared to the $2.236
billion they remitted in 2007. In the first two months of this year,
they remitted a total of $491.12 million, up 6 percent, or $28.04
million versus the $463.07 million they sent home in the same period
in 2008.
The cash wired home by Filipino sailors has
grown more than 100 percent over the last four years, from the
$1.464 billion they remitted in 2004.
Filipino sailors are able to send home large
amounts because they receive higher emoluments, and they live where
they work. Thus, they do not have to spend for rent, food and
utilities. Officers on foreign ships receive more than $3,000
monthly, while other personnel get around $1,250.
ernestboyherrera@yahoo.com
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