Marina to slap penalty vs seafarers faking certificates

PENALTIES ranging from P50,000 to P200,000, in addition to disqualification to apply for a certificate, will be imposed by the Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) against seafarers who are found guilty of submitting falsified, fraudulent or tampered documents to the agency.

Marina increased the penalty from the original amount of P5,000 following observations that many seafarers would still resort to having their documents processed by "fixers" in Kalaw — a stretch of road in the Ermita district of Manila that is frequented by seamen searching for jobs.