A THROWBACK to when Presidential Decree (PD) 474 was issued in 1974 reflects a maritime industry policy that is clear and conclusive: Develop a Philippine merchant fleet capable of moving passengers and cargoes within the archipelago and to the rest of the world. With this vision comes the objective of creating job opportunities related to maritime activities such as seafaring, ship/boat building, ship repairs and ancillary maritime operations.
The twinning of the policy on building a strong Philippine ship registry with that of growing the country’s shipboard labor is evident in almost all legislation and presidential issuances that followed after PD 474 respecting the development of the merchant fleet; indeed, maritime human resource development was inextricably linked to maritime policies and legislation with specific attention given to the seafaring sector. That direction was initially seen as necessary to ensure there was sufficient number of crew to man ships that carry domestic cargoes and passengers. The shipboard job opportunities for Filipino seafarers expanded to overseas trading ships with the increase in global trade and the corresponding changes in the international maritime regulatory framework foremost of which was the easing of the nationality requirement for seafarers on national flags.
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