Amending Section 16 Of Presidential Decree No. 97, Entitled "Regulating The Practice Of The Marine Profession In The Philippines"

Case Overview and Summary

Summary of Presidential Decree No. 1560

Amending Section 16 of Presidential Decree No. 97 on Requirements for Deck Officers

- Requirement for Third Mate Applicants (Section 1):
• Must hold a Bachelor of Science degree in Marine Transportation, major in Navigation and Seamanship
• Must complete a nautical curriculum of academic and theoretical studies
• Must have 12 months of practical apprenticeship served on merchant marine vessels of not less than 250 gross tons registered for foreign or coastwise trade (Section 16(d))
• Certification of service must be issued by the Master and Chief Mate of the vessel, authenticated by the ship owner or representative (Section 16(d))
• Apprenticeship must be under supervision of a permanent staff assigned solely for that purpose (Section 16(d))

- Rationale for the Amendment (Whereas clauses):
• Lack of enough Philippine-registered merchant marine vessels of at least 250 gross tons engaged in foreign trade to accommodate apprentice mates
• Operators of vessels engaged in foreign trade generally do not accept apprentice mates on board
• Existing requirement would drastically reduce the number of qualified Third Mate applicants, leading to a shortage of merchant marine officers for inter-island and overseas vessels
• Income of seamen employed on overseas vessels is a large source of dollars for the country