INATASAN ni Pangulong Ferdinand Marcos Jr. ang Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) na i-istandardize ang kanilang maritime practices para makasabay sa global standards.

Ang direktiba ay ibinigay ng Pangulo kay MARINA chief Sonia Malaluan sa pulong ukol sa panukalang Maritime Industry Development Plan 2028 (MIDP 2028).

Hiningi kasi ni Malaluan ang pagsang-ayon ng Pangulo ukol sa planong ito, napansin ng Chief Executive na maraming “rules and operations” sa maritime industry ang obsolete o hindi na ginagamit dahil sa kakulangan ng unified system.

“These are all promotion, modernization but let us first standardize our systems and at the same time we undertake this like promotion of a highly skilled Filipino maritime workforce. ‘Yung ship building and ship repair, we haven’t done much to promote that,” ayon kay Pangulong Marcos.

”The rest are for further development. So let’s standardize our practices so that we will be the same with our international counterparts. We have to fix our house first. Because we have to compete and in order to do that we should have an even playing field and then we should gain an advantage,” dagdag na wika nito.

Sinabi naman ng Presidential Communications Office (PCO) na layon ng MIDP 2028 na magtatag ng malakas at reliable na Philippine Merchant Fleet na tutugon sa sea requirements ng bansa bilang suporta sa national development agenda.

Kabilang sa core programs ay ang “modernization and expansion of the Philippine domestic shipping, promotion and expansion of the Philippine overseas shipping, modernization of the Philippine shipbuilding and ship repair industry, and promotion of highly skilled Filipino and competitive maritime workforce.”

Samantala, sinabi naman ng Pangulo ang mataas na halaga ng shipping sa bansa kumpara sa ibang bansa.

Kadalasan ay aniya mura ang ship cargos sa Pilipinas mula sa ibang bansa gaya ng Hong Kong gaya ng Manila tungo sa General Santos City.

Ayon naman sa MARINA, kabilang sa mga dahilan kung bakit mahal ang domestic shipping ay ang vessel size, ipinapataw na excise tax sa langis at vessel quality.

(CHRISTIAN DALE)