Gov’t does not abandon its duty in responding to maritime piracy – NMP executive director

By RODRIGO S. VICTORIA, PIA 8
September 21, 2011

TACLOBAN CITY, Leyte  –  A top official of the country’s premier training school for seafarers said on Wednesday that the Philippine government does not abandon its duty in finding solutions to maritime piracy victimizing some Filipino seafarers since 2008.

Atty. Josephus B. Jimenez, OIC Executive Director of the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) located in Barangay Cabalawan this city made this statement in the “Harampang ha PIA” held on September 21 at the PIA regional office.

Jimenez was with the other officials representing the different national government agencies in Eastern Visayas involved in the maritime industry where they served as guests in the regular PIA media interaction which centered on the National Maritime Week celebration on September 25-30, 2011 with the theme “Piracy: Orchestrating the Response”.

He informed that there were already 257 Filipino seafarers who have been victimized by maritime piracy from the period 2008-2009 where one Filipino died in Malaysia in August 2008.

The Filipino seafarers which contributed some US$ 2.5 billion in a year to the country’s economy has now been affected by maritime piracy and that government has already laid down “preventive and reactive “measures to combat it, the NMP executive director added.

Jimenez further said that part of the preventive measures undertaken by the Philippine government against maritime piracy is the development of an anti-piracy training program for seafarers which NMP offered a one month free training on anti-piracy which is now a regular course and not free anymore.

Other preventive measures espoused by the Philippine government in coordination with other global maritime organizations include the fair treatment of all ships passing through the Gulf of Aden and the waters off the coast of Somalia; APEC economies to collaborate and cooperate closely on the maritime piracy issue and assist Somalia in restoring a working government, Jimenez mentioned.

The Philippine government has donated US$ 20,000 to the UN Trust Fund to support security in the fight against maritime piracy, issued various flag state advisories, hold inter-agency consultations, created of an Ad Hoc Committee on piracy and armed against ships by the Office of the President are the reactive measures undertaken by the Philippine government against maritime piracy, Jimenez disclosed.