MARINO Party-list Rep. Sandro Gonzalez filed a measure that aims to establish a Maritime Education and Training Regime.

House Bill 953 or the proposed Maritime Education and Training Act seeks to centralize shipboard training and granting of financial assistance to maritime students.

It will also adopt a Modern Maritime Education and Training Regime which will, among others create maritime strand under the K to 12 program and adopt a modular curricula for maritime education and training.

Under the bill, a technical committee on maritime education and training will be established.

Gonzalez stressed that the maritime profession is unique in a sense that it is the only profession whose competencies and skills requirements are governed by a convention, which is the International Convention on Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping.

“However, in the Philippines, the maritime profession is partly being regulated by Philippine Merchant Marine Officers Act of 1998 which requires applicants for Operational Level to be graduates of Bachelor of Science in Maritime Transportation or Bachelor of Science in Maritime Engineering in a school, academy, institute, college or university duly recognized by the Commission on Higher Education,” Gonzalez said in his explanatory note.

He said that the measure will also modify the requirements for marine deck-engine officer examination and create additional training facilities to better prepare maritime students for deployment.