THE SENATE Committee on Higher, Technical and Vocational Education has approved in principle a measure seeking to rename the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy or PMMA into the Philippine National Maritime Academy or PNMA and provides for the establishment of school campuses in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao.

Senator Francis Escudero, chairman of the panel, said they will put some refinements on the bill and endorse it for plenary deliberations.

The creation of campuses now incorporated in SB 2469 was an original proposal of Escudero during the May 2023 committee hearing, when its counterpart measure in the lower chamber — House Bill 6994 was tackled.

Instead of requiring a cadet from each of the country’s 253 legislative districts as proposed in HB 6994, the veteran legislator suggested the establishment of more campuses to increase the number of cadets.

The Senate version, which was filed by Senator Francis Tolentino, also converts the PMMA as the primary institution for the basic and continuing higher education and training of maritime professionals and leaders for national development and security.

It also intends to expand the curriculum and course offerings of the academy to make it more adaptable to the progressive and changing domestic and international maritime industry.