Reports have been circulating that the Philippines ‘passed’ the audit conducted in October by the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA). Mistrustful of rumours, we decided to ask our philosopher cat, Frankie. He’s named after the famous singer because he had blue eyes when he was a kitten. But he’s so smart he may well be the reincarnation of the English philosopher and statesman, Sir Francis Bacon (1561 – 1626). The following is the transcript of our interview:
Marine Café Blog: So what do you think of the recent EMSA inspections?
Frankie: Not so good. At least not as good as the gossipy humans in Manila have been painting it.
MCB: Why do say that?
Frankie: The EMSA team found some cracks in what you call the Filipino seafarer factory.
MCB: But the factory managers said all the cracks were already patched up.
Frankie: Are you kidding? One was big enough for a fat mouse to slip through. That’s why I missed my dinner!
MCB: How do you know all this?
Frankie: (in a hushed tone) Just between us, some of the mice in the factory are my friends. I promised not to molest them provided they tell me what’s going on in there.
MCB: You seem to know more than some journalists who’ve been writing about this issue.
Frankie: No comment.
MCB: So how do you see this whole thing playing out?
Frankie: The EMSA inspectors will call a spade a spade. They”ll report to the European Commission (EC) what they saw in the factory. They have their pride and reputation to protect, you know – just like us cats.
MCB: When shall we know the verdict?
Frankie: My feline contacts in Europe tell me that a decision could be made by the EC sometime in the first quarter of 2014.
MCB: That’s some way off. What advice can you give the Filipinos in the meantime?
Frankie: It’s always wise to be prudent. So expect the unexpected.
MCB: Is there reason to be hopeful at this point?
Frankie: De ilusión también se vive.
MCB: Do you mind translating that for us?
Frankie: Just do a Google search. I need to have my pasta dinner now.
~oOo~
Feel free to comment on this article. You may also like:
EMSA’s final Philippines audit: reality check
Imagine an EU ban on Filipino seamen
Inside the Filipino seafarer factory
I like Frankie’s analysis or feedback from his insiders in the factory. Another which would complement Frankie’s is that prior to the latest EMSA Audit, CHED (Commission on Higher Education) audited a maritime school in the Visayas and told them to change certain portions of their QMS to suit CHED’s audit. The school officials readily complied and made the changes in spite of their knowledge that in the previous EMSA audit they had already passed the process. Result: the very changes became a major non-conformity in the QMS in the recent EMSA inspection. What a mess an audit done by people with vested interests can result in.
Thank you for commenting, Captain. You seem to have hit the nail on the head. The central issue as far as EMSA and the European Commission are concerned is the lack of State oversight over the maritime schools. How can there be oversight when you have inspectors who don’t know what they’re doing and have vested interests to boot?
To whom it may concern;
I dislike very much your use of “Frankie the Cat” (trivializing) for such an important audit. You can do better than that!!
Lars
Thanks for the comment, Captain. Just think of it as a literary or metaphysical conceit, meant to correct the rumours and misinformation on what Frankie considers a very serious matter. 🙂
Frankie’s expression certainly reflects the irksome, serious nature of the question. . . perhaps he’s taking it more seriously than some in the government have at times. Frankie’s answers make a lot of sense, too.
Praying that Hope will be fulfilled!
I found Frankie’s analysis interesting, but a few facts thrown in (especially of the 3 major lapses which EMSA audits have been highlighting) would have made us feel that indeed, he may be Sir Bacon’s reincarnation.
As it is, it is next to impossible to find the actual EMSA audit findings (for the past 7 years!) on the internet. So much for freedom of information!
I can only wish the Filipino Crews the best of luck. No one should dare, nowadays, to question their ability or integrity in sailing ships.I’ve seen them having to join and sail some wrecks, that should have been left tied up at the scrap-yard. They are a tenacious and tough race. They go where others fear to tread, and come out the other end smiling. So give them a break.
The end game – pity the Pinoy seafarers and their dependent families that will suffer greatly from the assummed ban by the industry’s top head players thinking their role is far more critical than the never ending onslaught on mere human element – Filioino seafarers more so. We all know Filipinos consistently keep up what was asked of them to continue to work, months off work to do training and worse, loss of time for family.
Why beat us up helplessly when even at work we’re the one being beaten up not just by rough environment but tough work?
My heart aches for my fellow hardworking, enthusiastic and resilient Pinoy seafarers just reading the article.
Godspeed to those people who hold the verdict. Hopefully, surviving this imminent onslaught will be just another bad weather in our course.