The Economist called him the “thuggish mayor” of Davao City. But Rodrigo Duterte, the Philippines’ new president, won over the masses precisely because of his tough, gangsterish image. Will the Filipino seaman factory, which has been hankering for the European Union’s stamp of approval, finally shape up under his rule? (more…)
It may seem odd that we’re writing once again about what’s wrong with the Filipino seafarer factory. The European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) has, after all, conducted at least four inspections since 2006. The deficiencies in the country’s maritime education and training (MET) set-up should be pretty clear by now. But lest anyone believe that the reforms are working and things are getting better, we list here five oustanding problems: (more…)
“There is no darkness but ignorance,” wrote William Shakespeare in his play, Twelfth Night. Given how it has gone about evaluating Philippine maritime schools and choosing which ones can continue their baccalaureate programmes for ship officers, the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) can aptly be described as a house of darkness. (more…)
