MANILA – Marino Party-list representative Sandro Gonzalez on Thursday prodded the Defeat COVID-19 Ad-Hoc Committee (DCC) to include not only overseas Filipino seafarers but also domestic sailors in the coverage of House Bill No. 6815 or the “Accelerated Recovery and Intervention Stimulus for the Economy of the Philippines Act” (ARISE Philippines).
The Marino solon, a co-author of the bill, lauded the DCC for embracing in the definition of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) sea-based Filipinos working in maritime vessels abroad. As such, sea-based workers who were displaced as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic can now avail of unemployment benefits from government.
“I have been pushing to institutionalize social amelioration and stimulus programs for seafarers since the start of the Covid-19 outbreak,” Gonzalez said. “In fact, I filed a resolution last May 7, directing the House of Representatives to conduct an inquiry on the impact of the pandemic to the thousands Filipino seafarers who lost their jobs, with the goal of providing them financial assistance and alternative employment. I have observed that seafarers have been neglected for too long despite contributing between $5 to 6 billion annually to our country’s gross income.”
However, Gonzalez lamented that while the ARISE Philippines Act included overseas seafarers, it glaringly left out local seafarers employed in domestic shipping companies.
“The impact of the pandemic on our domestic seafarers is being overlooked. Domestic shipping has been crippled as many companies that are part of the supply chain have shut down,” Gonzalez said.
He added that the disruptions from Covid-19 are on track to continue for a long time, affecting the lives of not only foreign-based seafarers but the thousands of domestic seafarers as well.
Noting the importance of broadening the coverage of HB 6815, the DCC during its online hearing acquiesced to Gonzalez’s manifestation to include domestic seafarers in the benefits of the stimulus program, particularly the provision of wage amelioration to unemployed seafarers under Section 7(b) of the bill.
“I am grateful to the DCC for incorporating my suggested amendments to HB 6815. It is important for my constituency, the Filipino seafarers and their families, to be included in social amelioration and stimulus programs so that the government’s hallmark of inclusivity is realized,” Gonzalez said.
“I call on my colleagues to immediately pass the bill in order to complement the recent direction of our government to open our economy,” Gonzalez said. “The stimulus package includes the conduct of Covid-19 mass testing nationwide, as well as programs to save jobs and provide assistance to critically impacted businesses.”
