Tacloban City –  National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) OIC Executive Director, Ms. Mayla N. Macadawan together with other NMP officials met with the officers of the International Labour Organization (ILO) and Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on 08 November 2022 to discuss possible areas of collaboration on the development of skills training and certification for Filipino migrant fishers.

The convergence aimed to synchronize the plans and programs of said agencies to improve and enhance the basic skills of the Filipino fishers to increase their marketability for deployment or reintegration.

During the discussion, OIC ED Macadawan expressed NMP’s willingness and commitment to a collaborative undertaking intended to equip migrant fishers with basic skills training and upskilling through possible training interventions, an important step towards their protection and well-being.

To aid the ILO in the preparation of training program that will empower the Filipino fishers, NMP will share the curricula of its Basic Training and other specialized courses which could be offered to those who wish to be deployed into commercial fishing vessels. ILO will work closely with DMW and NMP in designing an integrated training program / curriculum taking into account the international standards and relevant provisions on skills in the Philippine Fisheries Code of 1998.

Present during the meeting were: Mi Zhou of ILO Regional  Office Bangkok, Mr. Hussein L. Macarambon of ILO Manila and  Dir. Geraldine C. Mendez, PBGen William S. Macavinta (Ret.), Ms. Vanessa Jane Mauleon & Mr. Vincent G. Peneyra of DMW.