|
CHAMPIONING THE SEAFARERS
“UFS prepares to tackle new challenges
ahead as it reinvents itself amidst the changing times.”
| NPR stresses the
importance of organizing a progressive union under the trees in Luneta,
the first office of the United Filipino Seafarers. |
Fresh from a successful maritime summit and a shipload
of milestones that catapulted it as one of the biggest and most influential
maritime unions in the country, the United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) is
marking its 10th year of existence with a vision of becoming a global player
in the maritime community — abreast with changing times and shifting
priorities.
In its over a decade of existence, the UFS has positioned
itself as the leading voice in maritime advocacy and as sole crusader
against graft and corruption in the maritime bureaucracy, bringing
the seaman’s issues right at the doorstep of the powers-that-be and policy
makers.
 
| Despite several death
threats and libel cases, UFS is consistent in running after illegal
recruiters and other “vultures” in the maritime industry that victimize
innocent applicants. |
CHAMPIONING THE SEAFARERS’ CAUSES
The multi-faceted advocacy work of the UFS has taken it
to many frontiers of challenges, from demanding better wages, exposing
illegal recruiters, and fighting coastal pollution to working for a relevant
and world-class maritime education. At one point, the UFS even took an
active role in saving the life of an innocent young domestic helper accused
of murdering her abusive foreign employer.
UFS, together with
Kaibigan ng OFW, KANLUNGAN and KAKAMPI were the first to organize
the Free Sarah Balabagan Movement.
|
 
Benny Lodriga & Sister
Maruja Padre de Juan: Loyal UFS allies |
Name every government maritime agencies and the controversies
that have hounded it and you would see the thumbprint of the UFS, always
the catalyst or the whistleblower.
From the Maritime Industry Authority’s (Marina) woes over
the seaman’s record book and its inadequacy in enforcing the STCW convention;
to the Philippine Coast Guard’s (PCG) lament of not being able to assume
the role as top SOLAS enforcer; and to the wanton neglect in the domestic
shipping monopoly that leads to horrible maritime disasters, the UFS was
the at the forefront of every upheavals that visited the industry.
In less than five years, UFS has made an indelible contribution
to the formulation of a credible maritime education and even spearheaded
efforts to overhaul the existing maritime policies and programs.
It likewise helped in steering the passage of important
legislations like Republic Act (RA) 8042 or the Migrant Workers Act; RA
8544 (Merchant Marine Professional Act), Anti-Money Laundering Act and
the Overseas Voting Act to cite a few.
ONWARDS TO THE NEXT DECADE
Today, as it looks ahead to the next 10 years, the 35,000-strong
UFS will have to balance its roles as the self-appointed “Ombudsman” of
the local maritime scene and the country’s unofficial ambassador of goodwill
to the international maritime community.
Today, a UFS cell is found in every ocean-going vessel
sailing the world and a chapter-affiliates in every maritime nation,
like The Netherlands, Norway, Greece, Korea, the former Soviet republics,
like Ukraine and the US.
To prepare for the new decade’s challenges, UFS must develop
new breed of leaders that would continue the work of the union and
succeed its current leadership.
The new UFS leaders will steer the organization
towards achieving a rebirth and ensure its important place
in the maritime history.
Flexing its maritime muscle, the UFS saw itself entering
a new arena that was never conquered by a member of the industry.
In the last elections, UFS spearheaded the Pinoy Overseas
Party (POP) and participated in the party-list polls, determined to broaden
their voice in the legislature dominated by the elite.
The UFS-led POP did not exactly realize its goal but it
was able to deliver a very important message by garnering the highest
votes that eclipsed the votes earned by other maritime blocs that also
ran in the elections.
UFS was among the prime
movers for the passage of the Absentee Voting Law.
|
UFS in action against
Charter Change.
|
The ever optimistic Engr. Nelson Ramirez, founder and
president of UFS, said POP may have lost the elections but it learned
a very good lesson: a strong organization is always a key.
He felt that UFS emerged as a stronger organization after
the elections and would look forward to the next elections with a sharper
political and organizational wisdom.
The UFS president added the decision to enter politics
was, in fact, part of the politicization agenda of the union.
“We will continue politicizing the UFS membership and
the whole maritime industry and hopefully, someday, put a voice in Congress,”
Ramirez said.
UFS AS AN ECONOMIC FORCE
At the homefront , UFS seeks to embark on a new challenge
of transforming the organization into a mammoth economic unit that could
combine advocacy work with entrepreneurial pursuits.
UFS founder and president Ramirez said the recently-concluded
maritime summit has given the organization the edge in developing programs
that would help UFS members and their kin in becoming entrepreneurs.
For Ramirez, the well-attended maritime summit could be
considered as a turning point for UFS. The four-day summit was held
at the Trade Hall of Harrison Plaza last September 23 to 26, 2004. It was
graced by the who’s who in the maritime industry with Senator Richard Gordon
as one of the special guests.
Ramirez said the maritime summit provided UFS members
and their relatives some inputs on entrepreneurial ventures.
He said their objective was to introduce the seafarers
and their family to alternative sources of livelihood, like getting into
business ventures.
He stressed that Filipino seafarers and their wives should
be taught about the concept of alternative livelihood, especially when
job offers become scarce and health or age becomes a consideration.
Ramirez confided that his heart breaks upon seeing families
of seafarers going broke just after the head of the family decides to stop
working in international vessels.
He noted that because they were not taught on how to handle
and invest their money well, a family of a seaman often ends up splurging
on the huge income but only to go back to being miserable when the money
stopped coming.
“We would like to teach them that after nilang mag-barko,
and they are no longer interested to board ships, they could go into business,”
Ramirez said.
In the summit, UFS invited many livelihood proponents
that introduced the seaman and his family to different business ventures
like soap making, poultry-raising, zen fountain making, perfume making,
tilapia culture, growing of high value crops, distilled water business
and even goat-raising.
He stressed that the UFS also wants to break the usual
norm that going into a taxi business is the only best option available
to a retired seaman and his family.
To check on the progress of those families who embarked
on a business venture, UFS is planning to make the summit a yearly event
to keep track on the successes and even failures of their members.
FROM SEAFARERS TO SHIPOWNER
Ramirez, a ship engineer, revealed that UFS is one of
the cooperators of a maritime cooperative, which caters to seafarers who
want to indulge in less risky ventures.
He said the cooperative, aptly called Ang Kooperatiba
ng Marino (AKMA), is another attempt of UFS to encourage seafarers to manage
well their earnings.
Since a cooperative takes a lot of cash and many people
to organize, the risk factor is usually low or distributed, according
to Ramirez.
Ramirez said initially AKMA has almost a thousand members
and is currently operating a carinderia for seafarers in Orosa
St., Manila.
He added that in the long run, they’re planning to operate
a boarding house exclusive for seafarers.
With a growing finances from the stocks/shares sold to
members, the cooperative could just buy its own vessel to manage. Each
cooperative member has to shell-out $1 a day or at least P50 to cover for
his daily contribution.
“That’s one of my biggest goals to see seafarers operating
and managing their own vessel, and it would be my ultimate dream to see
them as shipowners,” he said.
NEW CHALLENGES IN THE HORIZON
But before that dream is realized, the UFS must first
ensure that a steady stream of Filipino seafarers would be boarding international
vessels through the years.
About a third of the seafarers manning ships around the
world are Filipinos.
But this dominance is continuously being challenged by
other nations like China and Vietnam who can settle for lower pay and poor
working conditions.
Shipowners have noted the rising salaries of Filipino
seafarers over the years, which prompted them to source from other
nations.
Ramirez, however, confidently stated that the trend that
started in the mid-90s when the country lost about 20,000 of ship jobs,
is being slowly reversed.
“The employers (shipowners) are starting to come back.
Bumabalik na sila sa Pinoy,” he said.
Ramirez volunteered that the reason why foreign shipowners
are starting to re-hire Filipino ratings is that they found non-Filipino
seamen as lousy and not street smart, aside from their difficulty
to learn English and failing to assimilate with other nationals.
The charismatic UFS leader even recounted his encounter
recently with an exasperated foreign shipowner who experimented hiring
cheap Chinese ratings only to end up regretting it.
Ramirez said the foreigner told him that he will return
to hiring Filipinos even if their salaries are higher.
The shipowner explained, according to Ramirez, that the
money saved from hiring cheap Chinese ratings becomes useless every time
they screw up and damage his ship.
But Ramirez said UFS does not anymore regard the short-lived
popularity of Chinese and Vietnamese seafarers as a continuing threat.
He pointed out that the real problem is how to supply
the world with competent ship officers considering that a shortage of officers
which could run to 40 to 60 thousand by 2010.
“The problem is that we’re not improving our skills,”
Ramirez said.
From the current mix of Filipino crew, for every 100,
there are only 30 Filipino officers while the rest are considered ratings
or able bodied (AB) seamen.
Ramirez said the ideal ratio should be at least 50:50,
meaning for every 50 ratings, there should be 50 officers.
Ramirez said the problem could be addressed by urging
all seafarers led by UFS to undergo regular training and examination
to upgrade their rank everytime they touch shore.
KEEPING THE FAITH
With almost 90% of its members onboard international
vessels, UFS has devised some novel approaches in ensuring that the union’s
work and advocacies reach them while working at high seas.
Initially, UFS forged alliances with existing maritime
organizations in many ports of call of UFS members which doubled
as their “adopted home” and their “de facto” overseas base where correspondences
or mails are delivered.
The most novel approach, however, is the regular publication
of a bi-monthly newspaper called Tinig ng Marino (TNM) which practically
reaches all ships and corners of every continent in the world.
Ramirez admitted that without TNM, the work and aspirations
of the UFS and the Filipino seafarers stationed worldwide would not be
appreciated. (SEE “TINIG” STORY).
He said the TNM effectively kept their members, affiliates
and allies abreast of what’s happening in the local and international maritime
scene.
Because of the TNM, the UFS’s recruitment efforts
did not become a problem.
Ramirez said before, they seek out members to beef up
their roster, but this has changed over the years.
“We have no agenda to expand our membership. Kung sino
pumasok, so be it. But there’s no conscious effort,” he said.
Asked what qualities a would-be UFS member must have,
Ramirez volunteered: “He should believe in the advocacy of the UFS and
bear in mind that we are the only organization that cares for them.”
A DECADE-OLD ANGER THAT BUILT A ‘GIANT’
In retrospect, Ramirez conceded that what motivated him
to organize UFS and build it into a colossal organization with a worldwide
reach was his anger towards the system that has failed the ordinary Filipino
seaman.
Before UFS, the industry was practically “sleeping” with
their enemies – corrupt government regulators and bogus maritime leaders
– that made it blind to what was happening to the sector.
Ramirez said the industry was in a total mess and government
seemed to be clueless on what was ailing it.
“This really made me angry and I diverted my anger to
organizing a watchdog that would expose and rectify the errors,” he said.
The UFS leader said this “anger” drove him to fight the
corrupt system in the maritime industry and expose its evils from the outside.
Clearly, the anger of Ramirez has paid-off.
From a rag tag army of ‘wandering’ seafarers that
started with an empty cartoon box and a fading yellow pad paper as membership
form and the shade of a Luneta tree as its office, UFS is now a virtual
maritime giant, savoring its triumphs as a ten-year old union — borne out
of guts, courage, compassion and unshakable principles. |
