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Walk-in or Walk-out, Which One?

You may think that this article is about the recent political circus in the house of Congress wherein 45 respected congressmen walked out in protest. No, it isn’t. I will discuss today the pending situation, the most awaited PRC walk-in examination system.

Maybe, if you are a very busy person like me you will only read a few lines here and off you go. But just before you leave, if you can help improve the future of our seafarers, then don’t forget to return and continue reading this piece.

What’s keeping the PRC walk-in examination system too long? What’s there left to be done? What’s the likely scenario if we stop implementing it? Is Walk-in System acceptable to the majority of our ship officers?

A little of history. PRC modernization law of 2000 sets aside a computerization budget of PhP 45 million per year for five years to improve its delivery of services and to enhance its licensure capability with a global scope. A master plan was developed and approved, thus, the first installment of the budget was received on 2003.

The CRMIS and LERIS were born. The CRMIS centers mainly on the digital archiving of records and web development while the LERIS centers on the examination and registration aspect. The Walk-in Examination System (WES) is part of LERIS in which the Marine Board is slated to be the first to test.

Chairman Hermogenes Pobre, during his time, simply acknowledged the idea of modernizing PRC and it was during his tenure when the PRC modernization law was passed. By 2001, Chairperson Ibe initiated the bidding process in search of a single entity that can build and customize the PRC system.

She worked hard in the development and implementation of the computerization plan, motivated by the spirit of good governance and transparency. To ensure greater quality, two full-time consultants were “asked” to advise PRC what to do. As expected, everything should run smoothly and as planned.

What happened? Well, the consultants “kuno” were experts of a different sphere. The PRC modernization requires customized and robust software system and NOT simply hardware. This means getting a top caliber consultant who knows how to build the system from ground up and who has the proven track record in software development.

Anybody can buy computers everywhere, connect them into networks, build web sites, put security cameras and biometric machines, but without an integrated software system to manage and control the whole thing, you end up buying pretty, expensive but useless machines. The bidding was done purely looking on the hardware side while the software side was left unattended.

Now, what’s the problem? Short of saying, PRC started doing a – la – “jack of all trade, but master of none”. For instance, you may be impressed by PRC’s website today but it’s not yet reliable and robust. Why? Because the creator of the website appears to be more of a graphic artist than a skilled remote server programmer.

No wonder, just this January 2005, the website got some beatings. The website should be secure, interactive and adaptable to today’s fast moving technologies. Another problem, the computers, 25 of them, a bio-scanner, three surveillance cameras, and a network hub were put in place of what should be the examination center, but the examination software to utilize them is not yet proven functional.

The examination software must be tested in different ways to know if there are BUGS that will endanger the examination result. Here’s again another problem about the test question databank: In 2003 a technical committee on Maritime Education, composed of the deans of different maritime colleges, was formed to develop and submit pertinent question materials.

Sixteen thousand, at least, are now waiting for final review and databanking. Three test experts were tasked to review the questionnaires visually, and they already have the budget to start working, but again, no editing software is made available to automate the databanking process and handle it hands-free. Using word processor or spreadsheet program will require long hours of laborious work for the test experts and board members to do.

In fact with 16,000 questions, it will require at least one and a half years to complete the work manually. Therefore, a customized software should be provided by the consultants to speed up the loading process and shorten the completion period to barely three weeks. Impossible? Oh, tell that to the marines! I can show them how.

Funds from the maritime sector to buy more computers and software are now waiting to be tapped, but since PRC is still finding its way through the labyrinth questions of “techonology versus mano-mano” methods, delayed further by some backward-thinking personalities in disguise of some legal backlash, these funds are there, idle and waiting.

Ship officers are clamoring for the walk-in system thinking that this will eliminate their time lost in waiting. Also, they believe that this system is a better measure of their capability without being defaulted once they got perfect score.

What’s the solution? From the maritime sector, if necessary, we can mobilize the funding to acquire computers and software system. We have a ready solution which can be better and faster than what the experts of PRC keep talking about.

Our ship officers are delayed too much in getting their licenses and COCs. The longer they agonize, the worse it will be for our country as a whole. What we need is for PRC to welcome these offers considering that our country can not afford to spend further in this project.

The problem is not with the PRC chairperson Rosero; she exhausted all her means possible to implement the walk-in exam system and she did her best. She’s still working hard to push the project up to this writing. She already made numerous dialogues with industry leaders and also talked straight to seafarers via short wave radios to make them feel how hard PRC is trying to produce the needed system.

The Marine board can not be faulted either; they already submitted their questionnaires, less some graphics perhaps, for the test experts to review. The more we can not blame our government; PhP 45 million a year for five years is being pumped into PRC modernization.

So, where’s the problem? I’m convinced that the problem is with the consultants and contractors who should deliver us a fully functioning system. If they really know what they were doing from the very beginning when they won the bidding, 12 months was too long for them to finish the whole project.

Everything should have been running well since January 2005. But because they were still experimenting their ideas, PRC became their virtual laboratory. They made a series of media hype in the early stages broadcasting the PRC computerization project to the whole republic but what do they have to show off today?

The hardware may now be complete, but  what about the examination software? Is it true that this contractor is also working on the examination system of the National Telecommunications Commission? Por pabor, finish first your obligation in PRC before you go somewhere else!

The PRC must call a meeting of its Maritime Consultative Group to discuss thoroughly what rescue attempts can be done today and how we can help in such a manner that is transparent and above board. In my estimate, the maritime sector can put up a fully functioning system in a month’s time, better and more responsive to the needs of the ship officers.

At present there are already three well-known examination systems being used in the maritime sector. Though they differ in many ways, the capability of the software companies to customize is there.

It’s time to evaluate now the progress and capacity of the contractors working on the PRC computerization project. If they have a below 80 percent success rate, replace them than spend time waiting endlessly for them to cope.

We must be vigilant and be able to demand result before our government funds disappear; that’s PhP 225 million “din ha”. Our Accredited Professional Organizations should screen prospective board examiners thoroughly with more preference to professionals with proven computer expertise.

Right now, those overstaying examiners with little or no knowledge in computer applications are also one of the impediments why the walk-in system keeps dragging so long. They insist their old ways without room for improvement. I just don’t know why they are still there, my goodness!

Where are we going now? Computerization is the best solution to address the needs of our fast growing OCW professionals. If PRC will be delayed further in implementing the walk-in system, the more its services will deteriorate.

Backlogs keep piling up each day as officers keep coming and renewing their licenses. 

The board members have tremendous work loads that they don’t have any more time to eat and drink. 

With only five of them, each from deck and engine, actually only four now in the board for deck officers, they have to prepare questions, check examination papers, assess candidates, monitor simulator sites, sign COCs and licenses, attend to various government agency meetings, answer charges filed against them in court, etc.

Just imagine how else can they do all these without losing quality? Their health and pockets are getting thinner too. Yeah, that’s true, and without the walk-in system to lessen their load, they will soon lose their temper, in fact some are losing it now.

Manning companies and ship officers will scramble to get the first priority and that’s a fertile soil to sow more chaos. Fixers may soon resume operation from all corners. 

TROs may also come in handy for the disappointed Accredited Professional Organizations, you never know.
That may even discourage other potential foreign employers to walk-in to our shores. Worse, it may trigger the existing ones to walk-out, all in disgust. So, which one is for you my friend, walk-in or walk-out?

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