President Rodrigo Duterte fired Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) administrator Marcial Quirico Amaro III for frequent travels abroad, Presidential spokesperson Harry Roque announced in a press conference on January 4.
Roque said the Office of the President received on December 22, 2017 a statement from the Alliance of Marina Employees (AME), which claimed that Amaro “has been nothing more than an absentee administrator because of his frequent junkets, which inflicted demoralization not only to Marina employees but various stakeholders as well.”
According to AME’s statement, Amaro racked up 11 overseas trips in 2017, which Roque said prompted Duterte to order an investigation.
But based on details provided by the Department of Transportation (DOTr), Marina’s mother department, Amaro had 18 overseas trips in 2017 and six in 2016, which means he had 24 total foreign travels since he assumed office until end-2017.
Roque said that all of the trips were official, except for one. Three were sponsored while the rest were paid for by the government.
Amaro has been in office since July 2016. His replacement has yet been named.
In an interview with TV station GMA News, Amaro took the termination in stride. He said, “Katulad nang sinabi ko dati, hindi ko ipaglalaban ‘yung position, dahil ako ay nagtatrabaho sa kagustuhan ng ating mahal na pangulo. Kung away na niya akong magsilbi (As I’ve said before, I’m not going to fight for my position; I’m just working because the President asked me to. If he doesn’t want me to serve) for whatever reason, then I have to go. I have to accept.”
In a statement, the DOTr said it respects the decision of Duterte to terminate the services of Amaro.
“The DOTr trusts that the President’s decision is just, fair, and unprejudiced as it was based on verifiable facts and a thorough investigation,” it said.
It added that the department does not tolerate “corruption and excesses” in government service.
“Rest assured that the DOTr and its attached agencies and offices will be very discerning and judicious in this matter.”
“If seven foreign travels were deemed excessive by the President, 24 travels definitely is excessive by the President’s standards,” Roque said.
Duterte earlier pronounced a stop to junkets by government officials. Duterte has fired several officials because of alleged junkets and frequent travels abroad, including Dangerous Drugs Board chief Dionisio Santiago, Presidential Commission for the Urban Poor chief Terry Ridon, and Development Academy of the Philippines President Elba Cruz.
Work-related, not junkets
Amaro, in an interview with PortCalls on December 29, explained that his trips abroad are part of his work, and with Marina being a regulatory body and a member state of international organizations, it is part of the agency’s functions to attend meetings tackling regulations and policies that would affect the Philippines’ maritime industry.
The Marina chief said most of his foreign travels are for meetings and conferences with the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC), all of which the Philippines is a member of.
He noted that Marina has to attend these meetings as their outcomes affect the country’s policymaking thrusts. Amaro said it is the country’s obligation as a responsible member state of these organizations to participate in these events.
He added that his foreign travels are not for sightseeing but for meetings, discussions, and conferences that will help craft policies, strengthen the Philippines’ position in international agreements, or provide “fresh ideas on how to make our policy better.”
“These are work. This is part of our job. Hindi po ito extra (Not extracurricular activities). This is part of our function as a regulatory body,” Amaro said.
The United Filipino Seafarers (UFS) has also earlier urged Duterte to act on the alleged “jet-setting” and “globe-trotting” ways of Amaro using public funds. UFS president Engr. Nelson Ramirez said his group supports the claim of the AME.
Amaro, however, said directors of AME did not know of the letter sent to the Office of the President, and that its president has not been available to confirm the letter. He also noted that there are a lot of other stakeholder organizations, but he has not heard of similar complaints from them.
He explained that the maritime sector is inherently international in nature, and follows the rules and regulations set by the IMO, of which the Philippines has been a member state since the 1960s. The country is also a member of the IMO Executive Council under category C.
He noted that Marina’s participation in IMO meetings is also intended to protect the interest of the country’s seafarers and make sure that no regulations or policies will be crafted that will adversely affect them.
He said the Philippines cannot just be an observer at IMO because the country has a big interest in seafaring, as there are about half a million Filipino seafarers contributing almost US$6 billion yearly to the country’s economy.
He noted that there are 32 IMO meetings every year, but said Marina does not attend them all, only those it is concerned with.
Marina, he noted, also monitors regulations on overseas and domestic shipping, and shipbuilding.
One of his trips, he explained, was with the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), which sets up global standards for shipbuilding, to ask the organization to come to the Philippines and inspect local shipyards and recognized them as meeting these standards. Amaro noted that while the Philippines is considered the fourth largest shipbuilding nation in the world, only foreign-owned shipbuilders in the country are able to construct ships for export since they have been recognized to be compliant with global standards.
Other foreign trips he made were for meetings under the ASEAN Summit, which the country chaired in 2017, and in which Amaro was the one of the chairpersons.
He also pointed out that all his foreign trips were coordinated with the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) and covered by travel authorities approved by his superiors.
Not alone
Amaro also pointed out that he is not the only Marina administrator who attends meetings and dialogues overseas, but his predecessors did as well.
“If you look at the history of Marina, all my predecessors were doing the same. Kasi obligasyon natin ito. Hindi naman ito bago lang (It’s our obligation to attend meetings; this is nothing new),” he said.
He added: “They have to take into consideration that when I go out of the country, it is not me. I am representing the Philippines, and I am not alone. Marina is not alone.”
He said that in Marina’s usual travels, other concerned government agencies also join, such as the DFA, Office of the President, Philippine Ports Authority, and Philippine Coast Guard, among others.
“This is a concerted effort. All things that will be affected by what (regulation) is being crafted outside have to be properly represented,” he pointed out.
Amaro also denied the allegation that he is non-performing due to his absences during foreign trips.
“That is not true because before I leave, and that is a requirement of government, that you should appoint an OIC (officer-in-charge) who’s going to sign on your behalf,” he said. He added that he keeps in touch with the OIC while abroad to make sure “somebody’s taking care of the office.”
Amaro also pointed out that he could not deputize his three deputies to attend overseas meetings on his behalf because their appointment papers have yet to be signed.
Asked if stakeholders, specifically seafarers, can ask Marina for clarifications on matters, Amaro said the agency holds a monthly nationwide program, Usapang STCW, which provides an venue for seafarers to air their concerns and questions to the maritime authority regarding Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers. – Roumina Pablo