MARINA commits to legislative agenda

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MARINA commits to legislative agenda
At the recent Maritime Industry Authority mid-year performance assessment and planning conference led by administrator Atty. Hernani Fabia (seated, fourth from left). Photo from Marina.
  • The Maritime Industry Authority committed to push a number of legislation during this Congress and the next
  • These include amendment of the Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004 and Philippine Ship Registry Act
  • MARINA also pledged to lobby for the Shipbuilding Ship Repair Development Act and the Maritime Industry Act to amend Presidential Decree No. 474 during this (19th) Congress
  • For the 20th Congress, the agency will seek to push for national legislation of IMO Conventions
  • It aims to ratify several IMO Conventions, including the Bunker Convention and HNS Convention

The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) has committed to push a number of legislation during this Congress and the next, including amendment of the Domestic Shipping Development Act and Philippine Ship Registry Act.

During its recently concluded three-day Mid-Year Performance Assessment and Planning Conference, MARINA pledged to lobby during the 19th Congress the following:

  • amendment of Republic Act (RA) No. 9295 (Domestic Shipping Development Act of 2004)
  • Shipbuilding Ship Repair Development Act
  • Philippine Ship Registry Act
  • Maritime Industry Act to amend Presidential Decree No. 474 (Maritime Industry Decree of 1974)

For the 20th Congress, which will start in 2025, MARINA will seek to push for national legislation of two International Maritime Organization (IMO) Conventions, including the International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships, and the Hong Kong International Convention for the safe and environmentally sound recycling of ships.

As an IMO member, MARINA said the Philippine maritime industry also aims to ratify the International Convention on Civil Liability for Bunker Oil Pollution Damage, and International Convention on Liability and Compensation for Damage in Connection with the Carriage of Hazardous and Noxious Substances by Sea.

Bills currently pending in Congress in line with MARINA’s legislative agenda include House Bill (HB) No. 4336 and Senate Bill (SB) Nos. 902 and 1564 seeks to establish a ship registry system in the Philippines; and HB 4335 and HB 8374 proposing the Shipbuilding Development Act.

In 2018, the Philippines deposited instruments to accession to six maritime conventions, including the International Convention for the Control and Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and Sediments, 2004 (BWM Convention); International Convention on the Control of Harmful Anti-fouling Systems in Ships, 2001 (AFS Convention); and Protocol of 1988 relating to the International Convention for the Safety of Life at Sea, 1974 (SOLAS Protocol 88). These took effect in the country in 2018.

RELATED READ: PH files accession instruments to 6 IMO conventions

Strategic deliverables

MARINA also set its strategic deliverables for the next five years, or from 2024 to 2028. The agency said it seeks to digitalize its systems and infrastructure as well as achieve a Silver/Gold Award from the Civil Service Commission Prime in Human Resource Management, and a Silver/Gold Trailblazer Award for its Performance Governance System.

In a message delivered during the conference, MARINA Administrator Atty. Hernani Fabia highlighted the mid-year conference’s role in providing a roadmap for the agency’s programs, positioning MARINA to effectively guide the maritime industry toward enhanced strength and resiliency.

Service directors present during the mid-year performance conference signed certificates of commitment as a tangible representation of their pledge to meet the established targets over the next five years.

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