The Philippines has been reelected to the council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under Category C for the biennium 2018-2019.
Obtaining 124 of the 160 votes cast last December 1, the Philippines was again elected to the IMO Council under Category C, placing 13th among the 20 elected IMO member-states under the said category. The Department of Transportation (DOTr) said in a statement that this is a leap from the Philippines’ previous 18th ranking in 2015.
Category C members are states that have special interest in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.
The members of the IMO Council were elected December 1 during the 30th Session of the IMO Assembly (A30) being held from November 27 to December 6 at the IMO headquarters in London.
The Council is the executive organ of IMO and is responsible, under the Assembly, for supervising the work of the organization. Between sessions of the Assembly, the IMO Council performs all the functions of the Assembly, except making recommendations to governments on maritime safety and pollution prevention.
The Philippines, a member state of the IMO since 1964, has been an active member of the IMO Council since 1997.
There are 10 slots in Category A for member states with the largest interest in providing international shipping services, and another 10 slots for Category B for member states with the largest interest in international seaborne trade.
Category A countries are China, Greece, Italy, Japan, Norway, Panama, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, United Kingdom, and United States.
Category B members, meanwhile, are Australia, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, India, Netherlands, Spain, Sweden, and United Arab Emirates.
Joining the Philippines in Category C are the Bahamas, Belgium, Chile, Cyprus, Denmark, Egypt, Indonesia, Jamaica, Kenya, Liberia, Malaysia, Malta, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, Singapore, South Africa, Thailand, and Turkey.
The newly elected members of the IMO Council will elect the chair and vice chair at their 119th session.
According to Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) Administrator Marcial Quirico Amaro III, being elected anew into the United Nations body is an honor for the country.
“The Philippines winning a slot in this prestigious international maritime Council is not only a victory for the DOTr, but a victory for Filipino seafarers, the entire Philippines, and for all of us Filipinos,” Amaro said.
He added that one of the key factors that led to a slot for the country in the IMO Council was the all-out campaigning done by the DOTr’s maritime sector, which includes Marina, Philippine Ports Authority (PPA), and Philippine Cost Guard (PCG), with the help of the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA).
“The DOTr Maritime Sector, through the MARINA, PPA and PCG, has worked hard for this. Our campaign was done within IMO only, with 172 member states in too short a time with very limited resources. But we succeeded for the Philippines. A success by the DOTr, and the entire Philippines, in the World Maritime Community,” Amaro said.
Government figures showed that Filipino seafarers are the top choice of employers in the global shipping industry. Filipino seafarers comprise over 25% of the 1.5 million mariners worldwide and infuse an estimated US$5.575 billion into the country’s economy via remittances.
The IMO Council is elected by the Assembly, which is composed of all IMO member-states, for a two-year term beginning after each regular session of the Assembly.
The Philippine delegation to the A30 included Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo and other Philippine Embassy officers, and representatives from the Office of the President, Office of the Executive Secretary, DFA, Marina, PPA, PCG, and National Mapping and Resource Information Authority.
The Philippines is represented in all the meetings of the IMO by Gilberto Asuque, the Philippine Permanent Representative to IMO and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Philippine Embassy; Emma Sarne the alternate permanent representative; Marina maritime attaché Arsenio Lingad II; and Capt. Eustacio Nimrod Enriquez, Jr, the technical adviser to the maritime attaché.
