ATTY. BRENDA V. PIMENTEL
The need to update the Philippine Merchant Marine Rules and Regulations 1997 (PMMRR’97) is one topic that always arouses the interest of maritime stakeholders. In one meeting I attended, someone called attention to how thin the book containing these rules and regulations was, as if their insufficiency or obsolescence could be remedied by thickness or breadth. The need to update PMMRR’97, it seemed to me then, has been recognized by former Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) officials as early as ten years ago.