FOR maritime stakeholders, if the Philippines wants to be more globally competitive, then President Ferdinand "Bongbong" Marcos Jr. and his administration will have to strengthen the Philippine Ship Registry, as doing so will not only provide jobs for the country's many seafarers but will also help cadets find berths to complete their training.
"Every year, the country gets around 100,000 new students from both the Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE) and Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) courses offered by numerous outstanding maritime educational institutions, but only a small percentage of these new cadets can be accommodated by the industry," said Arsenio Padilla Jr., president of Exact Training Center Inc., during the media launch of the EXPO Maritime Philippines 2023–Flag State and Shipbuilders Convention at the Sheraton Manila Hotel recently.
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