LOYALTY is gold in an industry that has seen a good share of its workforce jumping from one company to another, often in search of better opportunities and remuneration.

In the Philippine manning sector, it has become a norm amongst seafarers to hunt for the best manning company that could offer good working conditions, opportunities for shipboard promotion, appropriate welfare programs for their families and competitive salaries. These are some of the circumstances that gave a different meaning to 'Kalaw,' that stretch of road in Manila where various manning agencies, training centers and assessments centers pose their best offers. For generations of seafarers, Kalaw means 'opportunity.'