ATTY. BRENDA V. PIMENTEL
The Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers appears to be the Philippine government’s initial step to fulfilling a commitment as a party to the International Maritime Labor Convention 2006 (MLC 2006) to transpose the convention’s requirements into national legislation. MLC 2006 calls on all State Parties to secure the right of all seafarers to decent employment, which in turn is anchored on the fundamental rights of every person stipulated in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. In very clear terms, MLC 2006 defines the seafarer’s employment and social rights as follows: