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It is graduation time again. It is both an exciting and stressful time for Philippine maritime graduating cadets. Exciting because finally after 3 years of academic studies you are looking forward to a one year sea experience to be able to get your baccalaureate degree, but it is also a stressing one in case your prospect of apprenticeship is still vague. For those who are assured of company’s scholarship, congratulations! For the others, well…. Good luck!
So many cadets were enticed to take maritime courses due to various reasons (top dollar earner, neighbor’s or distant family members who are in the profession, travel abroad, girl in every port stories) but reality bites … ended up with broken dreams.
So what will be your options?
Hold your horses! I mean the Red Horse beers. Before you start celebrating your well-deserved graduation, I would like to remind you that there are so many training courses that will drain your (parents or whoever is supporting your schooling) resources. Some schools are tied up with training centers for the basic courses that you will need. Depending on what kind of vessels you will embark, bulk carrier, ro-ro (roll on-roll off), passenger ships and tanker vessels have different requirements. Most are encouraged (?) to take as many training courses so that you will qualify for vacancy on any of those type of vessels.
Documentary Requirements
You will also need to get a National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) clearance (specify: For Visa Seaman) before you can apply for a seaman’s book. You will also need to get your passport and Social Security System (SSS) number if you haven’t had one yet. You will also need to go to Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) for your Seafarer’s Registration Certificate when you already have your Seafarer’s Identification and Record Book (SIRB)/seaman’s book.
Medical
Before you take a maritime course, you should have been tested for Ishira Test for color-blindness. Stories still abound of cadets finishing their 3 years academic studies but only later learn that they cannot go onboard for their respective position because they are color-blind! Those schools who accept color-blind maritime students are giving false hope. Yung iba nga kasing mga schools hindi rin legitimate na mag offer ng Bachelor of Science (BS) courses ay tumatangap pa rin ng mga student applicants. Maawa naman po kayo. Parents and future maritime students should check if the schools offering maritime courses are approved by Commission on Higher Education (CHED) and recognized by Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). Forewarned is forearmed.
Since you are already graduating student, I believed you already know these things. That you are graduating from CHED-approved maritime school and you are not color-blind.
Now is the time to cram those 3 years of academic studies to pass entrance tests of different companies that train future officers. Some companies are directly going to maritime schools to give the exams or the schools they have tie-up with. The more entrance tests you will take the more chances of passing. It will also hone your test taking skills. Basta may narinig ka na nag offer ng entrance test for cadets, go lang ng go.
What are covered in the test? The subjects of your 3 years education lang naman. Eh paano kung nag school bukol ka noong college days mo? Malaking problema yan…
Sadly, the palakasan system is so ingrained in our culture that the ships’ crewing industry is not spared. Companies will not entertain you since you have no experience. Kay Manong Guard pa lang bagsak ka na. Or Manong Guard will ask you, “Sinong backer mo?” Pagwala kang maisagot, sasabihan ka nya, “Kailangan namin ng may ganitong lisensya, baka may kakilala ka, balik ka na lang pagkasama mo na siya.”
Your application papers will be rejected several times, skip meals to avoid missing your name to be called, wait for hours at the waiting area for calls that will never come. You are not the first and you are not alone.
Are you going to give up?
In other countries, maritime administrations are encouraging their young people to take a career at sea. Where as in our country, there are thousands of graduates and will be graduating cadets but only few hundreds will be able to get onboard. This problem existed 20 years ago when I was a cadet and the same problem is still persisting now! What an irony!
Yung ibang mga may backer abusado naman. Dahil ang backer ay si kapitan o kaya ay si chief engineer, feeling nila kapitan or chief engineer din sila. Hello, gusto mong itapak sa lupa ang mga paa mo? Hindi nila alam na panggalan ng backer nila ang nakataya. Pag ma anggas ka, pasaway at tatamad-tamad ka, dahil pinag mamayabang mo ang backer mo o pag nag jump ship (yung iba na may kasintahan or pamilya sa abroad susugsugan na tumalon ang seaman); si backer ang malalagot sa opisina. Magsumikap para bigyan ng karanggalan at hindi kahihiyan ang backer mo! Kayod marino ka rin tulad ng mga kasamahan mo. Hindi ka naman siguro taga-Tanauan o Tayuman? (Yung bang, pa tinggin-tinggin at patayo-tayo lang habang ang mga kasamahan ay nagtra-trabaho).
Utility Post
Other maritime graduates are taking this route. They will serve as utility personnel in the crewing companies to gain future employment. Some not only work in the company offices to do errands but also served as personal domestic servants at the houses of the company staff. Long time ago, I even heard a story of a utility cadet that was bitten by a snake. Sa opisina sa Manila?! Nope, nandun sya sa farm ni sir sa probinsya, nag-aalaga ng pang sabong na mga manok. Some are known to stay six months to more than a year for the coveted vacancy. Tapos masusulot pa sila sa sakayan ng may backer. Ouch!
Inter-island
It is common to hear and use inter-island but the proper term should be domestic trade. There are companies plying the domestic routes and they do offer berths for those interested. There are varying terms and conditions. Some companies give 500 pesos per month stipend to the cadet plus free three meals. Some are like hospitals for newly passed nurses, if you like to work for them and get experience, you pay! Most cadets are not keen to work on domestic trade. Ang gusto ay overseas experience kaagad. In my opinion, it is better to get a domestic trade experience, take the board exam, practice it there until you have enough experience and developed skills to venture for overseas work.
Cadetship or Rating Route
A cadetship route will need a year onboard experience as cadet or apprentice mate, while as rating (Ordinary Seaman (OS), Abled-Bodied Seaman (AB), Wiper or Oiler) will need 36 months onboard experience before one can take the board exam. There used to be an issue regarding those with Deck Trainee and Engine Trainee ranks because the positions are not the same as above. Ano ba ang pinagkaiba ng OS at Deck Trainee o ng Wiper at Engine Trainee? Sahod lang naman para makatipid ang may-ari ng barko. Mas mababa ang sahod pag trainee kaysa sa regular position. Tapos hindi ka pa papayagan dati ng Philippine Regulation Commission (PRC) na makapag exam pag wala kang katibayan galing sa kompanya na parehas lang ang trabaho (job description) ng OS at ng Trainee o Wiper at Engine Trainee. I’m not yet updated if this is still an issue with the new maritime exam giving body ng MARINA.
OIC-NW Nielsen Aplasca as guest speaker
I once attended a meeting, where the young officer and guest speaker was a graduate of the maritime institution where he also worked as a part-time instructor and presently taking his masteral studies. He talked about his onboard experience when he was a cadet and as rating. He emphasized that one should learn to follow orders of his superiors; to develop self-discipline; nurture self-study habit while onboard; to save money for future board exam and trainings; to know how to have good relations with the officers and crew onboard. His audience was able to relate well with him because most of them are of his age.
The future of the Philippine seafaring industry lies on like of officers’ Nielsen Aplasca, Rian Claro and other young officers and engineers I met who opt to work in schools, training centers and in some cases, in The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA). They worked as officers onboard and when on vacation, shared their knowledge to the cadets by working as instructors and squeezing their free time to take up masteral studies. With the introduction of modern technologies onboard, I believe schools should encourage more practicing officers and engineers to share their up-to-date working knowledge to maritime students.
Graduating maritime cadets and those who are already graduated but still not yet able to gain employment should really strive hard since as more cadets are graduating, more people will compete for a single berth. There are many ways and stepping stones for you to choose. If you are bright, you can take the qualification exams; you can work as cadet in the domestic trade and if you know somebody, you can use them as referral.
May dati akong kasamahan, iba naman ang istilo nya. Ginawa nyang girlfriend (GF) (actually binuntis nya) yung anak ni kapitan. O alanggan naman na hindi tulungan ni Kapitan ang mamanugangin kung hindi magugutom ang unica hija nya. Yung isa naman nakasama ko, kasambahay ng may-ari ng barko ginawa nyang GF para mapakilala siya sa may-ari ng barko at makasakay. Kung tatanungin nyo kung nagkatuluyan ba yung nakasama ko (huling balita ko chief mate na siya ngayon) at yung kasambahay, naku ibang usapan na yan. Mahaba na itong kwento ko eh. Kaniya-kaniya tayo ng diskarte sa buhay. Do what you think will work for you best and make that decision that you will cherish until you retire. Your personal story of struggle and success that you will relate with fond memories to others and your family.
Happy Graduation and Good luck to all maritime cadets!!!
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