MANILA, PHILIPPINES – The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) will issue appropriate show cause orders to four (4) non-conformant maritime higher educational institutions (MHEIs) in the Philippines due to conduct of operations despite the lack of government permit issued in their favor.

The MARINA reiterated the policy that it shall not recognize educational programs from MHEIs with no permission to operate from the government.

After the surveillance conducted by the MARINA central and regional offices on October to November 2018, four (4) of the 21 MHEIs with disapproved applications to operate are discovered to be still accepting first year Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation (BSMT) and/or Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE) students for the academic year 2018-2019. These educational institutions are noted to be deceiving their learners that the programs they offer are approved and compliant with STCW Convention 1978, as amended.

The MARINA withheld the identities of these MHEIs pending their receipt of their respective show cause orders and finality of decision from the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) en banc.

After the issuance of the show cause orders, the MHEIs will be given ten (10) days to submit responses to the MARINA that will then be deliberated by the Technical Panel on Maritime Education (TPME) for further corrective measures.

The MARINA regularly monitors and evaluates MHEIs to ensure that their facilities and training equipment, quality standard system (QSS), shipboard training, examination and assessment system, faculty, and curriculum are in compliance with the STCW Convention 1978, as amended, to uphold the quality and competence of Filipino seafarers.