PMI COLLEGES - A WAKE UP CALL FOR THE SEAFARING INDUSTRY

By: Capt. Alvils

17,000 marine students of PMI colleges woke up one day to find their school has stopped operation. The incident stunned not only the learners but also our entire seafaring nation. No one could believe that this can happen to one of the largest (in terms of enrollees) and oldest maritime institution in the country.

Well, it did not happen overnight. It was a gradual regression of an academic system that after years of neglect and disregard of principles finally metamorphosed to the lowest level of learning. It all started when the younger generation Clomas took over the helm of the institution. As they bickered over shares of profits, they became more concern on the income rather than maintaining the standard and prestige of the school. Upgrading of new equipment were set aside, school facilities were left to deteriorate, Quality Management System (QMS) disregarded and teaching staffs were short-changed and taken for granted resulting to mass exodus of qualified instructors.

An old colleague of mine, who was once a member of the school faculty, told me horrible stories of how he was required by the management to conduct two classes in navigation all at the same time. He has to arrange the two classes to be closed together to enable him to transfer from one classroom to another.

This deplorable state of the educational system of the present PMI clearly reflected from the poor quality of its graduates. As the head of a manning agency trying to hire and inspire novice sailors, I was often distraught by their lack of even the basic knowledge in seafaring. Most of those I interviewed could not even define “navigation”; much less solve simple mathematical problems in navigation. Such learning tasks that I need to know by heart as a student lest I get the ire of my mentors and receive a severe tongue lashing or slap at the back of the head.

Readers should not get me wrong; I am a PMI alumnus. I graduated in 1967, at the time when the country was still considered the shipping power of Asia. I can vividly recall the late Capt. Roque LLanes who, at the flick of his fingers, can draw an almost perfect circle replicating the celestial sphere and its meridians, explain thoroughly the various system of coordinates and discuss to the class with clarity the art of celestial navigation. Then, there was also Chief Mate Jose Reyes (don’t know if he’s still around) who forced me to excel in the subjects of Piloting and Terrestial Navigation by giving me a failing grade in the first semester, making me the most talented repeater in his class. In retrospect, I am proud to say that without these well-knowledgeable, dedicated maritime educators of the erstwhile PMI, I wouldn’t be what I am today.

Most maritime academe experts believed that the recent decision by CHED to close down two non-complaint maritime programs of PMI colleges is not only long overdue but may just be the tip of the ice berg. If they will only search deeper underneath the surface, they will find the specter of a maritime education system that has had significantly deteriorated.

The CHED’s order to phase out the BS Marine Transportation (BSMT) and BS Marine Engineering (BSMarE) programs in PMI's Manila and Quezon City campuses on July 18, 2011 triggered protests actions from its students, school officials and supporters. They claimed that the decision was unjust and unnecessary. No one really explained to them that CHED was forced to issue the closure order – which in my opinion should have been done long time ago - to prevent the European Union (EU) from withdrawing certification rights for over 240,000 Filipino seafarers working onboard vessels registered under EU member states. Once certification is withdrawn, ships carrying Filipino seafarers will no longer be allowed to enter and dock in EU territorial waters.

“The Commission's duty is to safeguard and preserve the quality and standards of the Philippine maritime education, and maintain our country's good standing in the global seafaring community,” explained CHED. However, it took EU’s warning of imposing sanctions this coming December, 2011, before CHED would finally act on the matter.

It is noteworthy to recall that way back in March, 2006 the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) conducted an inspection on the Philippines on its possible non-compliance to the IMO’s Standard Training Watch keeping (STCW) convention. The convention is transposed into EU law on the minimum level of training of seafarers, which provides for a European system to recognize by EU member states certificates issued by third world countries. The disappointing result of inspection, which was conveyed to the then MARINA administrator, Elena Bautista (now Mrs. Elena Horn) – who obviously doesn’t know what to do with the report - reflected a serious non-compliance of the Philippines with STCW convention, particularly on the aspects of quality standard system, monitoring of maritime education and training institutions.

In April of last year, EMSA experts revisited the country and conducted inspection of the Maritime Training Council (MTC), Professional Regulation Communication (PRC), and Commission on Higher Education (CHED), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) and National Telecommunication Commission (NTC).

Among the maritime school inspected were the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), PMI Colleges, University of Cebu (UC), University of Visayas (UV), and the Palompon Institute of Technology (PIT).

Two training centers, in connection with the implementation of the Management Level Courses (MLC), namely: Excellence and Competency Training Center (EXACT) and the Internship Navigation Training Center (INTC) were also inspected.

Among all the maritime schools and training institutions inspected and found non-compliant from the last 2006 EMSA inspection, it was only PMI Colleges that failed to rectify its deficiencies. Hence, CHED, the regulatory body being blamed for lack of monitoring and for ignoring PMI’s repeated violations, to show to EU that they’re doing something about the negative findings, was compelled to close down the school lest it create havoc to the country’s entire seafaring industry.

But why single out PMI colleges when there are about three or four dozen more substandard maritime schools and training institutions, particularly those located in the province, that couldn’t even meet the minimum requirements of CHED (one nautical school outside metro manila even constructed a wheelhouse that can easily mock a “mock bridge”)?

In my article – “the sad state of Philippine maritime education”, I wrote that on 24 January 2007, the Filipino Association for Mariners Employment, inc. (FAME), perhaps wary of the result of EMSA inspections, conducted an assessment of maritime schools all over the country. A uniform set of assessment materials were used to test the aptitude of sophomore maritime students. The Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) and PMI colleges did not participate in the assessment program, saying that they know their school well and doesn’t need anybody to tell them their standard. Perhaps, this explains why EMSA gave them a top priority inspection when it revisited the country last year.

What happened to PMI colleges is not the end but just the beginning of an uphill battle to uplift the standard of our maritime education. A complete overhauling of the system should be done. And it should start from CHED’s very own backyard. They should stop relying on the private sectors to prepare maritime course modules, outlines, frame works and do the monitoring for them. I have long been proposing to our national government to remove TESDA and MTC from the scene and create a single “Department of Maritime Affairs”, composed of Master Mariners, Chief Engineers and maritime educators, to deal with all matters pertaining to maritime academe, issuance of Certificate of Competencies (COC), oversee and implement new rules that would enhance the quality of our maritime training and education, The proposal fell on deaf ears.

Meantime, the eyes of the international shipping community are focus upon us. Considering Filipinos comprises the largest number of seafarers’ onboard foreign-trading vessels, ship owners are more concern with us than any other nationalities. But we need to show to them that we’re not only superior in numbers but also in seafaring proficiency and intellectual capability.

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