The Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) has stepped up its efforts to provide vital guidance to those entering the maritime industry by conducting a specialized pre-employment seminar for upcoming seafarer-cadets.
The Maritime Pre-Employment Seminar (MPES), held at the DMW Central Office on June 26, 2026, hosted 65 seafarer-cadets. The initiative focuses on equipping upcoming maritime professionals with essential knowledge regarding pre-employment requirements, industry standards, and the operational responsibilities they will face at sea.
The seminar was led by Director Augusto San Diego III, Undersecretary Felicitas Bay, and Assistant Secretary Julyn Ambito-Fermin. The officials shared practical guidance to prepare the cadets for the rigorous challenges of life and labor aboard international vessels.
Discussions prominently featured the core values of professionalism, discipline, and strict adherence to international maritime regulations — factors critical to maintaining the high global reputation of Filipino seafarers.
This initiative is part of an effort by DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac to strengthen protections for maritime workers. Guided by his decades-long affiliation and deep structural work with various maritime groups, Cacdac has prioritized maritime labor protections, using his extensive background in labor relations to fortify the department’s pre-employment pipelines.
The forum was integrated into the recent International Day of the Seafarer celebration, observed on June 25, establishing the seminar as a regular, programmatic fixture under the secretary’s leadership. Through targeted programs like the MPES, the DMW aims to strengthen the foundational readiness of Filipino mariners before they embark on their initial voyages. Agency officials reaffirmed their commitment to protecting and supporting domestic maritime workers through every stage of their careers, ensuring safe, organized, and dignified employment overseas.
A history of seafarer welfare hubs in Manila
The push to institutionalize pre-employment preparation follows a history of grassroots supported welfare hubs in the capital. Published stories have previously highlighted the critical role — and subsequent operational vulnerabilities — of designated seafarer hubs in the metro.
For decades, hubs like the Manila International Seafarers’ Center and the historic Luneta Seafarers’ Center along T.M. Kalaw Street in Ermita served as vital, physical convergence points. These centers historically allowed maritime workers to network, seek housing, and access critical welfare or legal services.
However, these physical spaces has faced recurring hurdles. The closure of major hubs like the Luneta center due to contract disputes and zoning changes underscores the precarious nature of non-governmental welfare spaces.
By bringing pre-employment seminars via regular hubs directly under the DMW’s institutional umbrella, the government seeks to provide a more stable, structured pipeline of support, minimizing the vulnerabilities Filipino cadets and seafarers historically faced when independently navigating the recruitment hubs of Manila. CIH
