The Joint Manning Group (JMG), the largest manning association in the Philippines, continues to support government efforts to ensure the safety, repatriation, recruitment, and welfare of Filipino seafarers amid the ongoing crisis in the Middle East.
In a letter addressed to President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. last Monday, April 6, the JMG expressed its sustained cooperation with relevant government agencies and stakeholders to mitigate risks, provide timely assistance, and ensure the prompt repatriation of affected seafarers when necessary.
“We emphasize the importance of the Filipino seafarer to global trade, considering that international shipping carries up to 90 percent of world trade by volume, and approximately 25 percent of the total global seafarer workforce is comprised of Filipinos,” said Marlon Roño, Chairman of the JMG.
The group added that total recorded remittances from Filipino seafarers in 2025 alone reached USD 7.13 billion, contributing approximately four percent to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GDP).
The JMG recognized the support of the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW), the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA), the Department of Transportation (DOTr), and the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) in prioritizing the safety and welfare of Filipino mariners.
“[We] hereby express our support for the efforts of the President and the Philippine government during this period of global instability and crisis. We will continue to work with our foreign principals and employers for the safe deployment of our seafarers, while coordinating with our crew members to support their recruitment, training, health, welfare, and repatriation,” the JMG stated.
Out of the 2,000 vessels currently stranded in the Strait of Hormuz, the DMW reported that 477 are manned by Filipino seafarers in the Persian Gulf and 79 in the Gulf of Oman. DMW data further shows that there are 5,601 Filipino seafarers still stranded in the Persian Gulf and 940 in the Gulf of Oman.
The Strait of Hormuz was shut down on March 2, 2026, by Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, effectively closing the waterway to international navigation and trapping oil tankers and their crews.
The JMG affirmed that it would continue working with local unions and the International Transport Workers’ Federation (ITF), as well as cooperating with relevant government agencies on all initiatives regarding Filipino seafarers.
The JMG is an umbrella organization of independent, well-established, and long-standing maritime and manning associations in the country. Its members include THE Filipino Association of Mariners’ Employment ( FAME), the Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council ( PJMCC), the Philippine Association of Manning Agencies and Shipmanagers Inc. ( PAMAS), International Maritime Association of the Philippines ( INTERMAP) and Filipino Shipowners Association ( FSA).
