THE National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) is expanding its training operations and upgrading key facilities to make government maritime programs more accessible to Filipino seafarers, agency officials announced during the 2026 Media Partnership Forum held here on Sept. 15.
The initiatives center on a fee-waiver expansion, ongoing simulator and facility upgrades, and the planned construction of new regional training centers in Luzon and Mindanao.
According to NMP Executive Director Victor Del Rosario, who addressed media members during the partnership forum, the institutional drive aims to provide Filipino seafarers with responsive, technology-driven instruction aligned with evolving global standards.
Under an Aug. 3 policy change — enacted following a June 18 directive from Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac — NMP waived fees across its remaining regular courses. The shift expanded the agency’s free training offerings to 55 courses covering Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping (STCW) mandated programs in deck, engine, safety, security, and medical fields, alongside non-STCW skill courses.
As of Sept. 14, the expanded free program had served 5,556 trainees, with Del Rosario expressing confidence during the media briefing that total enrollment could reach 12,000 by December.
The agency is also pacing toward a record operational output. NMP issued 22,009 training certificates through Aug. 31, nearing its full-year 2025 record of 22,972 — its highest annual output since launching training operations in 1983.
To maintain pace with international standards, NMP has undertaken a modernization campaign since 2024, upgrading advanced maritime simulators — including Wärtsilä bridge and engine models — and rehabilitating its primary complex in Tacloban City.
To reduce geographic barriers for seafarers outside Eastern Visayas, the institution partnered with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP) to conduct feasibility studies for new Regional Training Centers on a 2.1-hectare seaside site in Tanza, Cavite, and in Davao City.
The proposed expansion into Cavite and Davao has drawn concern from some private maritime training institutions (MTIs), which worry the state-subsidized expansion could siphon off market share in a competitive industry.
Addressing those apprehensions during the media partnership briefing, Del Rosario stressed that the state-owned institution intends to complement private MTIs rather than compete with them.
“We adopted this policy not to compete with the private sector, but to complement it — to fill a gap and fulfill NMP’s mandate as the country’s only state-owned maritime training center,” Del Rosario said.
Del Rosario noted that in Region 8, where NMP’s main complex operates in Tacloban City, no private training centers exist, eliminating direct regional competition. He added that NMP operates under strict government capacity constraints, projecting an annual capacity of roughly 30,000 certificates, or 9,000 to 10,000 individual seafarers.
“That is not even 2 percent or 3 percent of the total training output nationwide, which is served by more than 90 private MTIs,” Del Rosario said, noting the government’s volume represents a fraction of total market demand.
Making maritime education accessible and affordable remains a core duty under Presidential Decree No. 1369, NMP’s founding charter.
The feasibility study for the proposed Cavite facility is scheduled for completion on Oct. 15 for submission to DMW Secretary Cacdac, with NMP aiming to secure a P2-billion allocation in the 2028 national budget to break ground at the start of that fiscal year.
