A new training site for the National Maritime Polytechnic (NMP) may soon rise in Tanza, Cavite to complement the training needs of Filipino seafarers in the CALABARZON region.
The Tacloban-based agency presented its feasibility study to industry stakeholders last Monday at the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) Building in Makati City.
The study, conducted in collaboration with the Development Academy of the Philippines (DAP), assessed the proposed RTC’s market demand, operational requirements, institutional arrangements, financial and economic viability, and alignment with international maritime training and certification standards.
Based on the study, construction of the ₱2-billion Regional Training Center (RTC) in Cavite will commence by 2028, pending approval by the President.
As the government’s sole maritime training and research arm, the NMP intends to provide STCW training courses and eventually—according to NMP Executive Director Victor Del Rosario—offer non-mandatory courses as well.
This will address transportation challenges for seafarers who need free training but reside in the CALABARZON and National Capital Region (NCR) areas. With the construction and completion of an RTC in Cavite, seafarers will no longer have to travel to Tacloban, Leyte to avail of the free training offered by the NMP.
Stakeholders urge NMP to focus on training gaps
Industry stakeholders, particularly from the maritime training, education, and manning sectors, were present to review and validate the initial results of NMP's draft feasibility study.
Among the major concerns discussed was the shortage of ship officers due to training gaps.
According to members of the Philippine Association of Maritime Training Centers, Inc. (PAMTCI) present during the forum, the NMP should lead in addressing these gaps, especially by utilizing the ₱2-billion regional training center.
Dr. Glenn Mark Blasquez, Vice President for Operations of the Southern Institute for Maritime Studies (SIMS), noted that the Philippines currently lacks clear training programs for cybersecurity, electro-technical officers (ETO), electro-technical ratings (ETR), autonomous ships, and alternative fuels.
“NMP can focus on these because, until now, we are still sending our seafarers to India and Singapore since no local training centers offer them. The qualification requirements set by MARINA for instructors are also quite high, which is why we don’t have enough experienced and qualified instructors for such training,” he said.
“Let’s concentrate on emerging technologies because this will be the future trend in shipping. Two billion pesos may be too much if we only offer basic training (BT),” he added.
This sentiment was echoed by Karen Avelino, Senior Vice President for Cruise Operations at Philippine Transmarine Carriers (PTC), who stated that there are already too many training centers offering BT.
“NMP may focus on solving real problems, such as training gaps,” she said.
According to Presca Lugo, a maritime education and training representative from the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA), the local training sector is indeed saturated with Maritime Training Institutions (MTIs) offering BTs.
“If NMP intends to help seafarers remain competitive, you may want to focus Phase 3 of your training on emerging technologies,” she said.
Representing DMW Secretary Hans Leo Cacdac, Augusto San Diego III, director of the DMW Sea-Based Accreditation Bureau, affirmed that the NMP was established to do more than operate as a standard training center—it exists to address market gaps in the maritime industry by identifying weaknesses and prioritizing emerging trends.
He added that the government, through the NMP, will ensure that training remains accessible and future-ready.
Meanwhile, Del Rosario assured stakeholders that their feedback—particularly regarding the inclusion of advanced training courses—will be reviewed and deliberated by NMP officials for inclusion in the final proposal to the President.
