Sen. Tulfo clarifies seafarers' law amid misinformation

Sen. Raffy Tulfo convened a consultative meeting at the Senate with various stakeholders to clarify provisions of the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers amid circulating misinformation about the newly signed law.

Tulfo, one of the main authors and chair of the Senate Committee on Migrant Workers, met with seafarers' unions, manning agencies, seafarers’ families, and other concerned groups to address concerns, including claims that seafarers' salaries have been reduced as a result of the Magna Carta.

Sen. Tulfo clarified that confusion may stem from the new 80 percent mandatory allotment provision, which now includes fixed or guaranteed overtime pay in computing the 80 percent allotment under the Implementing Rules and Regulations (IRR) of the law.

He emphasized there is no provision in the Magna Carta stating any seafarer's salary will be reduced and Atty. Henry Zamora of AMOSUP clarified that IRR permits seafarers to designate multiple allottees for their basic salary and guaranteed overtime pay as personal savings.

Sen. Tulfo directed all manning agencies, in coordination with the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) and Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA), to launch an aggressive information and education campaign to address ongoing confusion regarding the Magna Carta provisions.