MANILA — The Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) is finalizing various projects that will be implemented under the 10-year Maritime Industry Development Program (MIDP), which aims to establish a safe and modernized maritime sector.
Among the priority programs that are being crafted by the agency include the establishment of the maritime industrial hub, the MARINA’s role in the development of the Philippine nautical system as well as the country’s coastal and inland waterways, fishing, maritime tourism, maritime safety, maritime security, and maritime information and communication.
“While it may be true that we do have plans in the past, those are either short or indefinite plans that do not sufficiently reflect the mandate of the MARINA as maritime administration. As part of it, we have to commit and adhere by its mandate pursuant to the objectives of its creation, which is to prepare and annually update a 10-year maritime industry development program that contains a rational and integrated development of the maritime industry,” MARINA Planning and Policy Services (MARINA-PPS) Director Emmanuel Carpio said in a statement Thursday.
Carpio said relevant laws and policies, key stakeholders including government agencies, maritime-related industries, and academic institutions, as well as their roles in the implementation of the MIDP were also clearly defined.
The agency also held consultations among maritime transport stakeholders to ensure that programs and policies under the MIDP are responsive to their needs.
The MARINA-PPS will present the draft MIDP primer to the MARINA management for further refinement next week.
The formulation of the MIDP is pursuant to Presidential Decree No. 474, wherein the MARINA is mandated to prepare a maritime industry development plan to address all the key concerns of the maritime sector.
A major initiative being pursued under the MIDP is the modernization of domestic ships such as turning wooden-hulled motor bancas into either steel, aluminum, or fiberglass boats.
It also involves strengthening of the capability of local shipyards and promoting the development of locally-made ships. (Aerol John Pateña/PNA)
