DMW sees Filipino crewing to pre-pandemic levels this year

OFWs line up in a special lane for them at the NAIA Terminal 3 in May 2021. INQUIRER / MARIANNE BERMUDEZ

MANILA, Philippines — Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) on Monday predicted Filipino seafarer deployment would return to pre-pandemic levels by the end of this year.

“As of January to March, first three months of 2023, our deployment is at 149,000. So we can see that projection-wise, by the end of the year, we will be back to pre-pandemic levels,” she forecast.

During an ambush interview at the Seafarer 2050 Summit in Pasay City, the secretary gave these figures.

Deployment of Filipino workers fell to 270,000 in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, she recalled.

Then, the Philippines had almost recovered to the regular deployment figures last year.

“As of 2022, the whole year, we almost breached that number, yung pre-pandemic number. Nag fall-short lang tayo ng 15,000 nung 2022. Our deployment was already at 489,852 Filipino seafarers,” she explained.

(As of 2022, the whole year, we almost breached the pre-pandemic number. We just fell short of 15,000 in 2022. Our deployment was already at 489,852 Filipino seafarers.)

Ople further said more than 505,000 seafarers left the country in 2019.

This meant there was one Filipino out of every five-person international crew.

In October 2022, 50,000 seafarers had previously been at risk of losing their jobs.

European Union had planned on banning employees from the Philippines.

It had said Filipinos’ training was not up to its standards.

However, the prohibition continued after the Philippines complied with the training requirements.

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