Manila Declaration a blow for seafarers By Malou Talosig-Bartolome
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HE Philippines on Tuesday unveiled the Manila Declaration on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-Being, a landmark non-binding framework that seeks to elevate global protections for maritime workers amid rising geopolitical, environmental, and industry risks. The Declaration, launched at the close of a two-day international conference in Manila, outlines a rights-based agenda for seafarers— recognizing them as “key workers” in global supply chains and calling for urgent reforms across crisis response, gender equity, labor conditions, and industry transition.
PHILIPPINE Ambassador to London and IMO Permanent Representative Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. (center) raises the hands of Philippine Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva Carlos D. Soretta (left) and MARINA Administrator Sonia Malaluan (right) at the close of the International Conference on Seafarers’ Human Rights, Safety and Well-Being in Manila. PHOTO COURTESY OF MARINA
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Ambassador Carlos D. Soretta, the Philippines’ Permanent Representative to the United Nations in Geneva, said the initiative responds to the “sad state” of seafarers caught in conflict zones or abandoned during emergencies. “We need a broader human rights lens— one that inspires states to act not just through maritime law, but through shared moral responsibility,” Soretta said. The Manila Declaration sets out 10 core principles, including: • Universal human rights at sea and ashore, aligned with global treaties • Protection for seafarers in conflict and crisis zones, with no abandonment • Gender equality and inclusion, addressing
the 5-percent female workforce • Just transition in shipping, preparing workers for decarbonization and digitalization • Stakeholder cooperation, from governments to industry and civil society • Full enforcement of the Maritime Labour Convention, 2006 • Emergency preparedness, especially in pandemics and disasters • Freedom to earn a living through freely chosen work • Corporate responsibility, mainstreaming human rights in maritime operations • Technical cooperation and capacity-building in maritime education Second Officer Maribel Singian welcomed
the Declaration as an overdue recognition. “It’s a celebration—finally, seafarers are being seen for their hardship and their work,” she said. Captain Jasmine Labarda, who shared her experience of abuse and neglect, praised the government’s commitment: “This is a government that works for the people and thinks about its best.”
Filipino seafarers at the helm of global shipping
OF the estimated 1.9 million seafarers worldwide, nearly 30 percent hail from the Philippines—making the country the single largest source of maritime labor globally. See “Manila,” A2
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Thursday, September 4, 2025 Vol. 20 No. 326
P25.00 nationwide | 2 sections 20 pages | 7 DAYS A WEEK
By Jovee Marie N. Dela Cruz and Samuel P. Medenilla
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HE House’s major political parties on Wednesday called for the return of the proposed P6.793-trillion 2026 National Expenditure Program (NEP) to the Department of Budget and Management (DBM), citing “serious and systemic anomalies” in its preparation across multiple agencies. In a news briefing, Deputy Speaker Ronnie Puno, chairman of the National Unity Party (NUP), said the decision was made at a party leaders’ meeting and that they would recommend that House Speaker Martin Romualdez send the document back. The major political parties in the House are Lakas-Christian Muslim Democrats (CMD), the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC), the Nacionalista Party (NP), and the NUP. “We have decided as a group to recommend the return of the 2026 national budget to the DBM because we do not know how to deal with it,” Puno said. “We don’t want it to appear that we are not accepting the rightful recommendations of the DBM. And on the other hand, we do not want to be accused of replacing or amending by [budget] errata a huge portion of the national expenditure program that they have submitted to us,” he added. House party leaders urged their colleagues to skip scheduled budget briefings until the identified anomalies are resolved, even as Romualdez See “key,” A8
BREACH OF TRUST A flood-control project in Barangay Bambang, Candaba, Pampanga, lies in ruins on Wednesday, September 3, 2025. With billions of pesos potentially lost to “ghost and non-existent” flood-control projects, new Public Works Secretary Vince Dizon vowed to clean up the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) within 60 days to restore integrity and rebuild public trust. Dizon, who took over after Manuel Bonoan’s resignation, pressed more than 250 officials to submit courtesy resignations, stressing that blacklisting errant contractors is only the beginning as flood-prone communities “cannot be left waiting.” President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. earlier ordered a sweeping review of the DPWH budget under the proposed 2026 National Expenditure Program. NONOY LACZA
DPWH FREEZES ALL BIDDINGS OF LOCALLY FUNDED PROJECTS By Lorenz S. Marasigan
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HE Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH) has ordered an immediate nationwide freeze on all bidding for locally funded projects, with Secretary Vince Dizon saying the two-week suspension is meant to install safeguards and curb corruption within the agency. “All DPWH locally funded projects—flood control, roads—
whether national, regional, or district, I am ordering a pause today,” Dizon said during the turnover ceremony at the Department of Transportation. “The President does not want any more money of the government, of the DPWH, thrown into the river.” The freeze does not cover foreign-assisted projects funded by Official Development Assistance (ODA) and lending institutions, See “DPWH,” A2
Recto shrugs off tariff threat vs digital tax By Reine Juvierre S. Alberto
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INANCE Secretary Ralph G. Recto has shrugged off US President Donald Trump’s threat to slap additional tariffs on countries imposing digital taxes, saying he would not give much weight to the remark at this point. “I don’t give it much importance as of now,” Recto told reporters on Tuesday when asked if he sees Trump’s assertion as an empty threat. Last week, Trump posted on his social media platform Truth Social
that he will impose “substantial” additional tariffs on countries exporting to the United States if they enforce digital taxes or adopt legislation and regulations “designed to harm or discriminate against American technology.” The United States has slapped a 19-percent reciprocal tariff on Philippine exports effective on August 7, while the Philippines committed to removing its tariffs on US-made cars and other goods. Recto clarified, however, that there is no agreement between the United States yet on the implementation of zero tariffs on US imports.
“Nothing has been agreed upon. There’s no contract. There’s nothing signed,” Recto said. The Philippines began taxing digital services on June 2, 2025, following the signing of Republic Act No. 12023 by President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. on October 2, 2024. The law seeks to level the playing field between local and foreign digital service providers (DSPs) by mandating a 12-percent value-added tax on all digital services consumed in the Philippines. Currently, only local DSPs are required to pay the 12-percent value-
added tax. Digital services include online search engines, such as Google; marketplaces, including Shopee and Lazada; cloud services; streaming sites, such as Netflix and Disney Plus; social media platforms, including Facebook and X; online advertising; and digital goods. BMI, a Fitch Solutions Company, said in its latest commentary that the Philippines may well have to water down its 12-percent digital VAT by exempting US firms. “Otherwise, higher tariffs would weigh further still on the economy See “recto,” A8
PESO EXCHANGE RATES n US 57.2970 n JAPAN 0.3862 n UK 76.7608 n HK 7.3407 n CHINA 8.0259 n SINGAPORE 44.4680 n AUSTRALIA 37.3405 n EU 66.7109 n KOREA 0.0410 n SAUDI ARABIA 15.2706 Source: BSP (September 3, 2025)