> To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] > Date: Thu, 13 Nov 2008 00:36:33 +0000 > Subject: [marinongpinoy] Come and see the Luneta seafarers > > > Come and see the Luneta seafarers > > THERE is an acute large demand for Filipino marine officers and > seafarers worldwide and the recruitment for qualified ones is not > waning. > In fact, five days a week from Monday to Friday, early morning at > the single biggest marketplaceKalaw-Luneta Seafarer's Centerit is > already teeming of seafarers and cadets looking for new recruits. By > one p.m. in the afternoon, the place is at the peak of its frenzy, > according to Joel Sicat, the administrative officer of the Luneta > Seafarer's Welfare Foundation, Inc. (LUSWELF). > Many would admit that the place has been there for some years now. > it is not a creation of anyone but Capt. Greg S.Oca, president of > AMOSUP with support from ITF, had seen that the place can be > improved. Thereafter, they approached the City Government and > constructed a building and created a Foundation to manage the place. > Unfortunately, there is not one active seafarer trustee within in > the Foundation some critics said. But, that is the subject of > another story. > One can easily go direct to the placeKalaw street and besides the > National Library. In fact, it is a part of the country's national > park otherwise known as Rizal National Park. It is a stone's throw > to the country's historical landmark, Manila Hotel, and the South > Harbor, the country's major port at the heart of the capital city of > Manila. > One would not miss it as the place is like a beehive of activity > five days a week. Some 1,000 warm bodies are there within the day > at anyone time. In fact, those bodies are either standing by or > waiting for job offers or are busily hawking themselves to the > highest bidder. Like a butterfly, a seafarer applicant can flit > from one booth to the other, which otherwise would not be possible > if you report to every agency office in other parts of the city. It > will incur cost and traffic and much much more time to meet the > crewing manager. At the Kalaw area, he can easily haggle for the > wage rate as this has become open secret to entice applicants. It > is so pervading that one only need to peek in the next booth to get > the price differencde. While this work for those offering high > wages, it has become a problem for those offering regular wages and > those trading in the Asian region, analysts said. > Back to our story, one booth is sized one by one meter. They now > abound like beehives really. The hiring and haggling happens there > with assigned cadets or recruitment officer of the agency who do the > hiring or interview of prospective hires. > While it is true that many problematic and/or retired seafarers are > plying the Kalaw- Luneta center, with the establishment of LUSWELF, > it has now become the central recruitment center for seafarers > licensed or unlicensed. That is why, it is not surprising that many > master mariners or chief engineers down the line are there to offer > their licenses for interested employers. LUSWELF has of late > transformed the place into a respectable marketplace of seafarers > some said. > At present, there are some 100 booths which act like magnets for > seafarers or act as centers of hiring activities, not to mention > that indeed some of them are actually business booths for seafarers. > Beware, there are also crime and fake syndicates operating in the > area. The going rate for a booth is at least P6,000 monthly and one > is required to pay three months in advance and voila you have the > right to recruit from your booth. Multiply that with 100 and you > get the monthly income. Where do the money go? Your guess is as good > as mine. > The booths are legal recruitment centers. At least that is the > official permit given to them by the Philippine Overseas Employment > Administration. One is committing illegal recruitment if you > recruit outside of your agency office. To show that they mean > business, once the police tried to arrest those recruiting seafarers > without booths in the place only to release them due to booing of > the crowd who saw the incident. > Like a market place, various wares are being sold in the area aside > from the manpower recruitment. There are vendors hawking food and > drinks, CDs, blood typing, not to mention that even those selling > magical potions and virtual powers were there to get their victims. > Surprisingly, while there are already many manning agencies and ship > owners encouraging would-be seafarers and marine officers via their > websites and emails, Kalaw-Luneta center continues to be exciting > for many seamen. Probably, it can be explained that most of the > Filipino seafarers are still not computer savvy or are not still > Internet connected. > And, it can be partly explained that Internet is against the > Filipino seafarers' social habit of coming back to his roots, which > is now Kalaw-Luneta to give or get news about their former friends > and acquaintances or simply wait for bigger offers. Online applying > will not be norm here at least for several years more. > According to some experts in the past, there were proposals to > establish one-stop-shop for seafarers. Kalaw-Luneta is definitely > fulfilling a need for a one stop shop for seafarers. While it is > still not fully one-stop-shop in the eyes of the idealistics, the > convenience of meeting his mates or his would-be employers are > simply irresistible for a seafarer who needed company or assurance > that he is still employable and worthy of dollar income and praises > of his relatives and friends. > Come, let's go and visit Kalaw-Luneta Seafarer's Center! > > > > > ------------------------------------ > > Yahoo! Groups Links > > > _________________________________________________________________ Easily publish your photos to your Spaces with Photo Gallery. http://get.live.com/photogallery/overview [Non-text portions of this message have been removed] ------------------------------------ Moderator tdk bertanggung jawab atas kebenaran isi dan/atau identitas asli pengirim berita. Yahoo! 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