Hon. Administrator Bernard P. Olalia, Incumbent FAME President Atty. Rod Ortiz, Distinguished Members of the Board, Colleagues in the Industry, Ladies and Gentlemen, magandang hapon po sa ating lahat.

Let me start by saying thank you to the Board who elected me as President of FAME for the year 2022 - 2023.  I can only reciprocate the trust and confidence that they have bestowed on me by wholeheartedly accepting the challenge of the Presidency. Maraming Salamat.

Since I got elected last Friday Dec 3,  I spent the past few nights thinking and reflecting on what more I can do as President of the biggest, the oldest and the leading manning association in the Philippines.  As FAME members, we know the traditional, perennial and current problems of the Industry. I am also aware that I will be serving at a time when the pandemic will continue to beset us.  But I also know that now as in the past, the manning industry with FAME as a major player will face the problems head on and find solutions and even turn problems into opportunities because of the Filipino resilience and ingenuity to rise above adversity.

But still, beyond this, I kept asking myself, what more can FAME do to bring the industry to a higher level of stability. What can we do to put programs with higher social relevance that will impact the lives of our Seafarers and their families before they start sailing, during their sailing years and after seafaring to enjoy a life of a comfortable reintegration to the society.  I realize however, that these thoughts are not mine alone to ponder. I know I will be supported by a dedicated, hardworking and experienced Board who will help me find the answers to my thoughts. My primary role is to bring the leaders and the whole membership of FAME together to find the right programs that will strengthen the Industry further.

As President of FAME, I will continue to pursue the goals of improving and maintaining the competitiveness of the Filipino seafarers, and that can be better served by cooperative efforts and partnerships between the manning association and the government.  As we, the individual manning agencies, endeavor to establish quality management system among our respective companies, the government can help us in ensuring that the regulatory environment within which our companies operate is conducive for and facilitative of the growth of the manning Industry. In this regard, frequent communication, regular coordination and at most cooperation with the government is vital. 

Proposed Agenda

To implement these, our Association will continue to have the existing five (5) standing committees: (1) Membership; (2) Government; (3) Legal and Legislative; (4) Education and Training Certification and Assessment: and (5) Special Projects. These Committees are chaired with one (1) Director, with a Co-Chair and volunteer members from the other members of the Board.

I would like to take this opportunity to welcome volunteers from the general membership to join the Committee of your choice where you think you can best serve the Association. The active participation of the members, especially those holding the top management or Owners of the company will provide FAME a continuing source of leaders that can lead the association in the future.

In addition to the existing five (5) committees, I would like to recommend that we consider the creation of the Committee on Crew Welfare and Reintegration.

FAME could be an effective vehicle and partner in the development and implementation of reintegration programs of the government that will not only provide Filipino seafarers alternative livelihood but also facilitate knowledge and skills transfer of the expertise gained by our seafarers for the development of our Domestic Maritime Industry. 

This kind of program can also enlighten the minds of our seafarers that there are livelihood and business opportunities after their seafaring career, thereby erasing negative thoughts that may be detrimental to the Manning Industry and to the Seafarers themselves in the end.

Another possible agenda that I would like to put forward is the conduct of an Association-wide Strategic Planning Exercise, aimed at reviewing the purpose of our creation, our mission, and hopefully the formulation of our societal vision. The Strategic Planning exercise could also help us in accessing our organizational structure and in coming up an action plan for the next two (2) years.

I believe that the conduct of a strategic planning exercise is a necessary first step for the association to reflect on our social relevance, to assess our gains in the past years, and to define our future agenda that could bring us to a higher level of performance, thereby enabling our association to better serve the Filipino seafarers and the Manning Industry. 

I think I must end with those two (2) initial proposed agenda items. There will be a right time and a right venue for the identification of other agenda for the next two (2) years. However, whatever agenda we will come up with in the coming weeks or months, our agenda must come out not only from the set of officers but also from the general membership of our Association. We have to encourage and expand the participation of the general membership in the decision-making process, so that we can make use of a wide array of good ideas from all the members of our Association, to the extent practicable.

Finally, our agenda for the next two (2) years must build on the gains and accomplishments of the previous set of leaders of our Association. We must face the future of our Association conscious of our past, our history. We shall move forward carrying with us the organizational lessons we have gained and the capacities we have built, and use them as our tools and guide, as we navigate the future in pursuit of the interest and benefits of the Filipino seafarers and the Manning Industry.

Once again, magandang hapon po at mabuhay tayong lahat!

Mabuhay ang FAME!

THANK YOU AND MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

CAPT. GAUDENCIO "JESS" C. MORALES
President