Policy purpose and training requirement
- The order is grounded on the conversion of the Philippine Nautical School into the Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA) in June 1963 under Republic Act No. 3630.
- The order recognizes that a phase of the PMMA course leading to the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation requires cadets to embark on merchant marine vessels for practical training.
- The order requires covered vessels to accept PMMA cadets to fulfill the practical shipboard training phase.
- The training arrangement is expressly tied to quarters and subsistence “usually pertaining to shipas officers,” with cadets duly provided accordingly.
Covered vessels and mandatory cadet numbers
- All government-owned vessels utilized in maritime commerce must accept PMMA cadets for shipboard training.
- All privately-owned vessels acquired through reparations but not yet fully paid must also accept PMMA cadets for shipboard training.
- Each covered vessel must accept at least two cadets of the PMMA per vessel.
- The two cadets must be assigned as follows: one for the Deck Department and the other for the Engine Department.
- Acceptance is required “henceforth” for the purposes of training.
Allocation, living conditions, and subsistence
- Cadets accepted under the order must receive the quarters and subsistence that “usually pertain to shipas officers.”
- Cadets must be duly provided quarters and subsistence as ship officers’ arrangements for the training period.
- The order links the cadet deployment to shipboard practical training within the maritime commerce environment.
Implementation through vessel compliance
- Covered vessel operators must ensure the vessel accepts PMMA cadets in the required Department assignments: Deck and Engine.
- Compliance must be carried out for “purposes of training,” consistent with the PMMA course phase requiring embarkation.
- The order’s operational standard is acceptance of PMMA cadets on each covered vessel, with the required minimum number and departmental distribution.
Transitory and relationship to PMMA establishment
- The obligation applies to privately-owned vessels acquired through reparations but not yet fully paid, establishing a time-bound coverage category tied to payment status.
- The order ties the training requirement to PMMA’s academic program for the Bachelor of Science in Marine Transportation.
- The order’s cadet training requirement reflects the PMMA’s establishment under Republic Act No. 3630.