Jebsens Maritime honored with the Presidential Award of Excellence

 

Jebsens Maritime, Inc. (JMI), the manning arm of Aboitiz Jebsen Bulk Transport Corp., was recently conferred the POEA Presidential Award of Excellence by President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo at the Rizal Hall of Malacañang Palace. The ceremony was also graced by Labor Secretary Marianito D. Roque , POEA Administrator Jennifer Jardin-Manalili, and OWWA Administrator Carmelita S. Dimzon.

 

JMI received the prestigious honor for consistently achieving outstanding performance in providing decent and gainful employment to overseas Filipino workers.

 

This is the first time that the Presidential Award of Excellence was bestowed on a manning agency, by virtue of Proclamation No. 1519, signed in May 2008. The award is given to recruitment companies which have consistently received at least five (5) Awards of Excellence from the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA). Criteria for the award include : technical capability, deployment, industry leadership, welfare programs and allied services to workers and their families, and social awareness and responsibility.

 

In a separate event, JMI was also recognized during the 2009 POEA Agency Performance Awards ceremonies with the theme “Sustaining Excellence and Professionalism Amid the Challenging Times” held at the Philippine International Convention Center last April 29, 2010.

 

In its 27 years of operations, JMI received several citations including : POEA Top Performer Award (1991, 1992, 1994, 1995), POEA Award of Excellence (1996, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2005), Certificate of Recognition for our Promotion of Human Resources Development (2002), Special Awards for Special Commendation for Exemplary Welfare and Allied Services (2005) and Presidential Award of Excellence and POEA Award of Excellence (2009).

 

Aboitiz Jebsen proudly shares its awards with all its business partners – principals, seafarers and their families – for their excellent cooperation and loyalty throughout the years.

 

Aboitiz Jebsen (ABOJEB) is a 28-year old shipping joint venture between two pioneers in the shipping industry – the Aboitiz Group of the Philippines and the Jebsens Group of Norway. The joint venture is an international provider of crewing, ship management and total transport solutions and services.

 

Jebsens Maritime, Inc. (JMI), which recently garnered the most prestigious Presidential Award of Excellence for the sea-based manning sector in the Philippines, is the crewing arm of Aboitiz Jebsen with a pool of approximate 8,000 qualified crew. The company has been contracted by leading ship owners and managers to provide them with crew management services for 344 ships such as cargo-passenger, ferry, belt self-discharge, cruise ships, yacht, log/bulk carrier, container/feeder, general cargo, livestock, woodchip carrier, multi-purpose, fishing and tugboats, water barge, pipe-laying, construction/special services/cutter, stone dumping, heavy lift, hopper dredger, research, FPSO, offshore, OBOs, VLCC, LPG/oil product and chemical tankers.

 

It has a crew retention rate of 88% that can be attributable to on-time remittance of home allotments and social welfare contributions, continuous employment and career-pathing, competitive wages, sponsored trainings and family welfare benefits.

 

In its aim to address the worldwide shortage of marine engineers, JMI focuses its resources to launching several innovative programs to help develop competent and qualified Filipino marine engineers, giving top priority to the children and relatives of its existing seafarers. These programs include:

 

Marine Engineering Scholarship

In coordination with the Aboitiz Group Foundation, Inc., Aboitiz Jebsen provides scholarships for marine engineering (MarE) students. Launched in June 1996, MarE scholarship programs are offered to financially-challenged but academically qualified students. The program presently has 18 scholars at the University of Cebu and eight at DMMA College of Southern Philippines in Davao.

 

Since 1995, ABOJEB has accommodated engineering students from the cadet programs of Norwegian Shipowners’ Association (NSA) and Philippine-Japan Manning Consultative Council, Inc. (PJMCC). To date, the program has produced 135 licensed officers while 292 cadets are actively registered. In January 2008, ABOJEB partnered with PNTC Colleges of Dasmariñas, Cavite to offer its cadet graduates apprenticeship and employment onboard its owned or managed vessels.

 

Aside from benefits given by their respective principals such as bonuses and incentives, sponsored trainings, financial assistance to obtain higher licenses and other value-added benefits such as rice subsidy, hotel accommodation and domestic air tickets, ABOJEB seafarers also enjoy family welfare services from the company. The crew can rely on the assistance of the Crew and Family Welfare section which handles the administration of health insurance coverage for them and their dependents; facilitation of retirement claims and hospital endorsements to AMOSUP; organization of learning seminars on savings, investment, business opportunities and teambuilding activities; formation of seafarers and families’ association; coordination with medical networks for free medical consultation and basic laboratory tests for crew and families; prompt endorsement of packages sent by relatives for seafarers onboard; and the hosting of a grand Seafarers’ and Families’ Christmas Party every year, complete with entertainment from showbiz personalities, popular bands, plenty of exciting raffle prizes and a lavish dinner in a 5-star hotel, no less. Recently, it also launched its car plan for its domestic fleet where its Top 2 officers can avail of a car plan.

 

ABOJEB also maintains a dedicated website for its seafarers and their families where news, maritime updates, invitations, health tips, and even personal contributions can be viewed. It also has links to various useful sites such as SSS, Philhealth, Pagibig, OWWA and, the very innovative but highly secure seafarers’ online payslip accessible with a password anytime, anywhere. It has also tied up with SmartLink for the provision of a satellite-based communication system where the seafarers may communicate with their families back home even while at seas. The unit is provided to the vessel free of charge.

 

Recognition for seafarers is given top priority at Aboitiz Jebsen. Loyal officers and crew are given service awards every year while those who successfully pass the board exams for higher licenses are regulary recognized during their oathtaking ceremonies and given special tokens.

 

ABOJEB also actively engages in corporate social responsibility. It has been supporting the activities of Mama’s Hope Haven of Norway, a non-profit, non-governmental organization, which helps less privileged families in Cavite. In May 2009, ABOJEB, through Aboitiz Foundation, Inc. donated P1M for the construction of Mama’s Hope Hospital of Mercy in Cavite. It aims to address the needs of the poor residents of Cavite and the nearby provinces for quality medical treatment and care. Hospital of Mercy intends to operate with part- and full-time staff and student volunteers from Norway and the Philippines.

 

Among the most memorable cause-oriented activities ABOJEB had were its relief operations from Oct. 2 – Nov. 14, 2010 for the victims of typhoons Ondoy, the worst tropical depression the Philippines ever had, Pepeng and Santi. ABOJEB reached out to about 150 families giving them donation ranging from cash, distilled water, rice and various grocery items and cleaning materials to reconstruction of damaged properties. In 2008, ABOJEB also initiated a similar activity to assist the victims of typhoon Frank in the far-flung Antique. The company gathered 13 large boxes of edible goods and clothings which were sent to the province and distributed through the assistance of its Abojeb Seafarers and Allottee’s Association-Iloilo-Negros Chapter officers. In 2007, ABOJEB donated cash and used books and clothings to Marine Engineer Officers’ Association of the Philippines (MEOAP) and joined the group in its annual outreach activity dubbed “Bigay Puso Gift-Giving Activity” for the Aeta community in Sapang Bato, Angeles, Pampanga. In 2005, ABOJEB went to Infanta, Quezon and distributed three Army six-by-six truckloads of goods to more than 1,000 family unit victims of the massive killer landslide in the province.

 

Aboitiz Jebsen may also be visited through its websites: www.abojeb.com or www.jebsencrew.com.