MTC asks 2
warring maritime schools to shut up
ALARMED by their continuous word war waged
through the media, the Maritime Training Council (MTC) has
asked the Far East Maritime Foundation Inc. (FEMFI) and the
Philippine Nautical and Technological College Inc. (PNTC
Colleges) to shut up for now and just wait for the MTC’s
decision on the issues that divide them.
The two maritime schools have engaged in a
word war in the media following PNTC’s filing of a complaint
before the MTC against FEMFI for its alleged acceptance of
seafarer-enrollees for training in MTC-accredited courses.
MTC, the country’s governing body on maritime
and seafarers’ education facilities, dismissed the complaint.
Similar actions were taken on the complaint by the Department of
Labor and Employment and the Securities and Exchange Commission.
The three agencies all ruled that FEMFI had
not committed any infraction and that its activities are well
within the scope of its corporate powers and purposes.
PNTC then appealed the decision before the
Office of the President and soon came out with press releases
claiming that Malacañang has ruled in its favor and ordered MTC
to close down FEMFI.
In a statement, MTC acting executive director
Teresita T. Laurel asked both maritime schools to cease and
desist and just await the final decision on the matter by the
Office of the President.
"They should just let the Office of the
President decide on the merits of the case particularly on the
Motion for Reconsideration lodged by FEMFI," Laurel said.
Laurel clarified that Malacañang has yet to issue any
decision and PNTC should stop insinuating that the council is
sitting on the orders of the executive department. "The
allegations of inaction on the part of MTC are unfounded and the
MTC will not be swayed by media releases into doing something
precipitate and unlawful. We will do what is right once we get
the official decision from Malacañang after it has reviewed the
case," Laurel said. – Gerard Anthony M. Naval
