A day before he vacated his post, former Labor Secretary Marianito Roque signed a bilateral agreement with Iran providing for the Iranian recognition of the Filipino seafarers’ certificates of competencies.

Roque, who was also chair of the Maritime Training Council (MTC) inked the memorandum of agreement (MoA) with Deputy Managing Director for Maritime Affairs Saeed Izadian of the Iranian Ports and Maritime Organization in Manila following the conclusion of the 5-day 2010 Manila Diplomatic Conference on Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (STCW) last week.

“We express appreciation to the Iranian government for its willingness to enter into an agreement with the Philippines. This agreement will expand the international recognition of the Filipino seafarers’ certificate of competencies pursuant to Regulation 1/10 of the STCW Convention,’’ Roque said.

“The recognition is essential to the continued employment of Filipino seafarers in the international maritime industry,’’ he added.

The MoA with Iran is the 45th bilateral agreement that the country has so far entered into to ensure global recognition of the Filipino seafarers’ certificates. (Shianee Mamanglu)