The first part of this two-part series, narrated the viewpoint, as to why Philippines has not been recognized as a maritime power in the world.
The last part of this series aims to rebuild our maritime consciousness and revive the heritage of our ancestors.
The Philippine shipping industry, in retrospect
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The Filipino seamanship skills are undeniably innate in our blood. The bodies of water surrounding our country manifest that we are maritime people. Filipinos are world-class boat builders even during the pre-colonial times.
And the discovery of Balangay showed that our ancestors boarded this oldest seafaring vessel and sailed to places as far as Polynesia and Madagascar.
The Balangay was the first wooden vessel that was excavated in the Southeast Asia. The early migrants in the Philippines used this watercraft.
Don Vicente Madrigal- one of the pioneering figures in the Philippine shipping industry. PHOTO FROM THE MADRIGAL GENEOLOGY FB PAGE
Balangay is a plank boat adjoined by a carved-out plank edged through pins and dowels. It was first mentioned in the 16th Century in the Chronicles of Pigafetta, and is known as the oldest watercraft found in the Philippines. The oldest known balangay has been carbon-dated to 320 AD.
Our colorful history showed the Filipino’s capability and ingenuity in building ships so we must continue harnessing our capabilities for the future.
Centuries after the inception of Balangay, international vessels began plying the Philippine seas. Some of the known shipping companies were Madrigal Lines, Compania Maritima, Ledesma Shipping Lines, and the United Philippine Lines (UPL).
The ships transported goods to and from countries around the world. Shipping business experienced strong growth that brought in additional revenues to the government coffers.
The Compania Maritima is one of the most famous shipping companies in Cebu and the biggest shipping company in the country. Founded in 1910, Maritima owned the biggest ships at that time that sailed in the western and southern Mindanao.
Most of the ships deployed in the southern Mindanao were former “FS” ships, the small cargo ships of the US Army during the World War II.
To service the Mindanao routes, Compania Maritima deployed former passenger-cargo ships from Europe. There was a whale of difference between those ships owned by Maritima and the former “FS” ships. The extra cargo space and the speed of vessels matter a lot for shippers and passengers. Shippers preferred larger vessels than smaller cargo ships, because smaller vessels were susceptible to inclement weather.
Compania Maritima was located in Fernandez Building, a place occupied by the Shamrock Hotel during the pre-war years. The building’s internal structure and roof were destroyed during the liberation of Cebu City in 1945. The company’s hollow building structure with beautiful arcs and balusters situated in a highway beside the sea was the only thing that can be seen nowadays.
Madrigal Lines- The Madrigal Shipping Company has a long and vibrant history. The company was established before the World War II under the name Madrigal & Company. It was the Philippines’ biggest Filipino -owned shipping company at that time.
Madrigal concentrated on cargo shipping while the rival Compania Maritima owned by the Fernandez family focused on passage business.
Vicente Madrigal, the founder of the shipping company was considered the top Filipino industrialist-businessman and probably the richest Filipino. He had strong political connections in Malacanang being a Senator of the Commonwealth of the Philippines.
Its shipping company supported the Madrigal’s businesses by transporting goods like abaca (Manila hemp), coal, ore, copra and sugar.
However, during the World War II, the Madrigal Shipping Company lost its fleet of vessels, and saved one. Most of the ships were captured by the Japanese troops, which subsequently lost due to American attacks. The company revived its shipping business in 1946.
Madrigal Shipping owned passenger-cargo ships and pure cargo vessels. Passenger ships serviced the routes in Bicol and Northern Luzon. The ships transported passengers to Larap port in Jose Panganiban town in Camarines Norte and in Salomague in Ilocos Sur, Batanes and Aparri.
The passenger-cargo ships sailed from Manila to Northern Luzon, then to Bicol ports including Sorsogon and back to Manila.
Ledesma Shipping Lines is a company that owned the MV Don Julio, the first fast cruise liner built in 1950s. It was actually the fastest liner in the 1950’s, until it was sold to Southern Lines in 1959.
The first “Don Julio” ship was an ex-”FS” ship. The ship was converted and was lengthened in Hongkong to become a passenger-cargo ship. The vessel was re-engined into higher ratings, with a speed of over 17 knots, making it the fastest ship of its time. Two former diesel engines from submarines, which were Fairbanks-Morse diesels with a combined 3,600-horse power, were fitted to the said ship. The vessel was originally the “FS-286” built by Wheeler Shipbuilding Corp. in Brooklyn, New York, USA.
The converted ship had a length of 66.2 meters by 10.0 meters, it was 1,051 gross register tonnage (GRT) and said to be the biggest former ex-”FS” ship that sailed in the country. Its new owner, Philippine Pioneer Lines, then renamed the ship as “Pioneer Leyte,” Pioneer Leyte was destroyed due to the collision incident in Manila Bay on October 23, 1966.

International Container Terminal Services (ICTSI) stated the infrastructure improvement within the Port of Umm Qasr in Iraq allowed large ships to call and taken extensive benefits to importers inside the country.
ICTSI’s subsidiary, Basra Gateway Terminal (BGT), stated the potential of the Port of Umm Qasr to receive direct calls from larger field vessels changed into boosted with the aid of the brand new terminal improvement program.
The Ever Useful along Berth 27 at Basra Gateway Terminal, North Port Umm Qasr, highlights the port’s developing capability to just accept direct offerings which utilize larger vessels.
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“ICTSI is pleased to take a main function in investing in Iraq’s port infrastructure, allowing the us of a to attach most correctly with worldwide liner offerings. The capability to serve direct calls from massive vessels provides has reduced value and cargo transit times, and brings different key blessings to cargo importers,” said Hans-Ole Madsen, ICTSI Senior Vice President and Europe, Middle East and Africa Regional Head.
Madsen and Chief Atheal, Iraq Ports Authority-North Port Umm Qasr Director witnessed the huge milestone with the servicing of Evergreen’s 5652-twenty -foot equivalent units (TEUs) potential Ever Useful with a duration of 285 meters, beam of forty meters, and 69,246 gross registered tonnage (GRT).
The vessel is via far the largest to name Berth 27 at BGT. The Ever Useful operates inside the Asia–Middle East provider, imparting large Asia coverage and select calls within the Middle East.
Phillip Marsham, BGT Chief Executive Officer, stated “BGT’s investment software is designed to fit the requirements of a growing Iraqi economic system and the need to accommodate ever large liner vessels.
“The name of the Ever Useful symbolizes how a long way Umm Qasr has are available in improving port infrastructure to satisfy these days’s international logistic chain requirements. It also truely demonstrates the growing confidence of container lines in the financial system of Iraq and the related field exchange boom,” he stated.
BGT handled 4,500 TEUs in the course of the decision, and performed a internet pass rate of over 50 movements consistent with hour with a -quay crane operation.
The new terminal complicated to be able to be completed in 2019, will function a total berth length of six hundred meters, most draught of 14 meters along, and terminal region of 30 hectares.
This will boost BGT’s annual handling capacity to at least one million TEUs. Supporting gadget acquisitions encompass the installation of three first-rate post-Panamax quay cranes and seven additional rubber tired gantries to optimise the landside handling operations. The standard terminal design enables the coping with of vessels of up to 9,000 TEU capacity.

SHANGHAI: Alibaba co-founder Jack Ma announced on Monday he would step down as head of the pioneering Chinese e-commerce large in 12 months, a departure already drawing comparisons to the retirement of overdue Apple founder Steve Jobs.
Analysts stated the early withdrawal of fifty four-12 months-vintage Ma, the charismatic face of a employer that has revolutionized how and what China’s people eat, will assignment Alibaba to carry on Ma’s imaginative and prescient amid rising competition.
But like Apple’s transition to contemporary boss Tim Cook, Alibaba’s CEO and anointed successor Daniel Zhang is much less magnetic than his predecessor however has confirmed an capable steward due to the fact effectively taking the operational reins years ago, they said.
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“Day-to-day operations-wise Alibaba will no longer be affected that an awful lot. But considering that he’s (Ma) the face of the organisation, people can also lose a bit little bit of religion,” stated Jackson Wong, associate director with Huarong Securities in Hong Kong.
“But, wherein Jobs died, Ma is anticipated to stay on in an advisory function, so there shouldn’t be an excessive amount of impact.”
Ma — who grew to become 54 on Monday — said in a declaration he will function govt chairman until his 55th birthday before passing the torch to Zhang.
“I will paintings intently with Daniel to ensure a smooth and successful transition,” Ma said.
Ma, who has expressed a preference to follow inside the philanthropic footsteps of Microsoft founder Bill Gates, said he might remain on Alibaba’s board till 2020.
“The one issue I can promise all of us is this: Alibaba became never approximately Jack Ma, but Jack Ma will all the time belong to Alibaba,” he said.
A former English teacher, Ma began Alibaba in 1999 in his apartment inside the eastern city of Hangzhou — where its headquarters continue to be — building an e-commerce colossus and turning into one of the international’s richest men and maximum recognizable figures in China.
Ma’s net worth is more than $40 billion, in step with the Bloomberg Billionaires Index, and Alibaba, which has stocks listed in New York, become valued at $420.Eight billion as of final Friday.
Alibaba sought to reassure investors over the exchange, with Ma saying he had “complete self assurance” that a management team in location for years will “win support from customers, personnel and shareholders”.
Jeffrey Towson, an creator, equity investor and Peking University commercial enterprise professor, stated Ma turned into “by no means a technology guy” anyway and that his crew-constructing abilities depart Alibaba in first-rate form.
“He’s always been building crew and culture, by no means technology, so he’s made himself useless,” Towson said.
“Is the internal subculture already so ingrained that it’s an Alibaba culture, now not a Jack Ma way of life? I assume that’s come to be proper.”
With his impish grin, Ma in latest years has largely acted as a globe-hopping ambassador, inclusive of playful antics along with dressing up as Michael Jackson for a dance routine at a company gathering ultimate 12 months, while leaving Alibaba’s jogging to others.
Analysts said agency shares could face short-term pressure.
But even as Alibaba loses an iconic figurehead, the brains stay with Zhang, analysts introduced.
It’s largely been below the greater reserved Zhang’s stewardship that Alibaba’s two principal e-commerce platforms, Taobao and Tmall, have became coins cows as different palms like digital payments have also flourished, they stated.
With Zhang as CEO, the corporation has endured to wow buyers each area with sterling sales increase.
“Tim Cook can’t innovate like Steve Jobs however he has grew to become Apple into one of the global’s biggest organizations in a manner Jobs by no means should,” Towson stated.
“So they query is: can Daniel Zhang be Tim Cook?”
The news comes with Alibaba’s cyber-dominance beneath mission from opponents like Tencent, JD.Com, and different upstarts.
But Alibaba is pouring investment into new initiatives to increase its atmosphere and stake out turf in new territory consisting of bricks-and-mortar retail, cloud computing, AI, digital media, films, the grocery area, meal deliveries and marketing.
Alibaba did no longer specify Ma’s destiny plans, however the former teacher has made increasing get admission to to education a pet challenge.
“I still have masses of dreams to pursue. Those who realize me realize that I do now not like to sit idle,” he said.

The search for the Ten Outstanding Maritime Student of the Philippines (TOMSP), an annual search for the best maritime students in the country is now open.

Jo Mari Hieras, TOMSP 2018 Search Director said the TOMSP is looking for the best maritime students in academics, extracurricular and leadership engagement, and service to their community and family.

Hieras, an awardee of TOMSP 2013 and a member of AMOSUP-ITF Youth in the Philippines said the TOMSP Awards has become a mark of distinction in the maritime industry in the country.

From 60-70 candidates from different schools such as the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP),
Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS), University of the Visayas, Philippine Merchant Marine Academy (PMMA), Davao Merchant Marine Academy (DMMA), John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, University of Perpetual Help System DALTA (UPHSD), University of Cebu Lapu-Lapu-Mandaue (UCLM), Malayan Colleges, ST-MTCM and John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, the TOMSP organizer has chosen the top 20 students.

The 20 candidates vying for the TOMSP are Syd Richard R. Barbadillo, AIMS (Pasay City); Aison B. Belarmino, UPHSD (Las Piñas); Ricarido C. Berocil, UV – MAIN (Cebu); Joseph E. Delos Santos, PMMA (Zambales); Ian Christian N. Elardo, DMMA (Davao); Christian Gilbert S. Esteban,MAAP – IMMAJ JSU (Bataan); John Phoule R. Gague, JBLCF – Molo (Iloilo); John Paul C. Guevarra, PMMA (Zambales); Zelcent P. Jacbang, ST-MTCM (Iloilo); Daimler Daves D. Nisco, Malayan Colleges (Laguna) ; Jan Jeremiah S. Pabiaña, UPHSD (Las Piñas) Palacio, Jancarl Gregory B. UCLM (Cebu); Peña, Carl Oscar B. MAAP – IMMAJ JSU (Bataan); France Gerard S. Santamena, JBLCF – Bacolod (Bacolod City) Junel Kristian M. Semaña, MAAP – CGSO (Bataan); John Christian P Suganob, DMMA (Davao); John Joseph G. Tan, AIMS (Pasay); John Michael S. Tolentino, ST-MTCM (Iloilo); Ken Arnie T. Tulmo, JBLCF – Bacolod (Bacolod City) and Juven T. Tupas, UCLM (Cebu).

The TOMSP Awards showcase the first class maritime students, their social responsibility, leadership and excellence. The winners of this year’s TOMSP Awards will be announced during the celebration of the Maritime Week on September 27-30 at the Bayview Hotel. Winners will be given P15, 000 cash prize and a plaque.

The search for outstanding maritime student in Metro Manila started in 2010. Now it has widened its scope and included maritime schools all over the country.