SEAFARING individuals and their families based in the Visayas and Mindanao are enjoined to take part in the 1st International Seafarers Family Convention (ISFC) and Exhibition on August 4 and 5 at the Philippine International Convention Center in Pasay City.
“To help them strengthen their ties with their families and deal with the problems related to their maritime careers, we are inviting our seafaring brothers and sisters in the Visayas and Mindanao to participate in this first-ever international conference along with their families and relatives,” said Marissa F. Oca, chief organizer of the two-day convention.
“Families have many ways of coping with the absence of their seafarer parents or kids,” Oca said. “And through the years, many issues have cropped up in relation to this. But we should all be aware that not only the family, but also the government, ship owners, employers, NGOs, and many others have a stake in keeping the families of seafarers together.”
The convention, with the theme: “The Bonds of Families, the Success of the World,” is also aimed at heralding the contribution of the maritime industry to the Philippine economy as well.
Topics to be discussed in the convention are Maritime Piracy (A Humanitarian Response Program), HIV/AIDS, and Coping Styles to Loneliness and Separation, among numerous others.
Roy Paul and Dr. Asif Altaf of the ITF Seafarers Trust in the United Kingdom will be on deck to speak on Maritime Piracy and HIV/AIDS, respectively, while Dr. Romel T. Papa, Neuro-Psychiatric Section chief of the National Bureau of Investigation, will discuss about Coping Styles to Loneliness and Separation.
Also tapped as resource speakers in the convention are Sen. Pia Cayetano on “Youth and Freedom” and former Department of Transportation and Communication secretary Arturo Valdez on “Life is an Expedition.”
Meanwhile, over 100 companies, associations, organizations, manning agencies, shipping lines, housing and real estate, banking and finance sector, health, car companies, appliances, and maritime schools will be exhibiting their services and products to the seafaring families in the convention. The exhibition is open to all non-convention participants and to the public.
Slated to exhibit their products and services include Asia United Bank, Associated Marine Officers & Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP), Bank of the Philippine Islands, Chinabank, Cocolife, Duty Free Phils., East West Bank, Ford Motor Corp., Fortune Life, GMA Network Inc., Insular Life, Int’l Committee on Seafarers Welfare (ICSW), Maersk Filipinas Crewing, and Maritime Academy of Asia & the Pacific (MAAP).
Registration fee for the two-day convention is pegged at only P2,000 per person, which includes two lunch buffet, four snacks (all food catered by Via Mare), certificate of participation, farewell concert, raffle draws, games, and conference kit.
For more information and details, interested parties may contact the International Seafarers Family Convention (ISFC) secretariat at (02) 832 5422, (02) 832 5401, and (02) 832 9303, or email at [email protected].
Sponsors of the event are Smart Link, AMOSUP, ICSW, ITF Seafarers Trust, Magsaysay Group of Companies, Medicard, Philippine Transmarine Carrier, MAAP, Real Bank, Union Bank, Haier, GMA 7, OSM Maritime Services, and Enclavesmart.
The 1st International Seafarers Family Convention is under the able event management of the Philippine Exhibits and Themeparks Corporation (PETCO).
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