Filipino seafarers and their families should get easier access to welfare and mental health help. On Monday, 19 October 2026, the Philippine Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) signed an agreement with The Mission to Seafarers (MtS). MtS is a UK-based charity that helps merchant crews around the world.
The agreement is a memorandum of understanding (MoU). This is a formal agreement to work together. DMW Secretary Hans Leo J. Cacdac and MtS programme director Ben Bailey signed it at the DMW central office in Manila.
What the agreement does
The DMW and MtS will pass cases to each other.
They will coordinate welfare help, mental health support and referrals for seafarers and their families.
They will share information on the rights and welfare of overseas Filipino workers and their families.
The DMW said the agreement follows an order from President Ferdinand R. Marcos Jr. This is not the DMW's first such agreement. In November 2025 it signed a similar MoU with ISWAN, the International Seafarers' Welfare and Assistance Network.
Who the Mission to Seafarers is in the Philippines
MtS started its work in the Philippines in 2014 with a Family Support Network for seafarers' families. In November 2024, the network had 17 local chapters and 120 volunteers across the country. It also has full-time staff in Manila.
The charity runs free courses for seafarers and families. They include SafeTALK, a course on suicide prevention, and WeCare courses on money and social wellbeing. Its Philippine team also helps seafarers anywhere in the world who have a link to the Philippines.
Welfare groups in Manila also agree to work together
Two days earlier, on 17 October, welfare groups met in Manila. The meeting was a roundtable of Philippine seafarer welfare organisations. The office of the International Transport Workers' Federation (ITF) at the port of Manila organised it.
Arvin Peralta heads that ITF office. He said help ashore must be open to all seafarers, whatever their nationality, age, union or employer. He said port and customs rules and busy cargo work often keep crews on board. Then welfare groups cannot reach them.
Peralta also asked for training to help seafarers recognise and respond to bullying and harassment. He quoted a report that says "more seafarer deaths occur by suicide than in onboard accidents".
The groups agreed to line up their suicide-prevention work and share good practice. They also want port welfare boards under the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers, the Philippine law on seafarers' rights. The Overseas Workers Welfare Administration (OWWA) is the lead government agency for these boards.
Stella Maris, MtS and Sailors' Society took part in the meeting. The wider group also includes MARINA, the Philippine maritime authority, plus ISWAN and the AMOSUP union. Seafam, a support group for seafarers' wives and families, is also part of it. The DMW and OWWA will join future meetings.
What it means for crews and families
In a crisis, you or your family can ask the DMW or a welfare charity for help. With this agreement, the two sides can now pass your case to each other.
SeafarerHelp is a free and confidential helpline run by ISWAN. It is open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. You can call +44 20 7323 2737 or use live chat or WhatsApp on the SeafarerHelp website.
The SeafarerHelp team speaks English and 13 other languages. You can ask to speak in your own language.
Families in the Philippines can contact the Mission to Seafarers family network for support.
Feeling low, stressed or alone on board is common on long contracts. Talking to someone early can help. You do not need to wait until things get very bad.
Read more on Crewboard:
ITF's Mind At Sea campaign brings mental health talks into ship visits
Philippines: seafarers on board get up to one year's extension for expiring record books and IDs
Cover photo: Container ships and cranes at the Manila International Container Terminal, Manila, January 2023. Illustrative photo. Photo: Patrick Roque/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped).
Sources: The Global Filipino Magazine: More counseling and aid on the way for Filipino seafarers hit by trauma (21 Oct 2026, based on the DMW announcement), The Manila Times: Uniting for seafarer mental health, welfare (21 Oct 2026), The Mission to Seafarers: The Mission to Seafarers celebrates 10 years of service and support for seafarers in the Philippines (28 Nov 2024), ISWAN: SeafarerHelp, free 24-hour helpline for seafarers and their families.
