Two groups of Filipino seafarers held a protest in front of the Supreme Court in Manila on Tuesday, 27 October 2026. They asked the court to act quickly on their case against the Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers.
The groups are the Concerned Seafarers of the Philippines (CSP) and the International Seafarers Action Center (ISAC). They want a temporary restraining order, or TRO. A TRO is a court order that stops a law from being used while the court decides the case. The Philippine News Agency (PNA) and the Daily Tribune reported the protest.
What the groups are against
The Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers is Republic Act 12021. It is a law with rules on the rights, work and pay of Filipino seafarers. President Ferdinand Marcos Jr. signed it in September 2024.
The groups say some parts of the law are "anti-seafarer". They mainly question Section 59. This section is about money that a seafarer wins in a claim, for example for illness, injury or death, when the employer appeals the decision. The groups also question the rules on how much injured seafarers get during an appeal.
Under Section 59, some money must be paid right away, even during an appeal. This is the seafarer's wages, benefits that the law gives, and any amount that the employer agrees it owes.
Other money is different. This is a disputed amount that the decision says is owed to the seafarer, and damages such as moral damages and lawyer's fees. During an appeal, the seafarer can get this money only after posting a bond. A bond is a guarantee that the money will be paid back if the employer wins the appeal.
If the seafarer wins the appeal in the end, the employer must pay back the cost of the bond. If the seafarer loses, the seafarer does not get the bond cost back. The law says the Department of Migrant Workers (DMW) may help some seafarers pay for the bond from its AKSYON Fund.
What the groups said
ISAC president Edwin dela Cruz, a lawyer, said in a statement: "Calling it a Magna Carta does not automatically make it a genuine charter of seafarers' rights." He said a law with the seafarers' name should put their welfare first.
CSP president Xavier Bayoneta asked the judges to act on the petition. He said every seafarer "deserves the assurance that the law is on their side".
The groups also said that Filipino seafarers now sail in dangerous waters where there are wars. They said this makes strong legal protection more important.
The case so far
The groups first went to the Supreme Court in May 2025. Together with the party Bayan Muna and three seafarers, they asked the court to declare Section 59 unconstitutional. They also asked it to cancel the whole law and its implementing rules, and to stop the law with a TRO while the case runs. Bayan Muna's Neri Colmenares, a former member of Congress, filed the petition.
The news reports of 27 October do not say that the court has made a decision. Until the court decides, the law and Section 59 still apply.
What it means for Filipino seafarers
If you have a claim for illness, injury or death, know which part of the money must be paid right away. Your wages, benefits from the law and amounts the employer accepts must be paid even during an appeal.
For other amounts and damages, you may need to post a bond during an appeal. Ask your lawyer about the cost and the risk before you decide.
Ask the DMW if you can get help from the AKSYON Fund to pay for the bond.
Under the same law, only lawyers can represent seafarers in these cases. Be careful with people who are not lawyers and offer to handle your claim for a fee.
Follow news from the Supreme Court. A decision on the TRO or on the case could change these rules.
Cover photo: The Supreme Court building in Manila, Philippines, April 2010. Photo: Mike Gonzalez (TheCoffee)/Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 3.0 (cropped).
Sources: Philippine News Agency via The Chronicle: Groups ask SC to stop Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers implementation (27 Oct 2026), Daily Tribune: Seafarers' groups urge SC to halt Magna Carta implementation (27 Oct 2026), The Manila Times: Justice delayed, justice denied, photos of the seafarers' protest (27 Oct 2026), Supreme Court E-Library: Republic Act No. 12021, Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers (text of Section 59), GMA News: Seafarer groups ask SC to declare Magna Carta as null, void (6 May 2025), ABS-CBN News: Groups challenge constitutionality of Magna Carta of Filipino Seafarers (6 May 2025).
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