FEATURED NEWS

Graduate of MPCF Legazpi in Top 10 of recent Marine Engineer Officers Board Examination

2nd Engineer Sena during his Midshipman years at Mariners' Legazpi.

Legazpi City, September 26, 2013 - A 2004 graduate in B.S. Marine Engineering course of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) this city has made it to the Top 10 in the recent 2nd Marine Engineer Officers Licensure Examination. Jefrey Casili Sena of Donsol Sorsogon has made his alma mater proud when he landed 4th Place in the test held in Cebu City given by the Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) this September 2013.

After graduation he had his shipboard training as an apprentice at the Associated Ship Management as an engine cadet. He stayed with Euronav Ship Management after his apprenticeship. Right now, he works as 3rd Engineer in the company he is with and expects to be promoted after he passed the board with him being a licensed 2nd Engineer now.

Shipyard in Gdansk, Poland during drydock.


At Associated Ship Management Services (2004-2011).


At Philippine Transmarine Carriers (2011-2012).


At Engine Control Room of Norteam Shipping Services ship, where he is currently employed since 2012.

Engr. Sena recalls his stint at Mariners. He remembers the days in which focus on studies was his main preoccupation. “Determination and the ambition to have a better life have propelled me to study and train hard. I am lucky for having enrolled at Mariners. It is here where my skill was molded and this led me to the opportunity which I know will further bring me to greater heights as a professional seafarer”, said Engr. Jefrey Sena.

The success of Mariners graduates has always been a reason for the alumni to be looked-upon by the undergrads. Those who finish their course and are now savoring the fruits of their labor serve as models and inspiration to the student-cadets who also aspire to become successful maritime professionals someday. ###

MPCF-Legazpi acquires enclosed lifeboat, enhances training of maritime cadets

Enclosed lifeboat awaiting to be mounted at the Landship at MPCF-Legazpi campus


Maritime Engr. & Instructor Edgar Nazarrea poses in-front of the newly-acquired lifeboat


Inside the enclosed lifeboat as viewed from the rear entrance:
Multi-colored seatbelts, the pilot’s seat, instruments & steering wheel, fire extinguisher,
the closed doors & windows, flashlight & other equipment and gadgets
which can give protection to survivors of a sea mishap.
Not seen in the picture are the boat’s engine and other vital supplies
which complete the composition of this emergency sea vessel.

Legazpi City, September 25, 2013 – The Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) this city has acquired a fully-enclosed lifeboat which is now being prepared to be utilized for training by maritime cadets. This was confirmed by 3rd Engr. Edgar Nazarrea, one of the instructors of B.S. Marine Engineering course in this institution.

According to Engr. Nazarrea, this type of lifeboat has features different from the traditional open-type one inasmuch as it has safety features which are more advanced compared to what used to be utilized in times of sea mishaps when it becomes necessary for the passengers and crew to abandon ship.

The orange-colored, enclosed lifeboat can accommodate 20 passengers. It is equipped with seatbelts, engine & fuel, ventilation ducts, lights, directional gauges, flashlights, communication equipment, fire extinguisher and survival provisions that could last for several days. This set-up can give assurance to the would-be survivors a chance to be rescued.

Because of its fully-enclosed structure, it could give ample protection to passengers should a sea tragedy occur in an extremely cold area where even the prevailing temperature could pose danger to the lives of people. This vessel can also protect its passengers even in very rough seas.

This new facility offers an additional training equipment to maritime cadets that could make them updated with amenities which are actually used now by shipping companies especially the foreign-going vessels.

“What is found in ships should also be found in the school. This way, our graduates will not be total strangers to the facilities actually used by shipping companies. A lifeboat of this kind is a basic device which students should be well-versed with especially when it comes to how it is utilized. This will become handy when an unexpected situation would crop-up while at sea”, MPCF President Dante Jimenez commented.

The training lifeboat will be installed on the Landship where maritime cadets will have hands-on experience when it comes to maneuvering it.

Additional facilities in the school campus including a swimming pool are under construction beside the Landship structure at the MPCF Legazpi Annex. These are designed to complement the new equipment so that a full-blast training program which include handling this lifeboat could be started, soon. ###

Mariners Legazpi gets honors at Peñafrancia Fiesta military parade competitions

ROTC Commandant PCGA Captain Steven James Diño (center) with LCDR Marcial Ponce (extreme right)
joined by Elmer Abad from the Corporate Public Affairs Office (CPAO) of Mariners System

Naga City, September 20, 2013 – After cornering the second place in the Majorettes’ Competition and the fourth prize in the combined Band and Majorette Fancy Drill contest on September 14, 2013 in these Peñafrancia Festival’s events, the Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) group from Legazpi City, Albay has made it to the top five in the military parade challenge held on September 19, 2013.

Out of the more than fifty contending participants, MPCF’s delegation managed to get honors in the first five positions. Its unit got the third prize in the Best Marching Band match (category B) while it landed third place in the Most Disciplined ROTC contingent (Category 4), outsmarting other entities numbering to more than fifty participating units in this year’s event.

With all the sacrifices made by the cadets and their mentors, the prizes garnered are fitting rewards for their effort and time spent in the preparation for the contest.

Being a maritime school, the institution gives attention to the discipline of its cadets. To be in the top five as most disciplined contingent in the recently concluded Peñafrancia military parade is reflective of the training given to the students more especially that the school gives importance to this value as it prepares the cadets for the right attitude which future seafarers should possess.

Meantime, the school administration has acknowledged this victory attained by the maritime cadets.

“There is no substitute for hard work as there are no short-cuts to success. For every victory we attain, corresponding efforts are exerted. The harder and smarter we work to accomplish our goals, the higher the chance for us to become successful”, said PCGA Captain Steven James Diño, commandant of the 901st Coast Guard Auxiliary Officer Training Corps of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation in Rawis, Legazpi City.

MARINA Administrator tours Mariners Legazpi campus

September 18, 2013, 2012 – Administrator Maximo Mejia, of the Maritime Industry Authority (MARINA) visited Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) in Legazpi City, Albay.

He was met by MPCF President Commodore Dante La. Jimenez and Board of Trustees member Merle J. San Pedro who hosted a simple Filipino breakfast at the Commodore’s Cabin Wardroom at the beachside facing the Albay Gulf.

In a statement, the Administrator stressed the point that Maritime schools should be concerned not with the quantity of students they graduate but with the quality of education and training which cadets obtain before they become professional seafarers.

Commodore Dante La Jimenez (MPCF, President) with Administrator Maximo Mejia of MARINA
inside the Engine Simulation Room located at Mariners' Annex.

He expressed optimism on the seamen which MPCF will produce after a tour of the school facilities and after seeing the equipment used by maritime students.

Included in the school’s assets in the Administrator’s ocular inspection are the newly acquired fully-covered lifeboat at the Landship, the training swimming pool being constructed, the reconstruction of the salvaged sea-craft donated by the Philippine Army which speaks of the institution’s potential for a shipyard, the newly constructed additional classrooms, the fully operational ship-engineering equipment, the dormitories of cadet-scholars, the simulator and among others which he visited.

With the reconditioning of a ship, Naval Architecture students can get a crack on actual ship-repair work and design under the tutorship of experienced instructors which the Administrator observed as a plus factor to the potentials which Mariners has. The MARINA head also cited during the breakfast meeting that shipping companies, especially the foreign-going vessels are watching the quality of seafarers which they employ. Along this line, he added that the attention of his stewardship of the agency is focused on the fact that this expectation is met.

He talked highly on the efforts being made by the school administration to further elevate the standard of maritime education it offers to the Bicolanos. ###

MPCF Legazpi gets honors at the Peñafrancia festival’s band,
majorette and fancy drill competitions

Naga City, September 14, 2013 – The contingent of the Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) from Legazpi City, Albay were among the groups which bagged the prestigious awards given in the 2013 Peñafrancia Festival’s Band, Majorette and Fancy Drill Competition held in this city this Saturday.

With the numerous contending units coming from schools all over the Bicol Region, MPCF-Legazpi grabbed the second place over-all award in the band & majorette competition while it took the 3rd over-all lead in the mixed fancy drill contest after rubbing elbows with more than 50 unit- contingents to get the prominent honors at-stake.

This is another feat accomplished by the school’s marching band and majorettes in the annual Peñafrancia Festival celebration, taking into consideration the number of participants and the obvious serious preparation made by each school just to win the prizes.

It can be recalled that the band and majorettes groups from the Mariners schools in Bicol have a track record of victories in similar challenges in previous years.

Joining the ranks of recipients of the major bounties this year are the University of Saint Anthony (USANT) of Iriga City which got the first place, MPCF-Legazpi for the second place while the third place went to the Bicol State College of Applied Science and Technology (BISCAST) of Naga City in the band and majorette competition.

Meanwhile, in the mixed category of the fancy drill contest, first place went to the Central Bicol State University of Agriculture (CBSUA) of Pili, Camarines Sur, second place to the University of Saint Anthony of Iriga City and the third place went to MPCF, Legazpi City.

The contestants braved the heavy rain that enveloped Naga especially the Plaza Quezon, the venue for the contest. As expected, it was one of the most colorful tourism-sought events within the weeklong Peñafrancia Fiesta celebration which happened a day after the pilgrim-filled religious activity, the traslacion procession honoring Our Lady of Peñafrancia, the Patroness of Bicolandia. President Dante La. Jimenez of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation (MPCF) Legazpi City has sent a congratulatory message as a gesture of appreciation to the students and mentors who prepared for the occasion and brought home the victory and prestige for the school.

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MPCF graduates now man European maritime vessels

Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation announced recently the graduates who finished maritime transportation course who now work in reputable maritime vessels based in Europe.

In an interview, Ms. Frisian Silva, an Alumni Coordinator of MPCF said she is thankful to a widely-patronized social network for linking them with their graduates who are now entrusted with sensitive maritime positions in European-based companies like Wallem Maritime Services, Inc., Marlow Navigation, Pacific Ocean Manning Inc., Bernhard Schulte Ship Management, Associated Ship Management Services, Inc. and other shipping firms based in this part of the globe.

Among the MPCF alumni who now hold high-ranking posts are Captain Leandro Gordola (Batch 1993), Captain Allan Agmata (Batch 1992), Captain Andy Moratillo (Batch 2000), and Captain Job Bienvenido Espares (Batch 1996). Others who have officer level positions are Chief Mate Warren Bordeos (Batch 1995), Chief Mate Roy Mesa (Batch 1998), Chief Mate Angelo Lo (Batch 2007), Chief Mate John Ashley Gargallo (Batch 1997), Chief Mate Angel F. De Guzman (Batch 1995), Chief Mate Armiel Miranda (Batch 2006), Chief Mate Ronald Allan Bausing (Batch 2002), Chief Mate Patrick Ostonal (Batch 1999) and Chief Mate Bobby Benesa (Batch 1988).

Those who work now as 2nd Mates include Evan Pinat (Batch 1996), Reynan Arao(Batch 1997), Christoper Arellano (Batch 1996), Anacleto Tolentino (Batch 1994), Noel Esplana (Batch 1994), Gerry Mary (Batch 1995), Nestor Sasutuna (Batch 1996), Ariel Boto (Batch 1996), Roberto Secopito (Batch 1996), Jerry Seva (Batch 1990), George Rifarael (Batch 1995), Dennis Ataeza (Batch 1995), Ogie Almazar (Batch 1995), Arnel Morante (Batch 1995), Ryan Villamor (Batch 2004), Wenny Reverente (Batch 2001), Noriel Pastor (Batch 2004), Ryan Ocampo (Batch 2004) and Louie Pamplona (Batch 2006). 3rd Mates Raulie Rey Cedo (Batch 2007) and Ard Jay Lorayna (Batch 2003) are also registered in the roster of Mariners graduates who now work now in these European vessels.

This article is also featured on UpdateEurope Newsletter Issue 01.

16 MPCF recent batch of graduates now work in Europe

Sixteen (16) Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering graduates of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation of Legazpi City and Canaman, Camarines Sur have been employed recently by established maritime companies based in the European continent.

Mechanical Engineering graduates of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation of Legazpi City and Canaman, Camarines Sur have been employed recently by established maritime companies based in the European continent.

An update released by the MPCF administration revealed that the 16 graduates have been accepted in different Europe-based merchant ships owned by well-known companies like Netship, Eurasian Maritime Corporation, Marlow Navigation, OSM Maritime Services, Inc., Wallem Maritime Services, Inc., Trans Atlantic and Northern Marine Management, and many others. MPCF officials say that these lucky Mariners System-educated Mechanical Engineers are now properly employed either as 2nd Engineers, OIC, or 3rd Engineers.

The nature of the job the graduates will embrace is matched with the educational attainment and training they have received and therefore are considered qualified and ready for work based on standards set by the International Maritime Organization (IMO). These opportunities boost the Mariners school authorities to further exert effort to bring the students to greater heights after they have graduated from the institution.

This article is also featured on UpdateEurope Newsletter Issue 01.

Mariners graduates yield positive feedbacks from European employers

Graduates of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation who are on-board sea vessels owned by European companies continue to impress their employers.

This is evident in the roster of European Seafarers’ Marine Transportation and Marine Engineering Officers who finished their maritime courses from this school and are now working with several European shipping enterprises.

As per record at the school’s Alumni Coordinating Office, there are now seventy-three (73) Marine Transportation Officers and fifty (50) Marine Engineers now in Europe and the number is increasing as more of the MPCF graduates are being accepted to the job.These figures exclude the ordinary seafarers who have not yet reached officer-rank levels but are now gainfully employed with these companies.

Among the graduates who made it to these European companies are the five (5) who have become Ship Captains, nine (9) as Chief Mates, four (4) as OIC Chief Mates, nineteen (19) as 2nd Mates, two (2) as 3rd Mates and twenty five (25) as OIC 3rd Mates. The record of graduates who were accepted to work in these European vessels is impressive inasmuch as they were able to pass the rigid screening given to seafarers before they were taken in to work in these outfits.

Meanwhile, of the fifty (50) Marine Engineers in these shipping firms, one (1) is a Chief Engineer, three (3) are 2ND Engineers, nine (9) are 3rd Engineers, thirty six (36) are OIC 3rd Engineers and one (1) as a 4th Engineer.Prominent among the Marine Transportation Officers are Ship Captains Leandro Gordola, Allan Agmata, Andy Moratillo, and Job Bienvenido Espares who arewith the Wallem Maritime Services, Inc., while Captain Sean Bress works with Magsaysay Maritime, Inc.

Of the Marine Engineering Graduates of MPCF, Chief Engineer Jose Azada tops the list, with 2nd Engineers Roderix Esquivel and Reynante Marbella who work with Wallem Maritime, Inc. and 2nd Engineer Orlando Bonifacio who is now connected with Seacap Shipping, Inc., coming in next.

These developments bring encouragment to students who wish that one day, they can be counted as among the graduates who are able to make it to these giant companies in the European shipping arena. The inspiration brought by those who finished their degrees in this school has propelled the administration of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation to double its efforts in delivering world-class maritime education to the students so that someday, just like their predecessors, students today could also find their way someday to these giant shipping enterprises based in Europe.

This article is also featured on UpdateEurope Newsletter Issue 01.

International and inter-island shipping companies delighted by MPCF graduates

Maritime vessels owned by renowned companies based in Europe, Japan and the United States are delighted to haveas their officers and crew the graduates of Mariners Polytechnic Colleges Foundation of Bicol.

A report furnished to MPCF indicates that a total of 49 of its graduates in year 2005 have landed lucrative jobs in companies such as the Marlow Navigation, Arctic Shipping, Hammer Maritime, WihelsenSmithbell Manning Inc., Everlines, Safituna Ventures and V-Ship Company.

Aside from the international shipping companies, some inter-island seafaring firms in the country have absorbed MPCF graduates to join their maritime workers. Among the shipping enterprises that absorbed MPCF graduates are Laurin Maritime Philippines, Phil Transmarine Carrier, Inc., MichaelmarPhils, Inc., Hanseatic Shipping Phils Inc., 168 Shipping Lines, Regina Shiping Lines, Barko International Inc., Magsaysay Maritime Corporation, Filipinas Kalayaan Shipping Inc., and NYK-FIL Ship Management Inc. Considering the big market for Filipino seafarers, many other graduates of Mariners school are also hoping to find appropriate employment in reputable commercial vessels in due time.

This article is also featured on UpdateEurope Newsletter Issue 01.