On Friday, 01 December 2017, the Philippines was re-elected to the Council of the International Maritime Organization (IMO) under Category “C” for the biennium 2018-2019.

The election for the members of the IMO Council was held during the 30th Session of the IMO Assembly (A30) being held from 27 November to 06 December 2017 at the IMO Headquarters in London.

The Philippine Delegation to the A30 was composed of, among others, Ambassador Antonio M. Lagdameo and other Philippine Embassy officers, representatives from the Office of the President and the Office of the Executive Secretary, DFA representatives, MARINA representatives headed by MARINA Administrator Marcial Quirico C Amaro III, PhD, PPA representatives headed by General Manger Jay Daniel R Santiago, NAMRIA representative, and the PCG representative CAPT Rolando Lizor Punzalan.

The Philippines placed number thirteen (13) among 24 candidates for the twenty (20) slots under Category “C” for Member States which have special interests in maritime transport or navigation, and whose election to the Council will ensure the representation of all major geographic areas of the world.  There are ten (10) slots in Category “A” for member States with the largest interest in providing international shipping services, and another ten (10) slots for Category “B” for Member States with the largest interest in international seaborne trade.

The Philippines is represented in all the meetings of the IMO by Gilberto Asuque the Philippine Permanent Representative to IMO and Deputy Chief of Mission of the Philippine Embassy; Emma Sarne the Alternate Permanent Representative; Arsenio Lingad II the Maritime Attaché; and CAPT Eustacio Nimrod P Enriquez Jr PCG the Technical Adviser to the Maritime Attaché.