Philippines, Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) claims Home Publications Articles Philippines: Progress Towards Claims Under Appeal in POEA System Philippines: Progress Towards Claims Under Appeal in POEA System Publications Paul Brewer Published: September 12, 2019 Contact author Download article pdf   September 2019   Image The International Group (IG) of P&I Clubs has many roles, not least of which is to provide a collective industry voice to engage with governments and regulatory bodies, to assist in fostering fair and balanced policies for the protection of both ship-owner and seafarer alike. Against this backdrop our Members might be interested to hear that the IG has been working hard over the years to try to encourage changes in the Filipino legal system and the way in which Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) claims are dealt with. Previously such efforts have resulted in improvements to the system which have been to the benefit of IG Members and their crew. By way of example, the Seafarers Protection Act was created to address the problem of the legal  representatives of crew imposing excessive legal fees in cases they handle for their clients, thereby eroding the compensation the seafarers were due to receive. In addition to this there was an amendment made to the 2016 POEA Rules and Regulations to prevent permanently disabled seafarers from appearing on the National Seafarer Registry and their Seafarer’s Record Book and Seafarer’s Identity Document are now no longer being issued. However, efforts continue to try to improve the system, with the IG heavily involved in attempting to progress matters via their Philippines Working Group. Particular focus has been upon finding a solution to the problems caused by  garnishment and restitution; garnishment meaning the collection of a judgment on behalf of the claimant from the defendant and restitution being recompense for the injury or lo