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John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime
University
January
2007
Formerly John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation, it is the first maritime
university in the Philippines.
Humble beginnings
The John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime University was born from the vision of
a young man who pursued his goal with a remarkable passion and zeal that set
the tone of leadership in this institution. Master Mariner Juan Bautista
Lacson, the founder, first started with a review school for marine officers in
May 1931, thus foreshadowing the birth of the Iloilo Maritime Academy in 1948.
When it first opened with 60 enrollees, the Academy offered a two-year regular
course for cadets in the nautical profession leading to the acquisition of a
Third Mate license for merchant marine officers as well as reserved naval
officers in the Philippine Navy. By the time it was granted permit to operate
in 1949, the school had 150 junior students and 54 seniors. The following
year, it was granted government recognition and registered as a non-stock
corporation by the Securities and Exchange Commission. To accommodate its
growing population, the Academy transferred locations a couple of times before
it settled along Muelle Loney Street in 1953.
The height of activism, strikes, pickets and labor unrest in the country in
1971 did not spare the Iloilo Maritime Academy from the fury of the times. In
1972, there was a change in leadership of the institution as Capt. Lacson’s
youngest daughter, Mary Lou Lacson, took over and was welcomed and accepted
even by union members. The year marked the beginning of the expansion of IMA
to JBLCF, i.e., JBLCF - Arevalo in 1973, JBLCF – Bacolod in 1974, JBLCF – Molo
in 1976, and JBLCF – Puerto del Mar Training Center in Guimaras in 1995.
Present times
Today, the JBLFMU, as an institution for higher learning that has gained
recognition as having pioneered in undertakings for the development of
maritime education and training, propelled by a strong, dynamic and proactive
leadership, has become a premier maritime institution in the country. Its
innovativeness in many ways distinguishes it from the rest of the maritime
institutions. It has made remarkable strides as an educational institution
particularly in the maritime field through the years, most of which were
achieved during the last four decades.
Having pioneered maritime education in the Visayas and Mindanao, it has
constantly led the way by consistently providing competent seafarers since
1948, becoming a major supplier of Filipino marine officers, with a
contribution of about 12% annually. The highlights may be seen in 2001 when
JBLFMU supplied 12.47% of the deck and 12.35% of the engine officers of the
Philippines, and in 2005 with 12% of the new entrants to the profession.
Recognizing the need to have its programs accredited for it to be at par with
international standards for maritime education and training, JBLFMU immersed
itself into accreditation concerns and was instrumental in the formulation of
the instrument of accreditation for maritime education under the Philippine
Association of Colleges and Universities Commission on Accreditation (PACU-COA).
It became the pilot school for maritime accreditation in 1985, and actively
participated in the revisions of the instrument in 1992, 1995 and 1999. It is
not surprising therefore that it became the first maritime institution to be
accredited by the PACU-COA in March 1986. It is the first and the only
maritime educational institution to be granted Level III accredited and
re-accredited status in the Philippines - a distinction which it holds up to
this day.
The JBLFMU has earned many distinctions like being the first and the only
maritime educational institution to be granted an autonomous status by CHED
(October 2001). It is also the first maritime educational institution in the
Philippines to attain an international accreditation, the Det Norske Veritas (DNV)
Certification, for its Quality Assurance, the first in the Philippines, the
second in Asia and the third in the world to have such a distinction.
Of the first three educational institutions to be awarded the Philippine
Quality Award for Management Excellence in 2006, the JBLFMU is a member of the
Phi Delta Kappa, an international association of professional educators, and
is among the key chapters in the world.
The JBLFMU Training Center is accredited by the Panama Maritime Authority and
recognized by the Norwegian Maritime Directorate (NMD), Maritime Training
Council (MTC), Department of Trade (DOT), and Maritime Industry Authority
(MARINA).
The Norwegian Shipowners’ Association Class Project has selected more scholars
from JBLFMU than from any other NSA recipient schools in the country, starting
with the 1st batch (Class ’93 – ’97) to the 14th batch presently enrolled.
The university was given recognition by the Philippine Association of Maritime
Institutions (PAMI) as the first maritime school in the Philippines to have
formulated and adopted an enriched CHED curriculum incorporating the IMO Model
Courses (June 1995).
It has produced two students in the roster of Ten Outstanding Students of the
Philippines (TOSP) in 1989 and 2002.
It was endorsed by manning and shipping companies and by highly knowledgeable
personages in the industry for the competence of its graduates.
It was authorized by CHED as a provider of the Expanded Tertiary Education
Equivalency and Accreditation Program (ETEEAP) for Engine and Deck, and the
only one in the country. It was declared by assessors from CHED to have
established the best system for equivalency evaluation.
It is the first to publish a Maritime Education Review and the first to
establish a maritime high school in the country and was nominated by CHED as
having one of the best HEI Research Programs for 2006.
It is the first private school to have obtained a MOA with the Norwegian
Agency for Development Cooperation (NORAD) Project to improve maritime
training for inter-island shipping (1995) and belongs to the first cluster of
11 maritime educational institutions that have complied with the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) requirements for the inclusion of the Philippines
in the “White List”. Of the 11 schools, JBLFMU accounted for three slots, one
for each of the three campuses.
The JBLFMU is the first to advocate the use of International Maritime
Organization (IMO) Modules, and STCW competencies in the maritime curricula.
It is also the first institution with a Center for Review and Competency
Assessment (CRCA) that evaluates documentation and the skills proficiency
gained during the shipboard phase (1998).
The university established the Academic Audit Center (AAC) for the entire
institution, and in the units, put up the Academic Assessment Office (AAO)
that conducts assessment of skills following the Instructor’s Guide (IG) and
in preparation for Standards for Training, Certification and Watch Keeping (STCW)
requirements.
Other distincitions of the university are:
• It is the first and the only school in the country to have a Phi Delta Kappa
Chapter, an international professional association of educators (2002).
• It is the first maritime school that has an Environmental Marine Research
Library and Laboratory (2006).
• It is the first to publish a journal on maritime education entitled the JBLF
Maritime Education Journal that first came out in SY 1989-1990.
Its responsiveness to community concerns is demonstrated in the assistance it
gives to the economic growth of the province through eco-tourism by way of its
extension service to the barangays of Nueva Valencia. Its dynamic research
undertakings attest to this responsiveness, addressing such concerns as the
barangay needs (by JBLFMU Arevalo), mangrove rehabilitation (by JBLFMU Bacolod),
coral reefs (by JBLFMU Molo) and inland fisheries, particularly bulgan and
tilapia (by JBLFMU)
The university was among the first to respond to the Guimaras oil spill for
which it innovated indigenous materials as boom spill barriers to protect
mangrove seedlings.
Its strong community outreach programs include literacy, coastal cleanup,
blood donations and MT solar and oil spill cleanup.
Its greatest achievement by far is its having been granted university status,
making it the first maritime university in the country.
As a university, the JBLFMU, more than ever, stands committed to sustaining
its strong and dynamic culture of research with a pool of academic and
non-academic researchers constantly demonstrating high-level research
capabilities aided by the latest in technology in their conduct of research
significant to academe, business and industry, the entire country and the
world community. All JBLFMU research endeavors are supportive of the
University’s quality policy “to comply with national and international
standards and strive to exceed stakeholders’ expectation.”
With the three academic units in place, i.e., Arevalo, Molo and Bacolod, the
JBLFMU continues not only to sustain its programs but to nurture and develop
all aspects of the school’s facets and concerns , particularly the academics,
students, faculty, facilities, focusing on its goal toward attaining and
maintaining international standards, through internal and external monitoring,
assessment and interventions, and linkages. Its linkages include 165 shipping
companies, both international and domestic. With a student population
numbering 8,000, a faculty force consisting of 314 out of which 123 are deck
and engine officers, and sustained by its flagship courses and the consistent
adherence of its programs to international standards, the JBLFMU has indeed
become a force in the maritime industry as a provider of excellent seafarers
worldwide.
Flagship courses
he flagship courses of the university include the GRADUATE SCHOOL where
Curricular Programs leading to doctor’s degree and master’s degree are
designed for maritime practitioners, institutional managers and educators as
well as allied professionals who want to pursue systematic professional study
beyond the master’s or bachelor’s degrees to enrich their knowledge and skills
in their respective careers or professions.
It offers Doctor of Philosophy in Maritime Education (Ph. D. M.E.) Program
which is designed for professionals in maritime education and the maritime
industry, who want to undertake doctoral-level study to improve the quality of
their services as educators and leaders to expand their theoretical
understanding of maritime education and industry and how these relate to the
improvement of life to the global society, the Master in Maritime Education (M.M.E.)
courses which is strictly a thesis program and the Master in Maritime
Management (M.M.M.) and Master in Ship Management (M.S.M.) may be taken under
the thesis or non-thesis stream.
The Bachelor of Science in Marine Engineering (BSMarE) which is a four (4)
year degree program which provides knowledge, skills and values to students
aspiring to become competent engine officers in the future is also another
flagship course of the univeristy.
Offered in JBLFMU-Molo, the BSMarE program is designed with an enriched
curriculum that is responsive to the needs of the shipping industry following
closely the curriculum design of the Policies, Standards and Guidelines (PSG)
of CHED for Maritime Programs. Engine simulator courses, computer-based
training, safety courses, orientation on tankering, and ship security
awareness courses are some of the enrichment courses that are integrated to
the education and training at JBLFMU on top of the regular navigational trip
practicum.
The BACHELOR OF SCIENCE in Marine Transportation, offered in JBLFMU-Arevalo
offers studies leading to the degree of Bachelor of Science in Marine
Transportation (BSMT). This degree involves a three-year Theoretical Academic
studies in its Arevalo campus and a 12 month apprenticeship period on vessels
either of near sea or international trade. This is the preparatory course for
Deck Officers, for the country’s merchant marine fleet. It is supervised by
the Commission on Higher Education (CHED).
Source: Manila Bulletin Online
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