Solon seeks crackdown on 'ambulance chasers' victimizing seafarers

A lawmaker on Tuesday called on the Department of Labor and Employment to take action against alleged “ambulance-chasing labor lawyers” who target seafarers and maritime manning companies.

House Assistant Majority Leader Margarita Nograles, in a statement, said such “ambulance chasing lawyers” approach seafarers and offer them legal services in filing claims against manning agencies in exchange for a huge payout sourced from expected claims from the firms.

"The country’s maritime sector is under attack by these ambulance chasers who exploit seafarers to squeeze money claims from manning agencies," Nograles said.

“The DOLE and other pertinent agencies like the Department of Migrant Workers and the Maritime Industry Authority should exercise their authority to stop this practice,” Nograles added.

Nograles' call echoed that of the Association of Licensed Manning Agencies (ALMA) Maritime Group, a group of 71 manning agencies deploying around 174,000 Filipino seafarers at any given time, which has sought for the Labor department’s help in addressing the same problem.

Nograles also cited the Seafarers Protection Act which provides that it “shall be unlawful for any person to engage in ambulance chasing or the act of soliciting, personally or through an agent, from seafarers, or their heirs, the pursuit of any claim against them employers for the purpose of recovery of monetary claim or benefit, including legal interest, arising from accident, illness or death, in exchange of an amount or fee which shall be retained or deducted from the monetary claim or benefit granted to or awarded to the seafarers or their heirs.”

Under the said law, any person found guilty of ambulance chasing will face a fine worth P50,000 to P100,000, or with an imprisonment of one  year to two years, or both.

GMA News Online sought the response of the Labor department, which has yet to reply as of posting time.—Llanesca Panti/LDF, GMA Integrated News