Answering the plight of seafarers working in the overseas shipping companies, Capt. Gregorio S. Oca organized the ASSOCIATED MARINE OFFICER'S AND SEAMEN'S UNION OF THE PHILIPPINES (AMOSUP) in 1961 to :
To unite all Filipino Seafarers and to educate them to cooperate in every movement which tends to benefit the organization; to impress upon the membership, employers and the whole world that it is to the advantage of all concerned that workers be organized.
to work for the upgrading of the standard of all licensed and unlicensed officers and seamen in this country and to work for the establishment of adequate wage standard, international or national level, sufficient to provide a decent living to every seafarers and their families.
to create, maintain, operate , staff and equip a Seamen's Center, Hospitals and Training Centers and other projects which would attain and give maximum services to the members and their families.
to train Filipino seafarers from the vast unemployed so that they may attain the quality standards required by the world shipping industry and to develop them through educational programs, seminars and training to qualify for higher positions of responsibilities.
For these objectives and mandate of the Constitution and By-laws of the UNION, the AMOSUP Seamen's Training Center was established in 1972.
The AMOSUP SEAMEN'S TRAINING CENTER (ASTC) is one of the organizations of the ASSOCIATED MARINE OFFICERS' AND SEAMEN'S UNION OF THE PHILIPPINES (AMOSUP). ASTC first conducted seminars in 1973 to emphasize unionism, pride in their profession, their duties and responsibilities in their Union, to their country and other subjects on the never ending technological changes affecting working conditions on board modern vessels of today.
CAPT. DIOFONCE F. TUÑACAO, PN (Ret.)
ASTC Training Director
