Manila, May 21 -- The Philippine Commission on Women (PCW) said Wednesday there is an urgent need to dismantle gender barriers across all aspects of the maritime industry.

In a statement, PCW Chairperson Ermelita Valdeavilla noted that women have been proving their competence, courage, and leadership in the maritime world as engineers, logisticians, harbor pilots, shipbuilders, and naval officers, to name a few.

However, they still encounter significant barriers, such as unconscious bias, lack of appropriate mentorship, limited training access, and outdated stereotypes.

"The ocean of opportunities for women in the maritime industry means nothing if gender barriers will remain ingrained in maritime education, training, recruitment, plac...