BIT International College Opens Bohol Satellite Office with Philippine Crewing Maritime Services

At first, it was just a thought and an idea. Or perhaps a dream.

But BIT International College President Emeritus Atty. Dionisio Balite, PhD has been pretty good in making dreams, even the wildest among them, turn into reality.

Three years ago, when Philippine Crewing Maritime Services (PCMS) President Capt. Irineo Balagtas and Multinational Maritime Inc. (MMI) Managing Director and General Manager Capt. Banny Briones first visited BIT IC Tagbilaran, the idea was brought up. Upon knowing that the MMI had satellite offices in Cebu, Iloilo and Davao, Atty. Balite thought about “why not in Bohol too?” Atty. Balite began toying the idea through the recommendation of Chief Mate Ransam Aumentado, who was then Shipboard Training Officer in BIT IC at that time.

He gladly offered the chance to put up a satellite office to Capt. Balagtas and Capt. Briones, whose maritime agencies have had close links with Meiji Shipping in Japan.

A satellite office could not have been more timely and more appropriate. The College of Maritime Education (CME) of the BIT International College is one of the largest, if not the largest in the entire system. It boasts of roughly 1,200 students in its associate in maritime and marine engineering degree programs.

Last March 2018, BIT IC graduated roughly 600 maritime students. “With CME set to post higher growth in the coming years, having a satellite office of a major maritime agency has become a necessity and a must,” stressed Atty. Balite.

“It makes it more convenient for our graduates to apply. And since they don’t have to go all the way to Manila or to Cebu, it comes out as a cheaper option for them. It is part of BIT IC’s sincere gesture of extending after-care services to its students even after graduation. It is part of BIT IC’s goal of ‘Going BEYOND in Empowering its students, Nurturing their Dreams and Transforming their Lives.’”

It took only BIT IC a good six months or less to realize its dream of building a satellite office.

Mr. Yutaka Kikuchi, Representative of Meiji Shipping to the Philippines, visited Bohol for the very first time to grace the ribbon-cutting and opening of the satellite office on April 30. 2018. He was accompanied by Capts. Balagtas and Briones. The three executives planed in from Manila to witness the event.

The satellite office is located in the Dao campus of BIT IC Tagbilaran, sitting right before the entrance of the spacious campus.

For the last five years, Meiji Shipping through MMI and PCMS has hosted BIT IC maritime graduates through its Maritime Cadetship Program.

Last March, about seventy graduating cadets from BIT IC Tagbilaran, Jagna and Talibon sat down for the cadetship qualifying examinations and interviews. Although not all of the twenty (20) who qualified ended up attending the program, eighteen (18) cadets are now at the Meiji-owned MK Training Center in Barangay Bayanan, Bacoor, Cavite. It has been almost a month now since their training started.