Section 5
SEC. 5. Section eleven hundred and ninety-one of the Administrative Code is hereby amended to read as follows: "SEC. 1191. Qualifications required of candidates for master, mate, and patron.—Besides the physical examination and other evidence relative to habits and character herein required, candidates for master, mate, and patron, shall have the following qualifications: "(a) Master: An applicant for a certificate as master shall be not less than twenty-five years of age at the time of filing his application, and shall produce to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has served, on a seagoing vessel in the capacity of first mate with a certificate as such for at least two years, one year of which shall be on vessels of five hundred gross tons or over. "(b) First mate: An applicant for a certificate as first mate shall produce to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has served on a seagoing vessel in the capacity of second mate, with a certificate as such, for at least one year. "(c) Second mate: An applicant for certificate as second mate shall produce to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has served on a seagoing vessel in the capacity of third mate, with a certificate as such, for at least one year. "(d) Third mate: An applicant for a certificate as third mate shall be not less than nineteen years of age and shall produce a certificate of graduation from the Philippine Nautical School or from any other officially recognized nautical school after having completed the second year high school or its equivalent, and shall further be required to present to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has served as an apprentice mate, at least eighteen months in a seagoing sailing vessel, or at least twenty-four months in a seagoing steam or motor vessel. Major patrons who on the approval of this Act were acting as masters on vessels of two hundred tons or over may apply for examination for a third mate's certificate after two years of such service: Provided, That apprentice mates who are actually navigating as such on or prior to the approval of this Act shall be required to present to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that they have successfully passed the second year high school or its equivalent in any recognized school, and that they have shipped or acted as agregado or piloto for at least two years on a seagoing vessel. "(c) Patron: In order to be admitted to examination for patron in the major coastwise trade, the applicant shall be at least twenty-five years of age and shall produce to the Board a certificate, satisfactory to it, showing that he has passed the intermediate school or its equivalent in an officially recognized school and that he has navigated in the major coastwise trade as boatswain, quartermaster, sailor, or apprentice mate on a seagoing vessel navigating in the Philippine coastwise trade of not less than two hundred fifty tons gross for a period of at least five years, or that he has navigated as patron or mate in the coastwise trade with a certificate of minor patron for at least three years. "An applicant for admission to the examination for patron in the minor coastwise trade shall be not less than twenty-three years of age and shall produce to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has passed the intermediate school or its equivalent in an officially recognized school and that he has navigated on a seagoing vessel of thirty gross tons or over for a period of not less than five years as boatswain or quartermaster or sailor. "An applicant for admission to the examination as patron for harbor, bay, lake and river shall be at least twenty- three years of age, must know how to read and write English or Spanish, and shall produce to the Board evidence, satisfactory to it, showing that he has navigated on board of a vessel or launch of three tons or over for a period of not less than five years as quartermaster or sailor."