ILOILO MERCHANT MARINE SCHOOL

COLLEGE OF MARITIME EDUCATION

Cabugao Sur, Pavia, Iloilo

Thriamvus: The Success Stories of Ship Captains from Iloilo

A Research Proposal

Presented to the

College of Maritime Education

Iloilo Merchant Marine School

Cabugao Sur, Pavia, Iloilo

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for Graduation

by

Fernandez, John Reed

Galeno, Constantine James

Laporno, Ron Joseph

Peñarubia, John Rex

Torrechilla, Joshua

March 2022
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CHAPTER 1

Introduction of the Study

Chapter 1 contains seven parts: (1) Background of the Study, (2) Theoretical and

Epistemological Research Perspective, (3) Statement of the Problem, (4) Assumptions

of the Study, (5) Definition of Terms, (6) Scope and Delimitation of the Study, and (7)

Significance of the Study.

Part One, Background of the Study, presents (the story behind their hurdles and

success of ship captains)

Part Two, Theoretical and Epistemological Research Perspective, which guide the

study set of beliefs that guide the actions of the researcher and the systematically

interrelated constructs and propositions.

Part Three, Statement of the Problem, explains the main purpose of the study.

Part Four, Assumptions of the Study, states the presumptions of the researchers.

Part Five, Definition of Terms, presents the conceptual and operational meaning

of the important terms used in the study.

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Part Six, Scope and Delimitation of the Study, specifies the scope and coverage

of the study.

Part Seven, Significance of the Study, enumerates and explains the benefits that

may be derived from the findings of the study.

Background of the Study

"Everyone has a story to tell, a lesson to teach, and wisdom to share. Life is a

beautiful masterpiece bound together by different stories, experiences and memories.

But behind every story there is happiness, success, satisfaction and failure, and failure

becomes a motivation in facing life’s challenges and to strive to be successful in future

endeavor. In the context of maritime industry in the in the Philippines, to be at the sea

is an act of love. Seafaring is a profession that entails both risks, accidents, and

responsibility”. Sarinas and Ellaga (2016, p. 5)

Despite the development of China in recent years, the Philippines, as the world's

largest provider of seafarers, plays a vital role in the supply of seafarers, who are the

cornerstone of global logistics. The maritime sector is one of the fastest expanding jobs

these days, and it employs a significant number of individuals from different countries.

The marine industry has a favorable impact on the Philippine economy because to the
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work of Filipino modern heroes, popularly known as Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW).

(Manalo, Aden Raphael G., Mercado, et al. 2016)

Filipino mariners are competitive due to their dependability and untiring

temperament. Despite this, the maritime company poses several hurdles to each

individual who is a part of it, and it is considered as one of the most vital occupations in

the globe. But amid these countless hurdles our Filipino seafarers develop ways to

become successful in life and their vocation. Every Filipino sailor is certified in

compliance with the standards of training, certification, and watch keeping (STCW) for

sailor. They preserve a professional and diligent demeanor. Furthermore, Filipino sailors

are competitive in the labor market but do not compromise their performance or

attitude toward their tasks and obligations. (Paragas, Donmer F.; Tenorio, et al. 2016)

Hiring Filipino sailors offers various advantages because Filipinos have vast

maritime skills and an outstanding track record. As a result, Filipino seafarers can be

found onboard vessels of various classes and registries. It claims that they believe

Filipino seafarers will continue to play a critical part in today's global maritime industry.

Captains of ships are made, not born. Almost all begin their careers as officers,

but others begin as ratings on the ship. Following that is formal training and education,

which is governed by international treaties and national legislation. It's a position

attained via hard effort and merit.

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In light of this, the results of this study on ship captain success stories will be

extremely valuable in motivating other seafarers and those aspiring to be seafarers.

This research narrates and documents the journeys of a few successful ship captains in

Iloilo, by gathering information about their educational backgrounds, career paths,

driving force to work efficiently, hard work, coping strategies, job encounters, edged as

a Ship Captain, skills as an effective team leader, and managerial techniques in

resolving conflicts undecided.

The findings of this study will serve as a foundation for encouraging, inspiring,

and providing hope to aspiring seafarers, particularly Mandaragats, by providing

support, knowledge, and an understanding of what it takes to become a professional,

devoted, and industrious seafarer in the future. To have a better understanding of the

maritime environment, including how stories of bravery from every Ship Captain from

Iloilo have helped them overcome the challenges of the high seas and achieve success.

This study provides insight into the life of a modern hero in the Philippines—a seafarer

—as well as advice for those who aspire to be mariners.

Theoretical Research and Epistemological Perspective of the Study

This study is anchored from the theoretical and epistemological support of the

Goal Setting Theory of motivation by (Locke & Latham, 2002) leaders in goal-setting

theory and research, have incorporated nearly 400 studies about goals into a theory of
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goal setting and task performance. According to the theory, there appear to be two

cognitive determinants of behavior: values and intentions (goals). A goal is defined

simply as what the individual is consciously trying to do. Locke and Latham postulate

that the form in which one experiences one’s value judgments is emotional. That is,

one’s values create a desire to do things consistent with them. Goals also affect

behavior (job performance) through other mechanisms. For Locke and Latham, goals,

therefore, direct attention and action. Furthermore, challenging goals mobilize energy,

lead to higher effort, and increase persistent effort. Goals motivate people to develop

strategies that will enable them to perform at the required goal levels. Finally,

accomplishing the goal can lead to satisfaction and further motivation, or frustration

and lower motivation if the goal is not accomplished. Organization members perform at

higher levels when asked to meet a specific high-performance goal. Asking organization

members to improve, to work harder, or to do your best is not helpful, because that

kind of goal does not give them a focused target. Specific goals (often quantified) let

organization members know what to reach for and allow them to measure their own

progress. Research indicates that specific goals help bring about other desirable

organizational goals, such as reducing absenteeism, tardiness, and turnover. A goal that

is too easily attained will not bring about the desired increments in performance. The

key point is that a goal must be difficult as well as specific for it to raise performance.

However, there is a limit to this effect. Although organization members will work hard
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to reach challenging goals, they will only do so when the goals are within their

capability. As goals become too difficult, performance suffers because organization

members reject the goals as unreasonable and unattainable. A major factor in

attainability of a goal is self-efficacy. Goals need to be accepted. Simply assigning goals

to organization members may not result in their commitment to those goals, especially

if the goal will be difficult to accomplish. A powerful method of obtaining acceptance is

to allow organization members to participate in the goal-setting process. In other

words, participation in the goal-setting process tends to enhance goal commitment.

Participation helps organization members better understand the goals, ensure that the

goals are not unreasonable, and helps them achieve the goal. The factor of self-efficacy

mentioned above also may come into play regarding imposed goals. Some individuals

may reject imposed goals, but if they have self-efficacy, they may still maintain high

personal goals to accomplish the imposed goals (Bandura, 1997). The theory

emphasizes the important relationship between goals and performance. Research

supports predictions that the most effective performance seems to result when goals

are specific and challenging, when they are used to evaluate performance and linked to

feedback on results, and create commitment and acceptance. The motivational impact

of goals may be affected by moderators such as ability and self-efficacy. Deadlines

improve the effectiveness of goals. A learning goal orientation leads to higher

performance than a performance goal orientation, and group goal-setting is as

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important as individual goalsetting. This theory is relevant in the study because

motivation is what drives a person to achieve its goals and by achieving those specific

goals that person is building its way to success.

Statement of the problem

This research will determine the success stories of several Ship Captains from Iloilo.

Specifically, this study aims to answer the following questions:

1. What is the journey of Successful Ship Captains of Iloilo?

2. What are the hindrances they have encountered while in the ship and how did

they overcome those?

3. What are their tips or advice to the future seafarers who are aspiring to become

a successful ship captain?

Definition of terms

Thriamvus-- triumphe, from Latin triumphus ("triumphal procession"),

ultimately from Ancient Greek θρίαμβος (Word-Sense Online Dictionary, 2021)

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In this study, the triumph of the three ship captains will be discuss

Seafarer-- someone who works or travels on a boat or ship on the sea

(Merriam-Webster. n.d.)

In this study, Seafarer will be the participants.

Success-- the fact of getting or achieving wealth, respect, or fame (Merriam-

Webster. n.d.)

In this study, the researchers are going to find out what is success for the three

ship captains in Iloilo.

Stories-- a statement regarding the facts pertinent to a situation in question

(Merriam-Webster. n.d.)

In this study, the researchers are going to find out the stories behind the success

of the three ship captains in Iloilo.

Ship captains-- or sea captains are the captain of a ship that travels on the sea

(Merriam-Webster. n.d.)

In this study, this will be the rank of the three participants.

STCW-- Standards of Training, Certification, and Watchkeeping (Ocean time

Marine. n.d.)
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In this study, STCW is one of the certifications that every Filipino seafarer needs

to proceed onboard the ship.

Scope and Delimitations of the Study

The study will cover the stories behind the success of a ship captains from Iloilo.

The primary subjects of this research study will consist of the ship captains from Iloilo.

The respondents will be limited to three (3) ship captains with a long-term experience

and consider their selves as being successful.

Moreover, the participants will be purposely selected by referring to their years

of experience being a seafarer, with at least 10 to 15 years of experience.

Significance of the Study

The following will benefit from the findings of the study:

Maritime Students. Students will be more diligent in their studies in order to

achieve the desired rank on the ship. This will also give them important advice to them

and they can help their poor parents in exchange for taking care of him and finishing
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his studies, and can buy whatever he wants if he became one of the successful ship

captains someday.

School. The school will provide more scholarships for children whose parents

cannot afford to send them to school due to poverty and they will also provide an

environment where we can learn a lot of basic skills in the ship training.

Aspiring Seafarers. Will be solidify their decisions to become seafarers

someday and they will make it even more inspiring.

Teachers. Maritime Teachers will become more aware of Task-based Maritime

Teachings and they would realize that this task could be helpful for the students who

will go onboard the ship in the future.

Government. The Government will benefit in this study because the maritime

industry is one of the vital components of the economy of the country.

Community. The people of the community will be inspired to hear about the

success stories of ship captains from Iloilo

Parents. They will not hesitate to support their children's dreams and will never

abandon them as a result of this. They will work tirelessly to ensure that their children

graduate and achieve their long-awaited life goals.

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Future Researchers. This research would assist student researchers in

becoming aware of and knowledgeable about the processes of maritime industry. It will

help them become better analysts and will serve as a future reference for future

studies.

Chapter 2

Review of related literature

A literature review was conducted to identify and summarize findings related to

Thriamvus: The Success Stories of Ship Captains from Iloilo. The review was conducted

primarily through Internet searches of online databases, publications, and industry

resources. It is divided into (4) parts: (1) The Filipino Seafarer: A Life Between Sacrifice

and Shopping, (2) The Risks of Being a Filipino Seafarer, (3) The Seafarer’s Life, (4)

The Success Story of Capt. Angelex A. Panes on Board the M/V SKS Tiete,
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Part 1, The Filipino Seafarer: A Life Between Sacrifice and Shopping, (what is it all

about.)

Part 2, The Risks of Being a Filipino Seafarer, (Explained the different risk of Filipino

Seafarer’s may face, these are the health risk, the Danger’s at sea, and possibility of

Family broken ties.)

Part 3, The Seafarer’s Life, (The life of the seafarer’s onboard ship on how they will

handle different scenario.)

Part 4 The Success Story of Capt. Angelex A. Panes on Board the M/V SKS Tiete,

(Different advices of Captain Angelex A. Panes for seafarers to become successful.)

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The Filipino Seafarer: A Life Between Sacrifice and Shopping

Gunnar (2012, p. 1) notes that the life of the Filipino seafarer continues to be

interwoven with that of his family. The seafarers are portrayed as products of and for

their families, both in the sense that the family appears as the major motive for leaving

and that close kin o en play an intrinsic role as facilitators for the actual departure. Also,

the extensive and complex financial contribution of the seafarer towards his family,

together with certain extraordinary knowledge obtained through his occupation find

their place in the outline of the Filipino seafarer as a family-based enterprise. The article

also contains a brief theoretical outline of the labor migration phenomenon, besides a

discussion of the coping aspect in a seafaring profession. Life at sea is portrayed as a

highly repetitive and deprived universe, which demands the use of certain coping

strategies in order to make daily life appear meaningful for the seamen. Crucial in the

seafarers’ struggle for significance lie metaphor and the gift.

(Gunnar, 2012, p. 66) The life at sea can be named a state of exception. To be a

professional seafarer involves a membership in an alternative society or reality. In other

words, a ship is, in short, an extreme and abnormal place to be; it is almost impossible

to find a corresponding society elsewhere. A ship is therefore in its character an

exceptional or an unexampled place, and the experiences the seafarers obtain after

completing the contract periods on board may be unique.

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(1) (Manalo, Aden Raphael G., Mercado, et al. 2016) stated that the maritime

business is presently considered one of the fastest growing occupations, and it employs

a large number of people from various countries. Through the support of Filipino

modern heroes, often known as Overseas Filipino Workers, the maritime industry has a

positive impact on the Philippines’ economy (OFW). Filipino seamen are competitive due

to their dependability and tireless nature. Despite this, the marine business poses

numerous hurdles to each individual who works in it, and it is regarded as one of the

most dangerous vocations in the world. This research focuses on the difficulties that

Filipino seafarers may have on board in order to propose a work-life balance. With the

goal of assisting Filipino seafarers in improving their daily life on and off the ship. The

researchers performed a descriptive study to provide information about a group’s

natural health status, behavior, attitude, or other attribute.

Using information received from 80 seafarers at the Magsaysay Training Center,

as well as a primary data collection method created by the researcher. The majority of

Filipino sailors are male and married, with an age range of 21 to 40 years old, according

to the findings. The majority of seafarers with 0 to 10 years of experience in the sector

face difficulties onboard. The findings show that homesickness is the most common

obstacle onboard, followed by weariness, family issues, prejudice, poor communication

onboard, and poor work relationships. Furthermore, Filipino sailors stated that
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organizations face obstacles and challenges. Life is full with challenges and hardships.

Those obstacles acted as a stepping stone in improving one’s ability to survive and

adapt to a new way of life.

(2) (Angelo U. Panganiban (MAMET), Olympio B. Garcia (Ed.D) Master in

Maritime Education and Training, Graduate School, et al. 2017) stated that A strong

mental stability and a solid physical foundation, as well as an adaptable and flexible

attitude, are required of a seafarer. Stress and weariness, on the other hand, make it

difficult for a maritime expert to function properly. The study’s goal was to discover the

elements that contribute to Filipino seafarers’ stress and tiredness. The researcher

employed a descriptive design to describe the factors that contribute to Filipino

seafarers’ stress and weariness.

A total of 205 seafarers who work on offshore, coastal, and blue water vessels

were polled. Filipino sailors consider elements that contribute to stress and exhaustion

to be somewhat distressing, with physical considerations taking precedence over

emotional, environmental, and psychological factors. When Filipino seafarers are

categorized by profile, however, there is a considerable variance in responses to

environmental, emotional, physical, and psychological elements that contribute to stress

and exhaustion. Finally, a plan of action was presented to reduce and address the

issues that contribute to Filipino seafarers’ stress and weariness.

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(3) Novio, C. (2015) Stated that “Working hard means doing all the necessary

things that can be done today and working smart is doing the things that we love every

day.” According to the International Labor Organization’s data in 2012, the Philippines is

the biggest source of seafarers around the world. It is estimated that one out of five

seafarers is Filipino. After graduating with a degree in electronics and communications

engineering in Mapua Institute of Technology in 2002, Magpantay taught as

engineering instructor and then became a maintenance engineer in a company in

Manila. Magpantay met his former schoolmate at Mapua who works in a shipping vessel

as an electrical engineer and earns four times what he was earning. This became a

reality check and made him think about things. With a family to support, he applied at

Motor Vessel NYK Andromeda, a container ship bound to Singapore port in June 2005.

It was also his first time to travel abroad and fly in an airplane. Since Magpantay is not

an ordinary seafarer, his promotion was quite fast. Before he was able to board as a

seafarer, he was selected as electrical cadet by NYK-Fil Ship Management Inc., to be

their prospective electrical engineer for ships. After a six-month contract being an

electrical cadet, his next vessel assignment was MV NYK Antares as apprentice

electrician. After a month, he was promoted to ship electrical engineer. As an electro-

technical officer, he is responsible for the maintenance and repairs of electrical,

electronics and control engineering in the engine room and on-deck machineries,
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including bridge communication and navigational equipment. Now he is an officer and a

seasoned mariner. He has been on board for 11 contracts with eight cargo ships: NYK

Andromeda, NYK Antares, BBC Rosario, Polynesia, Mell Sudong, Warnow Chief, Mell

Shepherd and Asian Sun, all traveling worldwide and carrying general cargo.

The contract ranges from four to 10 months depending on the agreement and request

of the employer and seafarer but the standard is 10 months for ratings. During their

two-month vacation they do not have salary, thus, he advises his fellows to invest

wisely.

Magpantay works in a cargo ship. A cargo ship carries goods, materials and different

merchandise from one port to another. During his first trip, the route of his ship was

from Asia to Europe. One voyage or complete route is ordinarily about two months

during fine weather or if they do not encounter problems. “There was one instance

when we were sailing in the ocean for almost a month due to long voyage from Canada

to Australia with a cargo of fertilizer. Then, there was a time that we needed to stay in

anchorage at port Abidjan, Ivory Coast, for almost four months since the cargo cannot

be discharged,” he shares. As seafarers, they also have some fun on board. When they

pass through the International Date Line or equator, there is a ceremony or party for

first-time seafarers. Upon reaching the invisible line, a new mariner will hold the ship’s
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bell, put seawater on it and taste it. “Every month, we celebrate on board. We have a

barbecue party as a thanksgiving for the safe voyage,” he says.

Magpantay has worked with different nationalities from Croatian, Romanian, Indian to

Myanmarese, and also with Filipino captains and chief engineers. But mostly he works

with ratings (comparable to rank-and-file) Filipino seafarers. Since most of the time

they are in the ship and work with other nationalities they have to learn and respect

each other’s cultures. They also try to learn the languages of their mates.

Discrimination, on the other hand, involves work-related issues.

“Other nationalities think that Filipinos are better only in the position or rank as ratings

and not as officers and engineers. That is why we really work doubly hard to show how

competent the Filipino seafarers are in performing our jobs as officers or engineers,” he

says.

Traveling around the world, having a tax-free competitive salary with free

accommodations and food, and learning different languages are the perks of being a

seafarer when they are on shore.

The disadvantages include homesickness, oftentimes seasickness during typhoons and

not being able to contact family members on certain times. Even with Internet

connection, there are times when homesickness is inevitable especially during important
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celebrations like birthdays, wedding anniversaries, Christmas and family reunions. He

says he just looks at the pictures of his family and watches their videos or uses satellite

communication. He also reads books from Robert Kiyosaki, Bo Sanchez, Napoleon Hill

and Jack Canfield, successful authors who inspired him to write online books. “Working

hard means doing all the necessary things that can be done today; and working smart

is doing the things that we love every day. Being a seafarer means a lot of sacrifices so

we must learn how to save, invest and grow our earnings in order to prepare for our

early retirement and spend more precious time with our family and loved ones,” he

says.

 (4) Cameron K. Michael, A. (2019). For a visitor along for the streak, the ocean

voyage meant novel sensations. The sound of the waves drowned out by the yowl of

the engines. The deck scattered with ineffective flying fish after a storm. The tear

stuffed with the smell of cheap bunker gas.

But for the seamen, maybe the ideal thing worse than the repetitive drudgery of their

harsh labor modified into as soon as the boredom that came after they had been

executed, any romance with the sea lengthy since passed.

The men on the ship are the sons of fishermen, carpenters and rice farmers. To be an

officer which most men aspire to requires a faculty stage. Some who graduated paid

for these degrees on the earnings from backyard piggeries, or made their pocket money
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promoting Popsicles on the freeway. They left on the relieve of lives in provincial

villages the put they would per chance quiz to function $100 a month. They impact 10

times that quantity, in most cases more, at sea.

They came dwelling with thick, gold chains spherical their necks, built grand cement

homes amongst their neighbors’ bamboo huts, provided for his or her of us and

despatched siblings, nieces and nephews to university. Marriage proposals poured in.

The country’s dominance of the arduous but effectively paid work on cargo ships began

in the 1980s, when an organized campaign began to put collectively Filipinos for careers

at sea. Employment companies marketed Filipino seafarers to world transport

companies. Authorities companies stepped in to administer their deployment. An

industry of marine colleges emerged to relieve the class of strivers seeking the roles.

In fresh times, ships had been hiring more seamen from Vietnam, Myanmar and China.

But about 400,000 of the field’s 1.6 million seafarers are Filipino. In 2018, these

workers despatched$6 billion relieve to their country in remittances.

The ocean is a unhealthy location to work. Within the closing 10 years, 1,036 ships had

been lost at sea, at the side of yet every other cement provider that capsized in

mistaken climate reach Scotland with out a survivors. A mooring rope might snap with

sufficient power to sail off a person’s head, or a falling grate might shear off fingers. An
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out of this world swell breaking over the aspect might slam a person against pipes or

wash him into the sea. There are electrocutions, burns and appendicitis. The nearest

scientific institution will seemingly be hours, or days away, by rescue helicopter. The

ideal self-discipline for seafarers, although, is enduring the psychological strain of

isolation, stated Capt. Soyoso.

On a ship, with time to flip over your problems and no approach to attain the leisure

about them, it’s straightforward to modified into despondent. Capt. Soyoso stated he

had viewed men modified into too wretched to work, and others die by suicide. The

months a ways from family exact a heavy toll.

Mr. Reunir stated he had wanted to be a seaman since childhood. Since reaching his

dream, he has relished the lope of boating pirated waters in the Gulf of Aden, permitted

the hazards of North Sea storms, and continued 10-month lengthy stretches of

separation from all people he beloved. But since he left for the sea, the Philippine

economic system has grown, and there are more opportunities on land.

After seven years onboard cargo ships, he’s now dreaming of attempting to search out

some farmland and raising goats and pigs in the city the put he grew up. Within the

period in-between, he asks his wife to listing his minute one daughter photographs of

him, so she’ll know who he is, after they in a roundabout plot meet.
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The Risks of Being a Filipino Seafarer

Cory Josue, A. (2013). This article enumerates the different risks that Filipino

seafarers are facing or are going to face. The Philippines is known to comprise a huge

percentage of seafarers working for different shipping companies around the world.

Because of their inherent sea intuition, extensive offshore trainings and strong

academic background, they have made a name for themselves and grew a niche in the

industry.  Many young Filipinos aspire to be a seafarer because of the lucrative

compensation, the chance to travel the world for free well, almost and the sense of

adventure that it holds. But, despite these advantages, it also has its risks, especially in

the case of Filipino seafarers. This article enumerates the different risks that Filipino

seafarers are facing or are going to face.

Health Risks in the Philippines, seafarers are known to have extra-marital affairs

whenever they are on duty in another part of the world the wives are always left

hanging every time their husband leaves. But more than that, there is a bigger risk for

them because there is no stringent health care policy whenever they come back from

work. At sea, they are at risk of contacting various health complications, especially

sexually transmitted disease. Danger at Sea of course, this is inevitable for any

seafarer. The sea is a dangerous and wide world and anything can happen from the
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course of Mother Nature to manmade conflicts. Typhoons and strong winds are natural

and sometimes, boats are forced to hide in different locations just to be safe.

As for man-made conflicts, seafarers these days are also at risk of facing pirates!

And according to veteran seafarers, often, they are forced to live in cramped conditions

with coarse individuals of course, of different nationalities which they have deal with the

entire time that they are on the trip. Despite the dangers at sea, they have the proper

education and remarkable offshore training that makes them equipped to face everyday

life at sea.

Family Ties are Broken Because they are away for most of the time, there is a

possibility that family ties break down because of no constant communication and

distance. There are many stories of Filipino families suffering because their fathers are

not home and their mothers are forced to tend to the children solo and sometimes,

unexpectedly, they find a lover. With the tremendous pressure to provide for their

families in the case of the father and to keep the family all together in the mother’s

case, there are instances where they don’t meet in the middle anymore.

These are just three of the risks that Filipino seafarers have to face every day at sea;

but in a more specific setting, everyone has their respective conflicts to solve every day;

as is Physics, everything is relevant.

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(1) Dennis R. Gorecho, A. (2017). Seafarers are exposed to occupational risk

factors, as well as environmental risk factors, as part of their normal everyday activities

since they spend a large part of their lives at sea. Most seafarers live and work under

extremely hazardous conditions that can cause serious short-term and long-term

damage to their health. In some cases, they are exposed to conditions that can even be

fatal.

Under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration (POEA) standard

employment contract, a work-related illness is defined as any sickness resulting to

disability or death as a result of an occupational disease listed under Section 32-A of

this contract with the conditions set therein satisfied. The only types of cancer on the

list are cancer of the epithelial lining of the bladder papilloma of the bladder, and

cancer, epithellomatous or ulceration of the skin or of the corneal

surface of the eye due to tar, pitch, bitumen, mineral oil or paraffin, or compound

product.

 In reality, many seafarers suffer from other type of cancers like that affects the

lungs, kidney, liver, pancreas, nasopharyngeal and many more that are not one of the

occupational diseases listed in the Standard Contract. An illness not otherwise listed in

Section 32-A is disputably presumed work-related. This presumption works in favor of a

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seafarer, because it then becomes incumbent upon the employer to dispute or overturn

this presumption.

A maritime health study noted that there has been a gradual rise in the number

of cases of various types of cancers among seafarers. Cases of lung, renal, pancreatic

cancers, as well as leukemia, mesothelioma and lymphoma are being identified on

personnel employed on various types of vessels, as well as on the docks. These vessels

include dry cargo ships, oil tankers, gas tankers, passenger vessels, and icebreakers.

Increasing in number is the incidence of lung cancers among both engine crew, as well

as deck officers. Maritime activities are found to be major contributors to toxic

pollutants in the air, with focus on diesel exhaust, formaldehyde, benzene, as well as

smoke, soot, dirt and dust, which, due to their microscopic particles, find easy access to

the respiratory tract and lungs, leading to respiratory disease, asthma attacks, heart

attacks, various types of cancers, birth defects, lung damage, immune system damage

and nerve damage. Occupational hazards such as asbestos, benzene, and benzidines,

have been removed and/or substituted; however, new potential carcinogens are

continuously being introduced into the work place. Moreover, there is the risk of cancer

originating from sources other than exposures to chemicals, e.g. stress, radiation, virus,

bacteria, night work and late-night shifts, physical inactivity.

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(2) Ana P. Santos, A. (2020). Seafaring is not only one of the most dangerous

jobs in the world. Seafarers also experience dangerously high levels of mental

stress and have contemplated suicide perhaps more than any other occupation. 

The fatigue from the long months of working at sea makes seafarers prone to injury

and accidents. The European Maritime Safety Agency estimates about 4,000 marine

casualties and incidents occur annually, injuring almost 1,000 seafarers. 

Apart from the brutal working conditions, being cut off from their loved ones and

isolated on a ship add to the reason why a high number of seafarers suffer from

depression.

Other studies show that feelings of helplessness when they witness the death of a

crewmate can leave long-lasting emotional trauma.

Though studies on mental health of seafarers are still sparse, seafarer welfare

organizations and manning agencies have responded by making online and virtual

counseling and emotional support services available to those suffering from depression

or having suicidal thoughts.

 28

(3) Dennis R. Gorecho, A. (2016). A job of a seafarer is not exactly a walk in the

park.  Away from his family and working on board vessels sailing non-stop for weeks or

months the world’s oceans, he is mentally and emotionally stressed. He performs duties

and responsibilities as instructed or as necessary.

What makes the job more difficult, aside from exposure to fluctuating temperatures

caused by variant weather changes, of extreme hot and cold as the ships cross ocean

boundaries, not to mention harsh weather conditions,  the job obviously entails

laborious manual tasks conducted in a moving ship, which makes them vulnerable

to  increased work-related stress. In some instances, a seafarer unfortunately dies due

to illness or injury. The shipping industry and seafaring  profession are likewise  not

without incident or peril. There are  maritime disasters that result in the loss of life of

and injury to Filipino seafarers .

Under an employment contract duly approved by the Philippine Overseas Employment

Administratio (POEA), in the case of work-related death of the seafarer, during the term

of his contract,  the employer shall pay his beneficiaries the Philippine Currency

equivalent to the amount of Fifty Thousand US dollars (US$50,000) and an additional

amount of Seven Thousand US dollars (US$7,000) to each child under the age of

twenty one 21 but not exceeding four 4children, at the exchange rate prevailing during
 29

the time of payment.The amount usually is higher if the death is covered by a Collective

Bargaining Agreement (CBA)

Case law explains that “the words ‘arising out of’ refer to the origin or cause of the

accident, and are descriptive of its character, while the words ‘in the course of’ refer to

the time, place, and circumstances under which the accident takes place. As a matter of

general proposition, an injury or accident is said to arise ‘in the course of employment’

when it takes place within the period of the employment, at a place where the

employee reasonably may be, and while he is fulfilling his duties or is engaged in doing

something incidental thereto.”

Under  the 1996 POEA Standard Employment Contract (SEC),  for disability or death to

be compensable,  it was sufficient that the seafarer suffered injury or illness during the

term of his employment.  The cause of illness or death is immaterial. However, through

the lobbying of the principals and their  manning agencies, the restrictive clause “work-

related”  was added under Section 20 (B) of the 2000 POEA SEC to limit their liabilities.

The 2000 POEA SEC defined “work-related injury” as “injury resulting in disability or

death arising out of and in the course of employment” and “work-related illness” as

“any sickness resulting to disability or death as a result of an occupational disease listed

under Section 32-A of the contract”.  Being included in the list is not enough, since  all

of the following conditions must be satisfied: the seafarer’s   work must involve the
 30

risks described; the disease was contracted as a result of the seafarer’s exposure to the

described risks; . the disease was contracted within a period of exposure and under

such other factors necessary to contract it;  and there was no notorious negligence on

the part of the seafarer.  These same definitions were reiterated in the 2010 POEA SEC.

Two elements must concur for an injury or illness to be compensable. First, that the

injury or illness must be work-related; and second, that the work-related injury or

illness must have existed during the term of the seafarer’s employment contract. The

first requirement  appeared in the 2000 and 2010 POEA SEC but is  absent in the 1996

version. Through such restrictive provisions of the POEA SEC, claims for disability

compensation  became a legal battleground, especially in instances   when seafarers do

not  receive full compensation that are legally entitled to have. Such emergence of

cases is attributable to the fact that  the seafarer’s  employer does not hesitate to

harness its immense resources to limit its liability.

Nevertheless , in instances when  the  heirs are denied of the death benefits which led

to the filing of cases. Courts are called upon to be vigilant in their time-honored duty to

protect labor, especially in cases of disability or ailment. When applied to Filipino

seafarer, the perilous nature of their work is considered in determining the proper

benefits to be awarded. These benefits, at the very least, should approximate the risks

they brave on board the vessel every single day. 

 31

The Seafarer’s Life

Polit, A. (2014). Stated that the Seamen frequently work as seafarers to help lift

their families out of poverty. They are on-call as needed and travel all over the world to

work in often unregulated conditions with people they don’t know and who may not

speak their language. Theirs is a bleak world at sea for weeks at a time, where no

national laws apply, piracy still exists, and rogue waves can wash away life and limb.

It’s no surprise that these visitors are relieved to see a friendly face and enjoy some of

the comforts of home. Men were once drawn to the sea by a sense of adventure. Prior

to the advent of containers and modern cargo-handling equipment, a seafarer could

expect to spend a week or two in one foreign port after another. Seafaring provided an

opportunity to see and learn about the world. Ships are now more automated; crews

are smaller; time in ports is shorter; and loneliness is more pronounced.

Seafarers typically work whenever a contract is offered to them. One man recounted

a year in which he returned home to his family after a nine-month tour only to be asked

to return to sea 18 days later for another nine-month contract. He felt compelled to

leave his wife, who was crying, at the dock. If he refused the contract, there was no

telling when or if he would ever be hired again. Seafaring was all he knew, as it is for

many seafarers. Clothing is frequently an issue. Many seafarers come from tropical

countries where it is impossible to buy cold-weather clothing. When they join a ship’s
 32

crew, they often have no idea where it will go for the next six months or more. Or they

believe they are taking a warm-weather route but end up in Philadelphia on a frigid

winter day. And, on occasion, airlines misplace the luggage of seafarers who fly here to

join a ship.

Many seafarers spend months at sea without setting foot on land. Tankers make

round trips from here to load at African offshore terminals. Car ships arrive from

faraway places such as Korea. Seafarers frequently have only a few hours ashore and

are in a hurry to go shopping, buying snacks, clothing, or electronic equipment that is

either unavailable or prohibitively expensive at home. If there is an on-board accident,

good medical care may be unavailable for several days, and death may occur. Many of

the seafarers who visit SCI in Philadelphia are crewmembers whose ships have been

attacked or captured by pirates. The crew of the M.V. Irene E.M., which had previously

visited SCI, was attacked and captured by Somali pirates in the middle of the night on

April 14, 2009. Between the alarm and the highjack, the 22 Filipino crew members had

only a few minutes. The crew was then held hostage for five months before being

ransomed for two million dollars. If the US Justice Department believes crews entering

the US are material witnesses to violations of international law, they might be jailed for

months. If they have to testify in a court case, such as one about the dumping of oily

bilge water into the ocean, they may be out of work for months, often alone.
 33

(1) The globalized labor market for seafarers has resulted in vessels with foreign

crews. According to a 2003 research by the Seafarers International Research Centre,

over 60% of ships have multinational personnel (Ellis and Sampson 2003). According to

a more recent survey, 85 percent of vessels calling in Finnish ports had an international

crew mix, with two and three countries being the most common crewing pattern

(Storgrd et al. 2013). Because the Philippines is one of the world’s largest sources of

seafarers, it’s important to evaluate Filipino seafarers’ experiences on multinational

crewed boats.

Acejo (2020, p. 109) concludes that the shipping industry becoming

internationalized, globalized and deregulated, Filipino seafarers aboard merchant

vessels increasingly find themselves working alongside those from different

nationalities. Team effort and socially fulfilling relationships are highlighted as crucial to

seafarers’ daily shipboard life and having a good command of the English language

provides confidence in interacting with the crew, suggesting a good capacity for

teamwork. This comes with various challenges such as communicating effectively within

a multicultural environment and avoiding stereotype-based biases in dealing with other

nationalities. Officers tasked with managing the crew are better able to adopt

management practices that value diversity at work and avoid stereotyping certain

nationalities. Such a level of cultural awareness is helpful in integrating seafarers in the

 34

ship in terms of re-establishing and strengthening their work involvement and avoiding

isolation.

(2) According to Margareta Ljung and Gill Widell (2014, pp. 61-62) Going to sea

was motivated by a variety of factors, including a self-evident choice shaped by

childhood experiences, having landed on a ship as a teenager, and/or being bored with

school. Some people had no option because it was “in their blood” from prior

generations. Others tried it and liked it so much that they decided to stay. The freedom

of the oceans, the adventure, and the variety seemed to be the primary motivations for

starting and staying at sea. The elder seafarers appeared to be more committed to their

employer and to sea labor than the younger ones, who seemed to choose more flexibly

based on the conditions and opportunities that arose. Female sailors had the same

objectives as male seafarers, and they seemed to stick around as long as women were

treated with the same respect as males, or at the very least were not harassed in

excess of what they could handle.

Many seafarers chose to bring their children ashore, to coastal ships, or to work

in the marine sector when they had children. Because of unemployment or boredom

from long trades and/or hierarchical structure on board large boats, some of our

respondents took the same path. The most influencing aspect in professional decisions

was personal life and family. Older officers were appreciative to their wives for being
 35

able to handle children and the home during their entire time at sea. When their

children arrived, young men nowadays preferred to leave the sea for work ashore. They

desired to be parents on an equal footing with their partners and to accompany their

children throughout their childhood.

(3) Kairis, A. (2012). Concluded that, Physical and mental health issues

among seafarers are not uncommon, especially given the nature and difficulty of the

work that a seafarer must perform onboard. Physical and mental health issues among

seafarers are not uncommon, especially given the nature and difficulty of the work that

a seafarer must perform onboard.

When thinking of seafarers’ health and lifestyle one should always have in mind just few

of the following factors: unstable work schedules and long working hours due to

operational needs, the small community which one should adapt and work with, the

feeling of being away from home and familiar faces, the difficult working environment

as well as all the hazards that are involved, the restricted medical facilities and limited

medical supplies, the confined nature of life on board ship, the climate of the area

where the ship is operating. All of the above, combined with the come and go nature of

the seafaring profession, adds pressure to a person, even if he is unaware of it, and

does not help in any way to maintain healthy behaviors such as frequent exercise,

normal sleep intervals, a healthy living environment, and so on.

 36

Smoking and alcohol consumption rates are typically higher among seafarers than

among ashore workers. This behavior can be attributed to the fact that a person who

works on a ship is more likely to be bored than a person who works ashore and can

occupy himself with other tasks that he finds interesting. We must remember that the

possibilities available to a seafarer while he is not on duty are limited in comparison to

those available ashore. Another important factor is the stress experienced at sea, as

tight schedules, hazardous environments, confined spaces, and other factors can be

extremely stressful. Both of the aforementioned factors are linked to seafarers’

proclivity to smoke and consume alcohol. As a result, smoking and drinking are

considered as ways to cope. Although this is a misconception, the level of concentration

drops with each cigarette due to the increased carbon monoxide content in the blood,

which reduces the oxygen supply to the key organs of the body, including the brain,

resulting in severe energy sapping lethargy, Remain awake during night watches and

Overcome loneliness. Another fact that needs to be mentioned is the social belief that

drinking and smoking habits make someone look more manly giving them strength,

confidence and boldness.

It’s also said to make it easier to socialize with a group of people. Consider yourself at a

gathering where you are the only one who does not smoke. There are many people

who feel that removing barriers within a team may be accomplished by smoking and
 37

drinking, and that this is a key aspect that will lead to effective teamwork and make a

seafarer successful.

When working at sea, sleep disruption is inevitable due to the 24-hour

nature of the job. Seafarers usually complain about the fact that they lack proper sleep

which makes them feel tired, more stressful and unable to concentrate. When you don’t

get enough sleep, you’re more likely to: problem feeling sleepier becoming annoyed

while being awake, slower responses, Slower thinking due to a lack of coordination,

losing sight of the big picture by becoming obsessed on a small component of a

problem, Less imaginative problem-solving is becoming acceptable, as is a lower level

of performance. Performance is becoming increasingly inconsistent. The reason

seafarers usually lack proper sleep is mostly related to the design and the operation of

the ship. Imagine how it would be to try and sleep in a factory which operates 24/7.

Most seafarers are exposed to ongoing elevated stress levels something which

has a negative impact on physical and mental health not to mention that it can lower

work performance. Of course depending on the duties that have been assigned to

someone there might be variations of stress levels due to the type and nature of the

work. One of the major sources of stress is the overlap between home and work. Stress

is usually produced when the people have to cope with demands which exceed their

ability to meet them. Stress can be caused by work-related factors or it may have to do
 38

with the private lives of the seafarer (being away from home etc). According to Parker

et al (1997), Thomas et al (2005, 2006), Sutherland et al (1989) the factors presented

below more or less affect the seafarers: Watch patterns

Work overload, which can also lead to Chronic Responsibility Syndrome,Tasks

that are made unnecessarily difficult mainly because of the work environment (noise,

vibration, confined space etc) that the seafarer has to face onboard, Health worries

about contact with dangerous cargos and materials, Adverse weather, Employment

worries about changes to the industry, Social isolation and loneliness mainly attributed

to the difficult communication between crews of mixed cultures, Loss of contact with

friends and family and Home leave worries. The problem with stress is that it tends to

compound with other problems that a person may have. For example, a physical injury

combined with being stressed from work will most likely result in either a longer

recovery or worsening of the injury.

Nutrition is crucial to a seafarer’s health, owing to the physically demanding

nature of the ship’s work environment. According to AMSA‘s survey of the health,

stress, and fatigue of Australian Seafarers, many seafarers, despite being less positive

about the importance of nutrition in people’s lives, are still adventurous with food.

Chronic diseases can develop as a result of poor dietary habits. One of them is being

overweight, which can lead to hypertension, type 2 diabetes, coronary heart disease,
 39

stroke, gallbladder disease, osteoarthritis, respiratory problems, sleep apnea, and

endometrial, breast, prostate, and colon cancer. Such diseases can be attributed to the

fact that today’s workplace activities may be less physical. This also applies to

shipboard work. Nutritional factors that can increase the risk of developing chronic

diseases include: Sedentary lifestyles, particularly sedentary occupations and passive

recreational activities such as television watching and Portion sizes are large.

The excessive consumption onboard ships of highly processed food, sugar, salt,

saturated fats etc can best describe the nutritional habits for a number of seafarers

nowadays. On the other hand consumption of fish, vegetables, and fruit proves to be

particularly insufficient although such food is being provided onboard ships.

(4) Randell Tiongson, A. (2020). Stated that Seafarers, like many Filipinos abroad,

can fall into a contradictory state of earning big yet unable to save money for

themselves. There are things they can do to address this.

A seafarer needs to endure heavy work and be away from his loved ones for many

months in a year. While it is true that the income of seafarers is usually better than

other physically-demanding jobs in the Philippines, it is also true that the typical

seaman needs to deal with so much financial obligations and expectation that many of

them will not be able to secure their financial future properly. Despite their difficulties
 40

and sacrifices, many of our bagong bayani will not achieve their goals and dreams that

pushed them into being a seafarer in the first place.

First problem is “Too many financial obligations” Ever heard the joke: “Money is

relative. The more money you have the more relatives you have?”. That has been a

running cliché among many Filipinos and is especially true for our OFWs. Many of our

seafarers are given too much financial obligations which they take on, willingly or

unwillingly. Such financial obligations often times go beyond his immediate family and

spills over his extended family. His solution to this is “learn how to say no” The seafarer

should begin to say no, or limit financial support, to people outside his immediate family

– immediate family means the spouse and the children only. The seafarer shouldn’t feel

the obligation to be the savior of every family member. His primary obligation should be

to the spouse and children, anything beyond that should not be his burden. Helping is

okay as long as it is limited and will not prevent the seafarer from building his savings.

The second problem is “lack of financial discipline” Many of our esteemed seafarers

and their families will try to increase their lifestyle too quickly, which results to a

difficulty in being able to build savings. It is common knowledge that not all seafarers

can build enough savings because of increased spending. His solution for the second

problem is “Learn how to budget”. Money needs to be allocated properly so it can also

be tracked properly. Learn how to distinguish needs from wants and then put a limit on
 41

spending on wants. Proper budgeting will allow the family to assess their financial

condition so they will be able to adjust accordingly.

Third problem is “too much debt”. Due to poor cash flow management and the lack of

proper financial discipline, it is not uncommon for seafarers to be in too much debt or

be in a debt trap. His solution to this problem is “prioritize payment of debt” There is no

other way to get out of debt other than paying that debt. The seafarer must decide to

get himself out of debt by paying off old debt and avoiding new ones. Managing the

budget properly will allow the family to find ways to increase money to be used to

begin paying off debt. It means cutting down expenses and delaying major purchases

until debt is paid. The last problem is “not preparing for retirement” It is a sad reality

that when the seafarer gets old and cannot work anymore, many of them were unable

to prepare enough to live a financially independent life and he will begin to be a burden

of his children. His solution to this problem is to start investing for retirement. With

proper money management and financial discipline, the seafarer can generate

consistent savings that can be used for investments that will come in handy for

retirement. Some investments a seafarer can consider are life insurance, mutual funds,

and rental properties as they can be very useful during retirement.

The Success Story of Capt. Angelex A. Panes on Board the M/V SKS Tiete
 42

Brian Gil S. Sarinas and Mark Eden G. Ellaga (2016, P. 151-153) stated that for

Captain Panes, there is no secret, just be yourself, do your part and be patient to wait

for the right time of everything. He claimed: There is no secret. Just be yourself and do

your responsibility considering always the safety of all crew, vessel, cargo and

environment. Don’t rush to climb the ladder of success or get easily disappointed by

your failures. The best has yet to come. I just did my part, persevered and became

patient. Capt. Panes believes that open and clear communication that is, coaching at

sea are the keys to be a successful team leader. He mentioned that: To be an effective

team leader, one must know how to conduct an open and clear communication with

each other starting from the management level to operational and finally down to

support level.

Capt. Panes prepared his retirement through acquiring land properties and investing on

a small business. He explained, I’m glad that I had invested on some parcel of land

during my early stage of career at sea. Hopefully next year we could start to produce

rubber. If materialized, it could be a good source of a simple living. My wife is also

helping me to support our finances by running a mini grocery store at our place

Capt. Panes advises all aspiring seafarers to work hard, study, be determined, attend

trainings, and seek guidance from high-ranking officers in order to become a world
 43

class seafarer. Thus, he explained, nowadays there is a huge competition between

seafarers not only in the Philippines but around the globe. In order for our race to have

an edge from the rest we need to be “world class competitive seafarers”. However, to

be competitive is not an easy goal to achieve for it takes a lot of experiences, years of

studies, and tonnes of trainings to be earned both at sea or onshore. On board a ship

you could improve yourself by learning the tasks of a person a rank higher than you so

when time comes, you’ll be promoted you know already what to do. Furthermore, you

should read the manuals in order to gain right theoretical knowledge and be able to

operate things in the right way. While ashore, take advantage of the trainings which are

provided by the company most especially if they are free. Be proactive and don’t wait

for other people to push you to study and learn. On the other hand, when you become

officers, don’t be selfish to share your knowledge. This will surely help you because if

you happen to work with them again, you don’t need a lot of effort to deal with or

make them obey your commands. When you reach the management level, listen to the

opinions, suggestions and reports of your team because they serve as your extra eyes.

Some of them used to go around the vessel more often and they have the best chance

to see whatever non-conformities or accidents or incidents you need to know out there.

Whoever you are and whatever you do in life, it’s you and only you who are in charge

of yourself and your career. I hope you perform best and would always choose to make

a remarkable difference.
 44

(1) Yashika F. Torib (2021, p. 1) stated that indeed, the captain’s chair signifies

the summit of a seafarer’s journey. In the olden times, sailors get to be a captain after

decades of pulling, steering, repairing, plotting, and navigating. The old salts, before

receiving their command, have first had a taste of the oceans’ tempest to last them a

lifetime. Mark Saladino’s promotion came surprisingly early, at a time when most newly-

minted sailors are still battling for that coveted onboard job by working as a shore-

based flunky, and in a shipping sector where only a few choose to work. Saladino

mastered the Philippine waters till he obtained his fourth stripe at the age of 22, while

many others spent years dreaming of a career in international shipping. When I got it

with FastCat, it was simply incredible. “I was only 22 at the time, but management took

a risk by allowing me to demonstrate my abilities,” Saladino stated.

(APFC), owner of FastCat provides a vital maritime link between the Philippines’

7,641 islands and operates the country’s first and only catamaran Roro ferries that are

designed for Philippine water conditions. He joined FastCat in 2014 as an Able Bodied

(AB) seaman and was part of the team that transported newly-built vessels from China

to the Philippines as part of the company’s efforts to modernize the domestic shipping

sector. Saladino went from AB to captain in a year, to being promoted to Port Captain

for Safety (Psc) after another three years, and then gaining the rank of Designated

Person Ashore (DPA) shortly after. Since then, the young master mariner has remained
 45

with FastCat. The salary was tempting but I chose to stay with FastCat. It is not every

day that you get to work with people who truly care about you as a person and a

professional, Saladino added. His passion for domestic shipping and the marine

business was evident, and those who came before and after him couldn’t help but

admire and follow in his footsteps.

(2) J. Dela Torre, (n.d.). His face showed the rugged and dark features of a

wizened seaman, having been exposed to the elements for months on end wind, water,

sun and ice which all seamen are prone to by the  nature of their work. When a seaman

ultimately becomes Master Mariner, he retreats to the air-conditioned comfort of the

bridge and merely issues instructions to his officers and men, but before he becomes

captain, he will go through years of backbreaking work under the sun from the time he

becomes  ordinary seaman up to Chief Mate, or in the case of engine officers, to Chief

Engineer.

Looking back at his journey from a poor working student to successful seaman and

businessman, and now mayor of his hometown, he had a right to feel self-assured. He

had shown a single-minded determination to finish his education against all odds, and

the same resolve in getting himself hired as seaman and venturing into businesses and

finally into the political arena.

 46

In recalling his past, he used the Cebuano word “kalisud” which translates

roughly to “difficulty” but in the context of his narrative, he meant “hardship”. His

family used to do well with their swine trading business, but in later years, the business

went through some rough times and came close to going belly up, Topoy was not sure

he could finish high school. But his parents decided to persevere until at least he could

graduate from high school. But the business continued to go downhill, even though

Topoy and his brothers themselves pitched in trying to save the business by doing

cleaning and feeding of their stock in trade, after they had to lay off their workers.

After graduating from high school, his parents had to decide whether Topoy could go

on to higher education. Topoy was keen to continue, but his father, not seeing any

prospects of his business recovering, told Topoy quite clearly that it was doubtful that

he could support his college education. But Topoy had other plans.

Without his parent’s blessing, he enrolled himself at the Agro-Industrial College

Foundation of the Philippines in Davao City. He was forced to live with a customer of his

father’s. But not being accustomed to living alone, and having assumed the tedious

tasks of cooking and cleaning, he gave up and went to live with his grandmother.

However, he wasn’t out of the woods yet because he still helped out with the household

chores there, and even became a nanny for a cousin. There were times when he ran

out of jeepney fare money, and had to walk from school to home. But, having been
 47

freed from work at the family business, he now had the time to focus on excelling

academically, and was awarded for his efforts with a full scholarship. “I was given

perfect grades in all his subjects,” he said matter of factly. He maintained his grades

and his scholarship until he graduated. Though the family business at that time had

slowly begun to recover, he credits his success from this academic scholarship because

otherwise he couldn’t have afforded the tuition.

Because of his top grades, it wasn’t difficult for Topoy to apply for apprenticeship

in Cebu. But the shipping industry was going through the doldrums at that time after

former strongman Marcos was ousted. The hard times continued through to 1986, until

his own parents suggested to Topoy that he pursue a military career instead. Topoy

was horrified at the idea and told his parents, no, he wanted to be a seaman, and if he

had to slog all the way to an ordinary seaman position, he will. He had just taken the

licensure exam for Third Mate and had passed it, and he’d be damned if he didn’t

convert all those investments he had poured into his education into a well-paying job as

a seaman.

While waiting for better times ahead, he decided to help out his uncle in the

same swine trading business, and on one trip to Davao, he went to visit his alma mater.

As a result, he got a job teaching for six months, until things got better in shipping.

Another uncle, who was seaman trainor, wrote to Topoy to urge him to come to Manila
 48

so he could help Topoy get a job in the same manning company he worked for. It was

1987.

He began his maritime career as an ordinary seaman, like most Filipino seafarers do.

After ten months, he went up to AB, or Able Bodied Seaman. Each time was an ordeal

because he couldn’t get over his seasickness. Every time he felt the pitching and the

rolling of the waves, he would get nauseous and throw up, and it took some time, when

he was well into this Deck Officer career that he finally got the hang of it. While he was

fighting off his seaman’s malady, he was already busy saving up, first to build his

house, and later to invest in business. In 1992, he was promoted to Second Mate after

passing the licensure exam. It was also on the same year that he finished the

construction of his house, all the time sending money to his siblings to support their

own education. One had become a seaman, another an accountant and the third a

midwife.

His career foundered when he was Second Mate. He had become Second Officer

of choice for the company’s newest vessels. Each time the company acquired a new

vessel, he was one of three preferred Second Mates, along with two other officers, both

graduates of the University of Cebu, whom Topoy considered his rivals at career

advancement. He warned his company this couldn’t go on, and that he will have to sit

for the exams for Chief Mate, whether the company approved or not. He got his way.
 49

In 1995, he got married and since his wife is a pharmacist, the business of choice was a

pharmacy.  It was a perfect match because the wife was also financially prudent who

made sure his earnings went straight to furthering their business. Two other businesses

opened in quick succession: a hardware and a grocery store. Between completing his

10-month contracts, and investing in his businesses, Topoy was also busy buying prime

residential and commercial lots in Montevista. He credits his success to his wife: he was

good at earning and saving, but it is his wife who had the business acumen.

In 1997, he was promoted to Chief Mate after passing the licensure exam. By this time,

his family was already growing, and being a devoted family man, he was beginning to

entertain thoughts of retiring.  When his third child was born, he practically had to drag

himself onboard.

“I don’t believe there is any seaman who loves his family who hasn’t entertained

thoughts of retiring at some point in his career,” Topoy remarked. His most important

consideration, however, was to be able to help his wife in the conduct of their

businesses. In 2004, he was promoted to Captain, and after one contract as a Captain,

he retired. Right after he disembarked as a retired master mariner, he went straight to

putting up a new business a gasoline station, and later, another gasoline station.

Looking back, he looks at what he has done and how far he’s gone, and pronounces

himself satisfied, at peace with his decision to give up his career as a seaman when he
 50

was already at his peak. This is the first time that I’ve heard of a seaman who retired

after only one contract as a Captain. It’s like turning your back on a pot of gold. But, I

guess, Topoy considered his family and his growing businesses as his own gold mine.

And why go into politics? Isn’t that a leap of faith, based on his experience when his

father entered politics and saw his business suffer because of it?

‘I was totally against the idea, considering what happened to the family business. But

the town’s leaders kept coming back and egging me to run. But the straw that finally

broke the camel’s back, so to speak, was when I was robbed by armed men of

P400,000. That’s it, I said, I’m going to clean up this town!” he promised.

Instead, however, of jumping straight to being an elected town official, he decided to

test the waters first and ran as barangay captain, and won. As village chief, he was able

to have a gymnasium built for his barangay and won every inter-barangay contest there

was. Soon, the people of Montevista took notice and the bandwagon to have him

elected as mayor began to roll. His path to the mayorship was held up once more when

the incumbent pleaded with him not  run for another term, and he acceded. He ran for

councilor instead and garnered the highest number of votes for a councilor in the

history of Montevista. In the next election, he contest the mayorship and easily won.

(3) J. Dela Torre, (n.d.). in his article about the statement of Captain Jose, or Jun, I

knew he was a seaman, but Jun was one bloke I said I should get to know better.
 51

When I heard he was hanging up his gloves as Captain, my reaction was the same as

everybody else’s: why, when he was already at the top of his career and receiving quite

a tidy sum as Master Mariner? He still had a few good years left in him as a Captain,

and there was no urgency to retire prematurely. But Jun, I found out later, has never

been predictable. He was a student leader from the time he entered college until he

graduated as valedictorian. He was a consistent scholar and he was never afraid to face

challenges because he considered them opportunities to learn something new. He

scaled one hurdle after another in his maritime career like Usain Bolt with large flying

leaps and with absolute concentration on the tape at the end of the track.

Beginning in the 1970s, seafaring was becoming the profession of choice for young

boys with great ambitions and itchy feet from the Visayas and Mindanao. In Iloilo, the

Iloilo Maritime Academy or IMA (now the John B. Lacson Foundation Maritime

University) has been a maritime institution since the 1930s. It had cachet as a rich and

reliable source of talented boys who wanted a career at sea. Many of my own cousins

and nephews were either seamen or married to one. When I was growing up, we spent

our summer vacations in my father’s hometown, Arevalo, Iloilo City, where the IMA’s

sprawling main campus is. Walking in the streets of Arevalo, we’d see clumps of white-

clad young men with white sidewall haircuts, trying hard to stand erect and to look like

proper cadets. It must be fascinating to live the life of a seaman, I thought. All those
 52

sunny skies and cold lonely nights at sea, braving the tempestuous waves, and seeing

those exotic places around the world plus the promise of good money and a “girl in

every port” must’ve motivated the hundreds of thousands of young men to take up the

maritime profession. For in what other profession could you earn a lot of money and

get to see the world too? An airline pilot probably, but in no other. And in any case, an

airline pilot is much too dangerous a job, and the cost of becoming a pilot was simply

unaffordable to the average family.

Jun too was no exception. He too wanted to see those exciting places and meet

interesting people, and earn big bucks to boot. All the seamen he’d known seemed to

have had a good life big houses, exclusive schools for their kids and fancy new cars and

he’d always wanted to put a seaman’s logo on his gate someday, a ship’s wheel. There

was something romantic about being a seaman, and the promise of adventure was

irresistible.

In 1984, he enrolled at the John B. Lacson Colleges Foundation in Iloilo, now a Maritime

University. From that moment, his life would change forever.

A leader by nature, he edited the school’s organ, a replay of his role during his high

school days. He was a scholar and kept his high grades until he graduated in 1987 at

the top of his class. He was also president of the student council in his senior years in

the school.
 53

On his first year, he had a chance encounter with the owner of the school, Capt. John

B. Lacson, which would affect him in a very meaningful way. The captain asked him

what year he was in. He told him, and the old man nodded his head, and sagely

intoned: “You have to master your radar.”  Although Jun didn’t know yet what a radar

looked like, he took it literally, just the actual navigational equipment, but later in his

career, he realized the captain meant it figuratively, too. Captain Lacson was telling him

to master all that he needed to learn in his career so that his way to success will be

assured.

“He wanted me to set a goal for my career and to proceed with all speed ahead

towards that goal,” Jun reflected.

Because of his academic record, and having passed the competitive exam, he was one

of only two from his school and 25 from the whole country to train under scholarship at

the Hanseatic Maritime Training School in Limassol, Cyprus. Again, he was elected

Batch Leader.

“Our training in Limassol was like a military boot camp. We learned how to do our own

laundry, make our own beds, wake up early, how to paint, weld, etc. From time to

time, we boarded ships in anchorage at the port of Limassol, and we would do

maintenance work for the ship cleaning, painting, greasing and observing the activities

on the bridge.”
 54

 He trained for 2 years in Cyprus and in 1990, he completed his cadetship. He then

joined his third assigned vessel in his first fully paid job as a seaman in an AB position.

The training in Cyprus was, in Jun’s own words, a “breakthrough” because it ensured

his pathway to officership, at minimal cost to himself and conducted by a training outfit

with international prestige.

“Training cadets to become officers is critical to our competitiveness as a seafaring

country,” Jun interrupted his narration with a discussion of the state of our overseas

maritime crewing industry. “Many of our BSMT graduates grab offers to be OS or AB

because there’s more money in it, rather than accept a cadetship on board and be paid

a niggardly sum,” he began. “However, being a cadet brings the seaman a step closer

to Third Mate, while an OS or AB can only look forward at most to being Bo‘s’un. In

addition, while they are such, they’re not allowed under present rules to sit for the

licensure exam for Third Mate. A BSMT graduate therefore who is conscious of his

career advancement should take advantage of every opportunity for a cadetship,

particularly where it is granted under a scholarship program, rather than languish as a

rating. This is the principal reason why we have a shortage of deck and engine officers.

BSMT graduates are tempted by the money associated with an OS or AB position, or

are eager to jumpstart their maritime careers, rather than wait for a cadetship
 55

opportunity. Scholarships are therefore essential to maintain our edge as the leading

supplier of competent and professional ship officers to the world’s maritime industry.”

 “However,” Jun continued, “the decision to take in a cadet or an OS or AB is a business

decision of a shipowner, in consultation with the captain. It’s not always a matter of

saving money by hiring a cadet, but the operational requirements of a ship may

sometimes decide the issue, as there are Masters who would rather go for the

experienced ratings than an untrained cadet. Having said that, it is ultimately in the

graduate’s hands. Shall he pass an opportunity to go on board as a rating, or sacrifice a

little bit for a cadetship in the near future?”

“From the point of view of a manning agency,” Jun shifted his focus, “it must also set

its sights into the future by working for and promoting a pool of cadets, because then

you would have a ready pool in your employ, whose loyalty to the company is assured,

rather than hire off the street some officer, whose record may not be in top shape, or

at best is an unknown quantity. The reason they’re coming off street is that they may

be dissatisfied with their manning agency or perhaps by the way they were treated in

their previous contracts, but many of them are just looking for highest bidders.”

After one contract as an AB, Jun was ready to practice as Third Mate after passing the

licensure exam. Hardly able to contain his excitement, he flew to the US where his first

ship was winding through the Mississippi River and headed for the port of Tampico in
 56

Mexico, with stops in New Orleans and Houston. As Third Officer, he handled the safety

and firefighting capability of the ship. He couldn’t believe his eyes that he was finally

beginning his maritime career.

In 1999, he received his Master Mariner license, and in 2001, just 14 years after

graduating from the IMA, he took command of his own ship, the M/V Aurora, which

traded between the US and the Caribbean. What went through his mind when steering

his first ship as a Captain?

“I felt blessed and lucky. And grateful that at every step along my climb to the

Captaincy, I never stopped learning. My whole journey from Cadet to Captain was one

whole process of learning. Learning is a new beginning.”

For the next 25 years, every time he signed off on a tour of duty, he remembered the

words of John B. Lacson, and between jobs, he would sign up for training and take the

licensure exam for the next higher rank, until he became a Master Mariner at the age of

32. Even while firming up his maritime career, he found the time to take up Master of

Science in Maritime Education through distance education. For the next 12 years, he

would captain a total of 10 container ships, which he has steered throughout the

world’s easiest and most complicated waterways. In July 2008, he was coming out of

the Gulf of Aden when he heard from the ship’s radio operator that the M/V Stella

Maris, which was heading towards the Gulf directly ahead of Jun’s ship,  was being
 57

chased by Somali pirates. Instead of continuing with his course, he ordered the ship to

change course and head up closer to the coast of Yemen. The Stella Maris, which was a

Japanese bulk carrier with Panamanian registry, was captured and its entire crew of 23

held hostage, and eventually released after US$2 million in ransom was paid.  

Piracy in the Gulf of Aden and now even in the Indian Ocean has become a pain in the

neck of seafarers and the global maritime industry. Even with a flotilla of military

warships patrolling the affected areas, Somali pirates have struck almost with impunity,

as their operating area is just too vast. Shipowners have had to hire private guards

from Sri Lanka, but the added security costs of paying the guards, renting the firearms

and the ammunition are ultimately passed on to the shippers, and from them, to the

consumers.

In 2008, his last ship, the Aurora, was sold by its owners. He wondered whether this

signaled the end of his maritime career, but Fate still had a few more things up her

sleeve.

 In 2008, he entered a new phase of his storied maritime career: he was tapped to join

a shipbuilding company in South Korea. How, and why he was the one chosen is a

mystery he still has to unravel to this day. To be a shipbuilder, he pointed out, you

must be either an engineer or a naval architect. Not one to question the fickle directions

of the hands of Fate, he decided to go for it, and for the next 7 years years, he was
 58

assigned to various shipbuilding sites in South Korea and northern China, acting as

owner’s representative and overseeing teams of Germans, Chinese, Russians and East

Europeans constructing container hulls, outfitting and painting them. Although the new

job was a daunting challenge for somebody with his qualifications, he accepted it and

hit the ground running. As if the transition from Master Mariner to ship builder was not

difficult enough, at the end of his 6-year shipbuilding stint, he was assigned as Repair

Yard Supervisor, leading a 25- man group of supervisors of different nationalities, like

Germans, Russians and Chinese.

“I always welcome new opportunities for learning, and all seamen should. If you were a

Third Officer, for example, and you were asked to perform the duties of a Second

Officer, don’t resent it. Welcome the opportunity to learn the job because someday you

will be Second Officer anyway. It’s free training on the job and why be offended? It’s a

valuable learning opportunity that not all seamen are given, so when you are given the

chance, grab it,” he advised his fellow seamen.

(Atleast 5 to 7 parts lang kung tani si rrl nd na magpalapaw da ha)

 59

(and references ninyu itake down notes gd para nd mabudlayan kita sa reference na

part)

(apa format gamitun ta ha para uniform sa tanan)

(atleast 5-7 years updated inyu nga reference ha meaning 2015 or 2014 nga mga

studies will do to support your rrl)

So far you are doing a great job. Congrats everyone…