Hubby and Wifey's Blog

I’m on of graduates of Philippine Merchant Marine Academy and we are required to be an officer on our profession. I take last licensure exam last 2006 for Officer In charge on navigational watch. I failed to pass the board exam and I just board the vessel as ordinary seaman. When I was a cadet for 12 months and my 13 to 16 months extension of contract I was promoted as an ordinary seaman in that situation I already have an experience as ordinary seaman. For 10 months contract I work as an ordinary seaman. I paint, I chip rust and sometime i work for free just to stay for 10 months onboard the vessel. Our excess over time was only 27 hours but we exceed up to 40 to 50 hours but the captain disagree onto it so we must put down out excess over time to 27 hours even it is hard for us working for free. Maple Express was the name of our ship. That was my first ship assignment. My company returns me to that ship for my line up as ordinary seaman.

From 8am to 7:30 pm Monday to Saturday i work, work, and work just to have enough money to my love ones. My sister is a Nursing student so I must work and save just to help her to pay her studies. I earn 850 dollars a month. I’m giving 400 US dollar to my parents and for my sister studies and other home expenses. Filipino is the most country that have an OFW. Because of hard life in the Philippine Filipinos are forces to work aboard. Lucky for me that I’m one of the OFW but I’m a B.S graduate in marine transportation. I touch our cargo, Paint, oil, grease all of dirty stuff I touch it and work to eat because it is the job of the Ordinary seaman. We look like rich when we are in our country. We dress all the fashionable dress and we have the modern and latest technology. Mobile phone, laptops, shoes and braces. But all of the truth is we work as a construction worker in ship. Even magalit pa ang mga rating na seaman na makakabasa nito. I'm just telling the truth. Pero we are a high calss construction worker because we earn US dollars.

I meet different nation of Filipino people. There are visaya, ilocano, batangenyo, ilo ilo and many more. Different nation have different attitude on there own. I admit that many of my crew mate are my enemy it’s just they are abusing my authority. They just command but they don't know that it is painful to us that they want to be. I thought that I am the only one who notices and doing that. But I realize that some of my rating crew mate and my officer do the same what I feel. I thought i am different it’s because that i am a PMMA er. Almost 90% of the crew deck and engine is my friend. Form clean boiler suit to dirty one. We work on ship clean or dirty, easy and hard, half day whole day or even 24 hours just to have a better life in our country.