Nerbyos break Down (Safety first)  

Monday, March 25, 2013


21-May-2012 ang barkong pinagtratrabhuan ko ay pumunta sa Port of batangas. Kaya kami pumunta dun ay para mag discharge ng kargamento (gas oil) sa First Gas Terminal. Ang pagkakaalam ko ito ay isang private power plant. Ang sabi naman ng iba eto ay isang plant ng napokor. Kung anu man ang kanilang pagkakaalam bahala sila dun at ako. Ang importante ay madishcarge namin gasoline ng safety at hindi magkakaroon ng pollution.
            Pangalawang beses ko na tong makabyahe sa sarili nating bansa. Dati sa Shell berth kami pumunta para din magdischarge ng gas oil. Isang taon din yun nasundan nitong first gas terminal. Medyo alam ko na yung pasikot sikot or sabihin natin ginagawa ng port authority kaya sinabi ko sa aming kapitan kung papano ang style ng mga kapwa natin pinoy sa Batangas kumpara sa ibang bansa. Sa pilipinas naman ay 3 plant Engr. (dapat loading master ang sumasampa), dalawang surveyor, 3 Custom officer, 3 Immigration officer, 1 Agrarian Officer, 1 Coast Guard inspector, at isama mo pa yung mga alalay na wala naman part sa transaction ng barko na dumederetso sa provision store. Sa sobrang dami ng tao parang nasa mall ka. Sa ibang bansa marami na ang 3 kasama na yung agent kasi minimal lang yung tao dun at pag wala syang kinalaman sa operation ng barko hindi ka pwedeng sumampa ng barko. Swerte namin nag tagal kami sa ankorahe. Mga dalawang araw din kami bago pumasok sa first gas terminal. Pinasampa din namin ang mahal namin sa buhay para makita nila ang barko at kung saan kami nagtratrabaho. Pangalawang beses narin nakasampa sa barko ang asawa ko at sabi nya mas maganda pa itong made in korea na barko kaysa gawa ng hapon.
            Kinagabihan bumaba na ang mga mahal namin sa buhay para umuwi sa mga bahay namin. Balik nanaman ang natural na kilos nga mga tripolante ng barko. Syempre trabaho at ang daily routine na kinagisnan namin. Duty ako ng 8pm to 12ma sa bridge nung gabi nayun. Ng naobserbahan ko na papalapit ang Inter island vessel na ro-ro. Hindi ko alam kung saan ang byahe nya pero sa malayong tingin palang pang inter island ang dating. Parang mastanda pa nga sakin yung barko nayun na siguro maraming beses nang nagpapalit ng pangalan kasi nabibili ng iba ibang negosyante. Kung mag byabyahe ito sa labas ng pilipinas sigurado sa lakas ng alon sa labas hindi nya kakayanin at sa mga luma ng mga gamit nito. Alam mo naman ang pilipinas mahilig sa 2nd hand at hindi sila masinop sa annual inpection ng barko. Basta umaandar at lumulutang pwede pang magbyahe. Di ko rin alam kung sa annual inspection ng mga barko natin eh talaga bang pumapasa sa standard ng International Maritime Organization. Wala akong sinasabing pangalan ng mga nakaupo sa linya nayan. Akoy nag sasabi lang ng aking kaalaman at kung mali ang aking kaalaman ay patawarin nyo ako sa mga nasabi ko. Balik tayo sa paglapit ng Inter island vessel sa aming barko na nakaangkla sa batangas anchorage. Nahahalata ko na parang naghahanda syang ibaksak ang angkla nya. Kaya tinawagan ko sya sa VHF channel 16. Sumagot naman ito at ito ang usapan namin. Kabayan magandang gabi mag dro-drop anchor kaba? Kung mag dro-drop anchor ka baka pwede mong layuan sakin kasi 0.9 cable lang ang layo mo sakin. Sabi naman ng inter island vessel naka drop anchor na ako obserbahan nalang natin kung lalapit ako sayo. Sabi ko naman kabayan ang turning radius ng barko ko ay 1.2 Miles kaya siguraodong magpapang abot tayo. Baka pwede lumipat ka for safety purposes kasi tanker ako at loaded ako ng gasoline. Sabi naman sakin mag swiswing tayo sabay sabay kaya hindi tayo magpapangabot at sa radar ko naman ay 1.2 miles ang layo natin. Nagiisip ako kung papaanong 1.2 miles sa kanya sa mantalang sakin yung 0.9 cable naging 0.8 cable na. Kapapalit lang ng Magnetron ng mga APRA namin kaya imposobleng magkamali. Gusto ko sanang sabihin sakanya kung kaylan napalitan ang magnetron ng radar nya baka nung 80’s pa hindi napapalitan pero iniwasan kong magtanong ng ganun baka sabihin nya mayabang ako dahil nasa international vessel ako at sya interisland lang. Ang sinabi ko nalang sige kabayan obserbahan ko kung lalapit pa tatawagan ulit kita. Mabilis ang pag lapit nya sakin nagging 0.5 cable nalang at hindi maganda ang ganung distance para sakin at sa international rules. Tinawagan ko ulit ang inter island vessel ang sabi ko kabayan magandang bagi medyo malapit na eh 0.5 cables nalang kailangan mo nang lumayo sakin baka magkiskisan ang barko natin. Hindi sumagot ang 3rd mate sa kabilang barko kaya inulit ko ulit yung sinabi ko. Parang iniignore ako at parang hindi nya alam na barko ang hawak namin hindi bankang may katig. Tapos biglang nagsalita sabi sakin wag daw akong nerbyoso. Sa 500 meters na distansya ng dambuhalang barko sa lumang barko nya nerbyoso ba ang lagay dun. Hindi nerbyoso ang tawag dun kundi concern sa mangyayaring sakuna. Ayaw talagang umalis sa tabi namin ang lumang barko kaya gumawa ako ng paraan. Tumawag ako sa VTMS Batangas ang port control ng batangas area. Ang sabi ko sa port control nag anchor ang inter island vessel sakin ng 0.9 cable, ang turning radius ko ay 1.2 ngaun umiikot na ang barko namin at nasa 0.5 cable nalang. Loaded ako ng Gasolina at for safety purposes kailangan nayang lumayao sakin kasi ngaun lang sya nang angkla dito sa tabi ko. Tinawagan ng Port control ang inter island vessel at inutusang lumayo sa barkong pinagtratrabahuhan ko.
            Hindi ko naman minamaliit ang mga interisland na nag tratrabaho. Pero baka sakali gamitin natin ang napagaralan natin sa iskwela. Matuto tayong gumamit ng international rules kasi ang sakuna sa dagat ay masyadong delikado. Tulad ng nangyari ngaun kung hindi ako nangulit na umalis sya sa tabi ko pwedeng mag kiskisan kami ng barko at mabutas ang barko ko or yung sakanya magkakaroon ng oil spill or konting spark sabog ang tanker na sinasakyan ko. Lahat naperwisyo sa katigasan ng ulo ng mga tao. Hindi bangka ang minamando natin mga marino kundi bakal.
            Nagpwepwerto galera ako once a year at sa Batangas port ako sumasakay ng bangka para makatawid papuntang Mindoro. Dun kami tumatambay sa Seven Eleven sa loob ng batangas port. Nakikita ko din ang mga naka coverall ng puti at may kulay. Pag puti kasi Officer sa barko at pag de kulay isa itong ratings. Sa mga nakaputi ok lang ang magyabang at ipasikat ang kanilang puting suot na coverall kasi malinis naman. Pero dun naman sa dekolor pwede din ipagmayabang pero sa aking nakikita maski nakapakadumi na ng coverall sige parin ang display sa loob ng seven eleven. Mas maganda siguro na mag change sya ng malinis. Nangangamoy kasi sa loob ng seven eleven hindi kasi maganda ang amoy. Yung mga simpleng hygiene lang naman ang kailangan kung ipoporma ang coverall sa labas ng barko. 

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Pansit canton with Sardines  

Friday, March 22, 2013









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Were not tourist, we’re just customers. (Discrimination for both Brown skins)  


It was June 2009 we visit Puerto galera. Puerto Galera is a soothing vision of shimmering seas surrounded by lush mountains. It is considered one of the most beautiful and developed beach resort community in the country. Starting from "backyard tourism" wherein local residents accept local and foreign tourist as stay-in guest, Puerto Galera tourism has flourished. In the course of time, several hotels, resorts, inns and restaurants have mushroomed within the area. Upon arrival, visitors board any of the waiting bancas (outrigger boat) that ferry passengers across the surrounding waters and into the various resorts dotting the coastline. Jeepneys to the inland hamlets of Sabang, Small and Big La Laguna, White Beach and Talipanan Point likewise traverse hilly, tree-lined routes that offer a sweeping view of the island’s less aquatic, but equally tropical side.
    Actually we don’t have idea about this place. Luckily we have a new technology that surrounds us. We gather information on the Internet on How to go there. We pick Sabang because according to the information Sabang is liveliest from the places in Puerto Galera. We book online for our hotels because we don’t have any idea how to get a room when we arrived there. All are pack and ready and we ride bus from LRT Gil puyat station going to Batangas Port. In batangas port there are people will approach you for boats going to Puerto Galera. We observe the people who are riding a boat. All of them are going to white beach Puerto Galera. I was alarmed on the situation because according to information in the Internet and to my wife sabang is the liveliest place on the island. When we ride the boat going to sabang the boat are not full of passengers. The boat going to White beach are full and every minute’s boat are leaving to port going to white beach. I’m starting too worried on what I observed but what can we do it’s a trial and error to go there because we only gather information. Approximate 5 miles away from the shore I already see the island. Look nice and there are many boat parks on the shore. I notice that there’s no one playing and swimming on the shoreline. When we arrived at the shore and now we know that our gathered information’s was wrong because the area is a divers place. Even we got busted on the information we still proceed to our hotel that we’ve reserve online. When we arrive on the hotel its looks nice because our room is on the top. Nice view up there but its hard to go up with a stare because it’s very high. After we put our things to our room we go down and eat for lunch. Food is very expensive on the hotel. For 300 pesos you only have 1 plate for 1 person. After we eat we go outside to look something what is the best area when at night. We saw some ihaw-ihaw like balunbalunan just like what are selling in street of manila. We saw mineral water station for our drinking water. Some people approach us and offering us to go on there tourist spot but its expensive so we didn’t agree but we ask some bystanders like selling baluts or ihaw-ihaw where is this place, how to get there, what is the cheapest transportation like they pay for the transportation when they are going to that place. We ask about the white beach and going there it will take 30 minutes by jeep, which cost 30 pesos each person. A ride to tricycle 100 pesos from bayan to white beach, all on all its 160 pesos going to white beach but the person who offer us going there they told us about 500 to 700 one way.
            It’s almost 5pm and we are now hunting for food outside the hotel. We choose to have 4 isaw and 4 balunbalunan for 60 pesos, 4 cups of rice which coast 5 pesos each and a 1.5 liter coca cola which coast 50 pesos. We eat at the balcony for a nice view while eating. Seeing lights form the house and very small light from another island and I think that is batangas. We will be staying here for 5 days and it’s a very peaceful and solemn place. We wait for the clock strikes 12 midnights because we want to see their bars outside. Yes! They have plenty bars outside the hotel for nightlife but it’s not a kind of bar that we are looking for. We want a bar that for couple not a bar for a man who will hunt a lady to take out for a night. We just go back to hotel and use the swimming pool inside hotel. Its almost 1am in the morning and then we shift to swimming gears. We got to the pool and some foreigners using the pool. We were just sitting on the cottage and the security guard approach us. He told us sir by the way the pool would be close when the foreigner finishes there swimming. I told the guard ahhh ok so it will be close huh?! But actually were costumers here and we are staying on room number 1. Then the guard replied yes sir I know that but this pool is for foreigners only and they are the only one who is allowed to use this by this time. When they leave the pool it will be close. I told the guard how about us? We are not foreigner but we are costumers and we are staying here for 5 days and we pay online just like your guest foreigner swimming in front of us. The guard just scratches his head and leave.
            I really don’t like our experience on that Hotel. Approaching us neatly but telling us that when the foreigners finish using the pool, the pool will be close. How about us?! I know that our skins are not white but color brown. But even our color are brown we still pay the hotel to stay and to have a night swimming. Brown skins pay online and stay for 5 days and we cannot use the pool when the foreigner finishes using it. Even our skin is brown we still pay like the foreigners pay online. How the foreigner stays there we stay there but we stay much longer.
            I don’t know what’s happening to our kabayan. When they saw a white skin people and a brown skin people they much more pay attention to white skin people even the brown skins pay what the white did. When a brown skin visits a place which is a tourist spot and stay for a couple of days it means this brown skin can pay like the white skin in short madatung din ang pinoy. In any part of the world there’s still discrimination and I really hate it.
             

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