Sto.Nino and the religiosity of Filipino seafarers

 

 

Viva Sto. Nino!

The Sto. Niño is venerated all over the country with annual  festivals celebrated  every last two weekends of January through  special masses, dances and processions attracting millions of devotees and tourists.    

The main religious festivals in honor of the child Jesus are Ati-Atihan  of Kalibo, Aklan, Sinulog of Cebu,   Dinagyang of Iloilo and Dinagsa of Cadiz City.  

Even if the statue is  a diminutive figure, Jesus is depicted as a small king with royal regalia: crown, red cloak of intricate embroidery, with its  left hand holding a cross-bearing orb (a symbol of Christian authority), while its other hand is in a priestly blessing gesture.

However, Filipinos downsized the merrymaking atmosphere this year due to COVID19.   

In the street dancing event of Ati-Atihan called Sadsad,  the Sto.  Ninos are  normally  dressed based on the group’s interest.

I usually  see  some wearing   a seafarer’s uniform, presumably owned by a family whose member is in the maritime profession.

This is a reflection of the practice of most Filipino seafarers of bringing  with them on board the vessel their religious beliefs, ideas and tradition.

They normally  maintain a renewed faith practice and religiosity each time they go home.

The Philippines is considered as one of the major supplier of maritime labor globally as it is estimated that there is one Filipino seafarer for every five crew members  on board a vessel at any time.

The sea-based sector’s remittance comprise at least 22 percent of the total dollar remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

 The estimated 519,031 deployed Filipino seafarers in 2019 per POEA data  remitted  $6.539 billion or around P326.95 billion.

Religion offers for the ordinary Filipino  seafarers strength, hope and peace in relation with  their    daily work and social relationships on board the vessel.

A study by the Seafarers International Research Center (SIRC) revealed  how religious practice may serve to mitigate negative aspects of work such as loneliness, isolation, and institutional living,  as well as fear of  the dangers that can be encountered at sea.

Religion assists seafarers in coping with dangerous and emotionally challenging workplaces.

Despite its glorification due to economic returns, a job of a seafarer is not exactly a walk in the park.

The maritime  profession has always been identified as a high-risk workplace replete with health and safety hazards in relation to the risks of accidents, illnesses and mortality.

The seafarer is often mentally, physically and emotionally stressed, aside from being constantly exposed to a variable environment while working on board vessels that cross ocean boundaries.

Some seafarers described faith as helpful in overcoming  difficult emotional shipboard conditions and in making life at sea  bearable in many ways.

SIRC noted that  seafarers find strength in their  God as they commonly experience fear for his life during emergencies at sea often associated with storms, mechanical failure, collisions and groundings.

SIRC stressed that God was being drawn upon by seafarers to increase their resilience in dealing with stressful and dangerous workplace situations. 

Seafarers are more likely to draw on their belief in a God to help them at times when they are powerless to help themselves, SIRC said.

It was relatively common for seafarers to engage in faith-based routines which they hoped would offer them some protection from ill-fate.

During the interviews of the Ten Outstanding Maritime Students of the Philippines (TOMSP), I asked some of them what personal item will they bring with them if the boat is in danger of sinking and most of them answered the rosary.

Their answer is a reflection of what SIRC noted as the practice of carrying something with totemic significance or  religious artefact that will comfort them as protection  like rosary,  bible  as well as other religious  pamphlets and written materials.

They find great solace.in their  belief in God.

Archbishop of Manila Luis Antonio Tagle said in one of the National Seafarers’ Day celebration   that Filipino seafarers  are  ‘saint potentials’ .

Referring to Saint Lorenzo Ruiz and San Pedro Calungsod, Tagle noted that they were seafarers and missionaries at the same time before they became saints who sailed to other countries and died for a mission: “to teach the Good News.”

Tagle underscored that the pain brought by separation is a sign of  the seafarer’s  love, strength, and faith for the good of his  family and the country.

 “Even if you feel pain when you leave your family and your country, that suffering is not a reason for you to be ‘paralyzed,’ but inspire you to strive for more,” said Tagle, adding  that their hardships will not weaken them but make them even stronger.

 

Viva Pit Senyor !

 

 

Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the  Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan  law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786)

Shortchanging in Filipino seafarer's remittances

Filipino seafarers  are being shortchanged in the conversion of their dollar remittances to pesos which a blogger  described as a “thievery” in the maritime industry.

It is a known practice of some unscrupulous   manning agents to shave off at least one or two  pesos from the foreign exchange rate, misleadingly calling the cut as “service charges.”

The Philippines is considered as one of the major supplier of maritime labor globally as it is estimated that there is one Filipino seafarer for every four to five crew members  on board a vessel at any time.

The sea-based sector’s remittance comprise at least 22 percent of the total dollar remittances of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs).

 

Unlike land-based OFWs,  the POEA Standard Employment Contract (SEC) mandates that  the Filipino seafarer is required to make an allotment which shall be at least eighty percent (80%) of the seafarer’s monthly basic salary, payable once a month to his designated allottee in the Philippines.

 

The estimated 519,031 deployed Filipino seafarers in 2019 per POEA data  remitted  $6.539 billion or around P326.95 billion.

Lawyer  Peter Payoyo pointed out  in an article  the practices of some manning agencies of   pinching  valuable pesos from seafarers’ monthly remittances. 

Payoyo cited the survey made by Philippine Seafarers Assistance Program (PSAP) which revealed that manning agencies have been using a variety of odd techniques to make a quick buck from the remittances flow: “delayed forward of allotment”, using a “house rate” for the currency exchange, “allotment slip available upon request”, “allotment slip mailed to seaman onboard”, or “allotment after all deductions made”, which are often not explained to the seafarer or the family.

He stressed these practices are clearly contrary to the letter and spirit of the POEA contract which says that facilitation by the manning agency of allotments shall be “at no expense to the seafarer”, and that “allotments shall be paid to the designated allottee in Philippine currency at the rate of exchange indicated in the credit advice of the local authorized Philippine Bank”.

The  2019 Seafarers Happiness Index survey report released by the Mission to Seafarers (MTS) noted that seafarers repeatedly lamented  that their wages seemed to be falling in real terms due to several factors.

Seafarers cited the dubious  fees charged by some manning agents  as well as the confusing exchange rates, which impacts the money they are able to provide to their families.

 

Blogger Fred Uno of MarineCafe.com pointed out in an article that is not uncommon for  unscrupulous manning agents got to keep part of the remittances  when converting the money to pesos by using an exchange rate that is usually one or two pesos  lower than the official rate of the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP).

 

Such tampering with the dollar-to-peso rate, he added, results to the shortchanging of Filipino seafarers  since their  families  receive less than they should in allotments.  

Uno cited as an example  an officer with a basic monthly salary of $2,000 will remit to his allottee’s account 80 per cent of the amount or $1,600.

 

The allotment in pesos should be PHP76,800 based on the current rate more or less of P48  to the dollar (the BSP’s reference rate on 11 January  2021  is PHP48.0790  for every dollar).

 

If the manning agency knocks off PHP2.00 from the conversion rate, the allotment would amount to only PHP73,600, or a difference of PHP3,200.

 

Under a 10 month contract, his family would have been deprived of  PHP32,000 or $666.

 

One peso may not seem much but the total amount forfeited by seafarers’ families as a result of the forex manipulation could be mind-boggling.

 

As the monthly remittances are not paid directly to the allottees but to the dollar account of the crewing company, Uno stressed that the company has the freedom  to use any rate as  the foreign exchange conversion in contravention of the POEA rules.

 

Uno described said practice as “a form of thievery that has gone on for decades.”

He stressed that “it’s all a reflection of a damaged culture — a skewed mindset which considers it all right to cheat seafarers on their remittances because they earn in dollars.”

Payoyo stressed that  the government can force manning agencies  to be fully transparent in the facilitation of allotments,  as the POEA standard contract requires.

He also suggested that foreign employers and principals  remit seafarers’ wages directly to individual family bank accounts in the Philippines, rather than through the bank accounts of manning agencies

Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the  Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan  law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786)

Starting 2021 with a car incident with a kamote driver

 

The year  2021 for me started with a bang, literally,  due to a car accident.

On my way home from the grocery evening of January 1, my car was hit along C5 extension in Las Pinas City  by a speeding Lalamove motorcycle driver.

After my car safely  turned  left in an intersection, the motorcycle directly rammed on the right side of my car causing heavy dents on the front door and shattering  the window.

Fortunately, I did not suffer the  common injuries from side-impact crashes that  include head concussion or traumatic brain injury, neck or back injuries,  herniated discs, whiplash, nerve damage, spinal cord damage,  and paralysis.

I only had  minor cuts due to the splintered glasses.  

It is classified as a T-bone accident wherein  the front of one vehicle strikes the side of another at  an intersection, forming the shape of a “T” at the point of impact .

I have nothing against motorcycle drivers but they should bear in mind that they are not the kings of the road as their carelessness may lead to damages, injuries and worse, fatalities.

In 2019, the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority  documented  31,279 motorcycle accidents  in Metro Manila—or an average of 86 incidents a day,  with 394  deaths  making them the main killer on the road.

If the road rules are to motorists, the International Regulations for Preventing Collisions at Sea 1972 (COLREGs) are to mariners.

COLREGs are published by the International Maritime Organization (IMO) and set out, among other things, the "rules of the road" or navigation rules to be followed by ships and other vessels at sea to prevent collisions between two or more vessels.

Causes of any ship collision may include blatant human error as well as any technical malfunction.

The  COLREGs  were adopted as a convention  on  October 20,  1972 and entered into force on July 15,  1977  with 160 ratifying parties as of August 1, 2020.

Under the convention, every vessel shall at all times maintain a proper lookout by sight and hearing as well as by all available means so as to make a full appraisal of the situation and of the risk of collision.

It added that every vessel shall at all times proceed at a safe speed so that it can take proper and effective action to avoid collision and be stopped within a distance.

Any action taken to avoid collision shall be made in ample time and with due regard to the observance of good seamanship.

Under the “give way” rule, when two power driven vessels are crossing so as to involve risk of collision the vessel which has the other on her starboard side shall keep out of the way and shall if the circumstances of the case permit avoid crossing ahead of the other vessel.

If necessary to avoid collision or allow more time to assess the situation, a vessel shall slacken its  speed or take all way off by stopping or reversing her means of propulsion.

 Adverse effects of a collision  include injury or death of life to passengers or crew, the environmental impact  moreso if one of the vessels is  carrying any harmful material dangerous for marine life, and financial losses  to the owners of the vessels. 

The sinking of the passenger vessel MV Dona Paz   on December 20, 1987 was considered as one of the worst peacetime disaster and the worst in the 20th century.

At around 10:30 p.m., MV Dona Paz collided with a motor tanker, MT Vector, near Dumali Point between the provinces of Marinduque and Oriental Mindoro.

 With  only 25 survivors, MV Dona Paz was even named the Asia's Titanic as the collision  resulted to the death of 4,341 passengers.  

The vessel was  overcrowded, with at least 2,000 passengers not listed on the manifest.

The maritime profession has always been identified as a perilous job on board vessels that cross ocean boundaries and  replete with health and safety hazards,  in relation to the risks of accidents, illnesses and mortality.

The job of a seafarer is, indeed, not exactly a walk in the park.

The European Maritime Safety Agency declared in a report that there were 745 work-related fatalities among maritime workers and nearly 9,000 persons injured between 2011 and 2020, among other tragic statistics of this sector.

For centuries, the “Good Samaritan” maritime rescue doctrine encourages seafarers to go to the aid of life and property in distress, including those involved in collisions.

Regardless of who is at fault in a collision incident at the high seas, vessels that sustained minimal or no damage are obliged to rescue mariners distressed or shipwrecked by the mishap.

The United Nations Convention on Law of the Sea says that every signatory to the convention must require the master of a ship flying its flag to render assistance to any person found at sea in danger of being lost and to proceed to the rescue of persons in distress.

The exemption is when the assisting vessel, the crew or the passengers on board would be seriously endangered as a result of rendering assistance to those in distress.

Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the  Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan  law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786)

Manunggul jar “ship-of-the-dead” and the journey to afterlife

 

The journey of the soul to the afterlife was closely associated by early  Filipinos to  maritime culture as represented by the “ship-of-the-dead” burial container  called  Manunggul Jar.

I saw  the burial jar twice during my visits to  two museums, the Palawan Cultural Center in Puerto Princesa, and National Museum in Manila.

The jar dates from 890–710 B.C and was excavated from a Neolithic burial site in the Manunggul cave of the Tabon Caves at Lipuun Point in Palawan,

During the webinar on maritime history sponsored by the Asian Institute of Maritime Studies (AIMS) last September, my fellow speaker historian Xiao Chua explained how the Manunggul jar  shows  the interaction between the  Filipinos' maritime culture and   their ancestors' religious beliefs.

The upper part of the Manunggul jar, as well as the cover, is carved with curvilinear scroll designs (reminiscent of waves on the sea) which are painted with hematite.

At the top handle of its cover, there are  two human figures in a boat representing  the  voyage to the afterlife.

The  front figure is the deceased man with  hands crossed on his chest which was a widespread practice  in the Philippines when arranging the corpse.

The rear figure, on the other hand,  is holding a steering paddle directing the boat and soul of the man to the afterlife.

Chua pointed out that many Filipino  epics  narrate  how souls go to the next life and pass through the rivers and seas aboard boats,

Early Filipinos believed that a man is composed of a body, a life force called ginhawa, and a kaluluwa (soul)  which explains why the design of the cover of the Manunggul Jar  featured three faces - the soul, the boatman, and the boat itself.

The kaluluwa, after death, can return to earth to exist in nature and guide their descendants.

Filipino  ancestors respected nature  as they believe that  even things from nature have souls and lives of their own.

Another Filipino artifact that exhibited the country’s maritime history is the  Balangay which  is one of the most ancient boats in the Philippines that used celestial navigation.

It is a type of lashed-lug boat built by joining planks edge-to-edge using pins, dowels, and fiber lashings.

The boats were finely manufactured without any blueprints and were taught to be made from one generation to another.

The Filipino balangay was used largely as trading ships up until the colonial era.

It was navigated by the old method used by the ancient mariners—steering by the sun, the stars, the wind, cloud formations, wave patterns and bird migrations.

The country’s maritime culture is reflected in its status as  one of largest supply countries for all seafarers (officers and ratings).

However, despite its glorification due to economic returns, a job of a seafarer is not exactly a walk in the park.

The maritime  profession has always been identified as a high-risk workplace replete with health and safety hazards in relation to the risks of accidents, illnesses and mortality.

The seafarer is often mentally, physically and emotionally stressed, aside from being constantly exposed to a variable environment while working on board vessels that cross ocean boundaries.

The European Maritime Safety Agency reported 745 work-related fatalities among maritime workers and nearly 9,000 persons injured between 2011 and 2020, among other tragic statistics in this sector.

Under the Philippine Overseas Employment Administration  standard employment contract,  in the case of a seafarer’s work-related death during the term of his contract, the employer shall pay his beneficiaries the Philippine currency equivalent to the amount of US$50,000 and an additional amount of US$7,000 to each child under the age of 21 but not exceeding four children.

The amount usually is higher if the death is covered by a Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

The POEA contract is designed primarily for the protection and benefit of Filipino seafarers in the pursuit of their employment on board ocean-going vessels.

However, the right over death benefits has also become a long legal battle for some families of deceased Filipino seafarers. 

As the employer does not hesitate to harness its immense resources to limit its liability, the claims process has become more litigious, allowing employers to question how the seafarers’ fate and misfortunes are work-related.

Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the  Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan  law offices. For comments, email info@sapalovelez.com, or call 09175025808 or 09088665786)

 

Starry, starry night

 

Astronomy fans eagerly awaited the appearance of the so-called Christmas Star or Star of  Bethlehem on   December 21, 2020, which coincidentally is my natal day.

On this day, Jupiter and Saturn appeared closer to each other.

It is  called a “great conjunction”  because Jupiter and Saturn are the two largest planets in the Solar System, and to the naked eye they will  look like a single bright star during this "celestial summit meeting."

One of the more popular theories for the "Christmas Star" was  that it was part of a series of conjunction between Jupiter and Saturn in 7 BC wherein   these planets met not once but three times that year (in May, September and December).  

In Christian belief, the Christmas star is  found within the New Testament only in the Gospel of Matthew.

The Christmas Star led  the three wise men (Magi)  to Jesus' home in the town in Bethlehem where they worshiped him and gave him gifts.

The wise men were then given a divine warning not to return to Herod, so they  travelled back home by a different route.

For seafarers, stars also played special roles in their profession through the so-called celestial navigation.

Considered as  one of the oldest practices in human history, celestial navigation is the art and science of finding one’s way by the celestial bodies of the sun, moon, stars, and planets.

Hundreds of years ago, early mariners traversed the open sea using only their eyes and the stars.

They tracked the movement of stars across the night sky and knew the positions of constellations during every season.

Their extensive knowledge of celestial bodies allowed them to cross large spans of open water with confidence.

It is the use of angular measurements (sights) between celestial bodies and the visible horizon to locate one's position in the world, on land as well as at sea.

At a given time, any celestial body is located directly over one point on the earth's surface.

Knowing the position of the star in the sky, the measure of the angle between the horizon of the observer and the star, using a sextant, is enough to determine the observer’s position in latitude and longitude.

For thousands of years, brave sailors and explorers relied on Polaris, or the North Star, as an excellent fixed point for navigation, especially during turbulent times and rough seas.

The North Star is located almost directly above the North Pole and does not change position in the sky.

In the Northern Hemisphere, mariners could determine the latitude by measuring the altitude of the North Star above the horizon.

Depending on which constellations are visible in the sky Seafarers can easily find true north by locating the North Star.

Balangay is one of the most ancient boats in the Philippines  that used celestial navigation.

It is a type of lashed-lug boat  built by joining planks edge-to-edge using pins, dowels, and fiber lashings.

The Filipino balangay was  used largely as trading ships up until the colonial era.

It was navigated by the old method used by the ancient mariners – steering by the sun, the stars, the wind, cloud formations, wave patterns and bird migrations.

If my natal day December 21 this year is associated with the Christmas star, on the other hand , it was considered as the doomsday in 2012, or  eight years ago, when believers expected that   cataclysmic or transformative events would occur.

An ancient Maya prophecy associated the doomsday to a mysterious planet on a collision course with Earth, or a reverse in Earth's rotation.

It was linked to the end of one of the cycles in the ancient Mayan calendar at the winter solstice in 2012 - hence the predicted doomsday date of December 21, 2012.

It is said that a person's   destiny is written in the stars. 

I was born under the zodiac sign Sagittarius (November 23 and December 21) which is the ninth astrological sign associated with the constellation Sagittarius.

Greek mythology associates Sagittarius with the centaur Chiron, who mentored Achilles, a Greek hero of the Trojan War, in archery.

Also known as the Archer, Sagittarius is represented by the symbol of a bow and arrow.

Half human and half horse, Sagittarius is the centaur of mythology, the learned healer whose higher intelligence forms a bridge between Earth and Heaven.

May the guiding stars keep  the voyages of  our brave Filipino seafarers safe.  

Atty. Gorecho heads the seafarers’ division of the Sapalo Velez Bundang Bulilan  law offices. For comments, e-mail info@sapalovelez.com or call 09175025808 or 09088665786