Our seafarers are modern-day heroes
During a recent lunch with the ladies, the conversation was all about the dangerous Somali pirates and the heroism of Capt. Richard Phillips, captain of the Maersk Alabama, who mode himself captive to these terrorists of the high seas in exchange for the lives of his crew. We were so impressed by the bravery and selflessness of this man but not one of us wanted to be in the shoes of his wife, who must have been going out of her mind worrying about the fate of her husband, and worse, not knowing what kind of torture he was undergoing. For sure, he was not being treated like a king.
Photographer Mandy Navasero, who collaborated with Marissa Oca on a book about seafarers and the people in the maritime industry, made us realize the dangerous plight of the seafarers. She said, “The seafarers are thousands of miles away from home, doing without normal comforts, immersed in physically demanding and mentally challenging tasks, exposed to harsh weather conditions for endless days and nights. They have to endure to be able to make an honest living and support their families back home. And now there are these evil pirates to contend with!”
Marissa’s book, Read to Bridge Oceans, is a tribute to seafarers and their families. It enlightens readers on the difficult role of a seafarer’s wife who is left alone for months on end, coping, being a good mother to her children who hardly see their father.
There are over 500,000 seafarers in our country. About 230,000 of them are employed on various ships worldwide, according to Marissa, president of the Gig and the Amazing Sampaguita Foundation, which published the book. She is also at the helm of the Seamen’s Village in Dasmariñas, Cavite, where 476 families of seafarers live, and president of the St. Pancratius School where children of seafarers get their basic education. Her father, Capt. Gregorio Oca, heads the 85,000-strong seafarers’ labor organization called the Associated Marine Officers and Seamen’s Union of the Philippines (AMOSUP). The family is also behind the school for seafarers, the Maritime Academy of Asia and the Pacific (MAAP). It has produced since its conception in 1997 more than 800 midshipmen and midshipwomen.
According to estimates, a staggering US$2 billion are remitted to the Philippines by our seafarers or about 17 percent of the total annual OFW remittance of US$12 billion. It is stated in the book that approximately 25 percent of the world’s seafarers are Filipinos, which makes our country the “crewing capital of the world.”
The Philippines is an archipelago and traveling between our islands requires water transportation. “Such means of transport developed and honed the skills of many of our people in conquering unpredictable waters,” says Capt. Oca. “Seafaring is a profession, a lifetime career for many, and it truly runs in the blood of Filipinos. I took the same road and sailed the seven seas, and for over half a century now, I have chosen to be passionately involved in matters concerning seafarers and the maritime industry. As they say, ‘Once a seafarer, always a seafarer.’”
Daughter Marissa, like her father, is passionately involved in the concerns of the families left behind. She states that for the 230,000 Filipino seafarers that are on ships all over the world, there are a million children with their mothers at home. The only way these mothers can reinforce their bonds with their children is to read to them every night before sleeping. Reading takes the children on different voyages, and can show them the world where their fathers are. When her own children were growing up, Marissa read to them every night and she found that this anchored her relationship with them in a most fulfilling way.
Her book Read to Bridge Oceans has three chapters with beautiful photography by Mandy Navasero. It chronicles the maritime industry and its allies, their families and the maritime schools in other parts of the country.
While the book remains a documentation of seafarers and their families, the book’s real purpose is to encourage reading among seafarers and their children. There are individual testimonials of various personalities in the maritime industry extolling the virtues of reading.
“Our 476 families at the Seamen’s Village in Cavite are taking their cue from the African proverb modified — ‘It takes a child to raise a village’ — in this case, a village of readers. Embracing the value of quality time through reading together is an inspiring start,” Marissa reiterates.
Her book also lets us appreciate the seafarers’ hardships and sacrifices to give their children a better future and our economy a substantial boost.
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Read to Bridge Oceans is available at National Book Store.
