Freemanites still holding on

Heard on radio: “Nia ko ron sud sa Basilica ... Grabing daghana sa tawo, bumper to bumper.”

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Of the 100 countries surveyed, the Philippines is No. 8 friendliest. That’s why it’s fun to be here. But not more fun than to be in New Zealand,No. 1 friendliest; Australia, No. 2; South Africa, No. 3, etc.

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It’s fun-tastic in PHL, says a showbiz exec. Right. But sometimes when politicians try to manage things their own way, fun-demonium breaks in.

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Some crew members of some local interisland ships that sank have been heard commenting: “Lunod man gani nang higanteng cruise ship. Wa’y pilion ang disgrasya oy.”

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They’re referring to the luxury cruise ship Costa Concordia which listed and was about to sink as this column was written Monday. Some 300 Pinoy crewmen on this luxury ship have been reported rescued.

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E-mail from Mrs. Martha Lim: “Some radio people call it fluvial parade, others call it fluvial procession. Which is which? I mean which is correct?”

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Personally — repeat: personally — I think it should be fluvial procession since it is a religious affair. But this is a free country. Call it any name you want.

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Engr. Romeo Paterno, 78, a seafarer in his youth, wants to know: “Where have all those FS surplus ships gone?” He’s referring to those small but sturdy vessels that formed the backbone of the interisland shipping industry immediately after the war. I also would I like to know. I have taken some of these FS ships in my trips to Manila.

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Nearly every shipping line in Cebu had FS vessels in their fleet, giving them names like FS Kolambogan, FS Escano, FS Sibuyan, etc.

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Former THE FREEMAN staffers, now calling themselves Freemanites, continued to have their yearly get-together  last week. This I learned from Ben Ypil, former TF columnist, and Loy Jurado, former TF photographer. Ed Recla, deskman, flew in from the States while Jesse Bacon reporter, came in from Manila... The bigger gettogether will be in 2019, the centenary of this newspaper. So, stick around a bit guys.