Josetito Reoma – My Life As Seaman
LIFE at SEA
Chapter 1
May 8, 1955 a boy from a small town called Hilongos, a western seacoast of one of the island of the Philippines called Leyte was born no. 6 of the 12 children of Mr. Jose P. Reoma and Fructousa Marquez both a native of Hilongos. They named him Josetito.
My parents are both elementary school teacher and my father was promoted superintendent before he retired at the age of 65 years old. I have seven brothers and four sisters which makes us a big family. My parents make our names taken from theirs.
Our names from the first born; Jose jr., Fructoucita, Josefino, Joselito, Joseto, Josetito, Joselino, Fuctousa jra., Fructoulina, Fructoulisa, Josenito, and Josenilo. All have finished colleges and both have nice works and already have family of their own. I have finished my elementary at Conception Community School and finished my high school at Hilongos National Vocational High School as a valedictorian.
In my high school days, it was a very hard way. At that time three of my brothers were at the seminary, so we have to tightened our belts to make both ends met. So what I did, I accepted student labor from my school during Saturdays or sometimes Sundays and holidays.
Most of the times I have to attend our small rice field to have more income and to have extra food. Sometimes I have to join bayanihan, a group of farmers working together without pay, only the food are free, one time planting rice to one farm then next to our farm and next to other farm until all each members farm have been planted.
It’s a good system because it will help farmers who can hardly pay for the laborers. I was still very young but I have to do it to help my parents. These made me trying my best to finish my studies as soon as possible to help my parents.
About my love life
It started as poppy love, I fall in love, poppy love, to our class treasurer who was the daughter of our town’s chief of police. We were very close to one another. She was so dominant that she wants what she wants.
One time I was an athlete of archery and I was sent to provincial meet and she was so mad because I didn’t listen to her because she didn’t want me to go but I went with the group anyway. My friends told us that we would not finish our studies because we will soon get married before our graduation but they were wrong because we’ve made it until we finished college still we were in love with each other.
But she didn’t want that I would take up marine engineering. She wants that I will always see her everyday, she was so demanding, one time on our college days she wants me to visit her in her boarding house but I can’t do that because I have to maintain my grades and I was financially hard up on those days. In spite of our always misunderstanding still we’ve made it for more than eight years.
Sad to say we broke up when I went home after my 21 months apprenticeship on an overseas vessel. She was 3 months pregnant when I saw her. She even told me it was my fault. I thank her for doing this things while we’re still unmarried.
After I graduated high school, I went to Cebu City to take my carrier, at first I was trying to take mechanical engineering which was my priority but when we went to CIT – Cebu Institute of Technology – we’ve notice that the tuition was very high and my parents cannot afford unless one or two of my brothers will have to quit their studies. We went to another school but still the same very expensive.
On our way to my brother’s boarding house we have passed by Cebu Central Colleges, now UC – University of Cebu – we happened to see the opening for scholarship for valedictorians, but I have to take entrance exam to be admitted in the school. I was very lucky to pass and I was granted 100% free of tuition.
So I took Marine Engineering and was associate at that time. When the first semester was started it was very hard for me because it was my first time in the big city and I cannot ride a jeepney for a long time because I was seasick. All my friends were laughing at me due I was taking a carrier that was against my well.
They said against my well because few kilometers ride with a car or taxi will make me seasick so much so riding a sea going vessel. I just told them come what may or I will cross the bridge when I get there. My oldest brother was the one giving me my allowance and for the boarding house.
My parents were the one who send us the food and my brother’s allowance. Sometimes I cannot receive allowance from my brother so we have to share what we receive from home. Sometimes we cannot also receive allowance and food from home so we have to walk from our boarding house to school that was 30 minutes to 45 minutes walk. I have to accept drawing jobs from my classmates to have extra money to see a movie once in two months or nothing at all.
In school I have a classmate from Butuan but actually he was from Nasipit. We were good friends. He always received his allowance and he dress great. I was thinking that they were rich. He knows that I was short of everything including my allowance, so, he offer me to help him with his drawing works with the exchange of having a weekend movie with snacks but of coarse paying me for the job so I did accepted it and it made us more closer.
On my second year first semester I did not made it to full scholar because of the pressures mostly financially, the school gave me only 50%. I have to explain it to my parents and to my brother who was helping me.
Both of them understood and told me to try to maintain it until graduation. But in my last semester the school reduced it again to 25% because my grades were going down.
Luckily I made it to the top in my graduation day. I received a gold medal as valedictorian of the graduating class. The next day after our graduation we were in the whole page of the local news, the nautical graduate valedictorian and me.
It was a promised from the shipping lines called, Sweet Lines, that they will accept us as an apprentice on their luxury vessel Cebu – Manila route. We were very happy and thankful for the achievement we received.
Chapter II
I went home for vacation for a month then went back to Cebu to report for apprenticeship. My permit papers did not arrived yet from the Department of Labor in Manila, so I decided to go to Manila to follow-up my papers.
I was so eager to get on board so after reporting from the office I went to the pier were I saw the vessel ready for departure for Manila, without asking permission from my brother, I boarded the vessel with only 20 pesos in my pocket. I met a friend also an apprentice who told me to hide during inspection of the ticket.
My first ride on board a luxury vessel was so exciting even though I was a stowaway. We arrived Manila 18 hours after our departure. It was 0800 hrs. and I was thinking how to go to my uncle’s house which was located at San Andres Bukid.
I was recalling one time when my brother told me how to get to that place. I took a jeep from pier to Divisoria, then a bus to Taft Ave. in which I remembered what my brother said to watch carefully the Luneta Park, then few minutes after passing the big carabao like building to get off from the bus. I took a bus, which was crossing the Taft Ave., which has a signboard of San Andres Bukid.
It was still very clear in my mind that after crossing the railway, I have to disembark and start looking for the 2520-B Perlita street, the house of my uncle. The first house I saw the number was 1925-A so I have to go up and look for the right number. It was already noontime when I saw the number and I was very happy and thankful that I arrived safely to my uncle’s house.
I told them the whole story and told me I have to send a telegram to my brother in Cebu and to my parents in Hilongos for they do not know for sure where I was. My cousins gave me some pants and shirts for I have only one pair on my body when I arrived.
When my uncle know that I was in Manila for my papers, after a few days rest he accompanied me to the office of Department of Labor to follow-up my papers. As soon as I took hold of my papers I went back to Cebu after a few days vacation seeing some beautiful places in Manila. I took the same vessel, the same still stowaway and upon arriving Cebu I reported right away to the office of the Sweet lines Inc. I was assigned to board my first vessel MS Sweet Faith, the fastest of the passenger vessels at that time.
My first Chief Engineer was Chief Dulauta from Bohol. We were eleven apprentice engineers on board and on one cabin only. As I recall I have sleep only twice in that cabin. The first duty was exciting and during mealtime we sometimes eat bare hands and using pot covers. They said cowboy style.
I was assigned the 0800 – 1200, 2000-2400 hrs watch. During watch keeping we usually wear short or only brief, because the engine room was too hot and it make us more comfortable . It was so interesting and was lucky that it was summer time. No storm but southwest monsoon winds and rains made the south China sea very rough especially when we are out of the Manila Bay.
For the first month I have to eat my dinner very late because I have to wait until the ship is covered by Mindoro island. Because of these I have to keep my food ration to be sure I have something to eat. My friends were very right that I will be sea sick always.
Almost all the voyages I was sea sick but because of my determination and my love for engines and the sound of it made me liked the system I’m on. Due to all engineers were from visayan region we usually made the maintenance work in Manila and in Cebu we are free to visit if we want to, to our brothers and to my gf which she was still studying.
The ship was quite old, she was made in 1950 in Germany and to maintain the speed we have to renew the piston or the piston rings most often. Every time in Cebu we have to roll 12 to 15 drums about 3000 liters of lube oil which our consumption for the round trip.
Sometimes we are lucky we can have two trips. She has twin engines so sometime we pull out two pistons one on each engines. We have to finish it for we have scheduled departure to follow. One of the apprentice engineer from south Cebu was a son of a judge.
As I have known the parents didn’t want their son to take marine engineering but the guy wants. One time the parents visited their son and saw that their son was so dirty, the mother started crying. But the son was very determined to proceed, so the parents was not able to convince him to stop.
After a month of working as apprentice with only 30 pesos monthly allowance I was promoted as Cummins generator watcher, ac generators supplying power to air conditioning plant, because only dc power are available on board.
At this point I was increased to 120 pesos monthly in which I was so lucky because most apprentice at that time have no allowance at all. Almost all the time in the port of Manila, we usually have few men helping us with the cleaning and maintenance work and they are all from Bohol or Cebu province, most of the time we worked all night long.
I could still remember one night when we finished our job very early and I was invited by this men to go with them in Caloocan city for a night life. To have experience I accepted there offer and for the first time I was inside a big cabaret house with more than 50 girls inside, dancing and giving some tips after every music. I was back to the ship before midnight because there was still curfew at that time.
That was my first night life. Back to work again, this time we departed Manila with some business men on board including the son of the owner. I wonder why we load so much blocks of ice in the cargo compartment near the engine room.
Then later I know that we have a race run to Cebu with the MV Cebu City, a new ship from Sulpicio lines, also a passenger ship. Plenty passengers made a bit and the owner himself bit millions pesos for this trip. We were scheduled to depart one hour ahead but we have waited mv Cebu City in Manila bay.
When they were on the sight, we made full ahead and there I knew that the ice blocks we load were used to cool down the suction inlets of the main engine turbo charger. We run more than 20 knots at that time and won the race.
We usually made run race with mv Don Juan of Negros Navigation that we usually encountered when we pass Panay Island, one time we passed them and one AB jokingly put mooring line astern teasing Don Juan, but few minutes later we have a break down with one of the turbo charger of the main engine so they passed as and laughing at us and put mooring lines as will.
Since that time I did not have yet seaman’s book, I did ask Chief Eng’r. to have few days vacation but did not grant my request, so I made alibi that my father will buy a hand tractor for our farm and it will be in Manila. So I took the trip back to Manila with my savings and luckily I have my first seaman’s book after a week stay.
Back to ship again and this time I was always seasick due to the southwest monsoon in the China sea. By then I’ve heard that my uncle, a chief engineer, arrived from abroad, together with my radio operator brother, we visited our uncle and talk about the situation. He said I must resign from Sweet Lines Inc. and go to Manila when my uncle will report to the office he was working.
So what I did after tending my resignation paper, I went to Manila and for the main time my uncle did not report yet to office so started to find and applied for overseas employment as an apprentice engineer or as a wiper in some offices. I was lucky and accepted in locally owned shipping lines but trading overseas, but they have to let me work first in one of their vessels on repair in Manila Bay just in front of the Luneta Park.
I reported the next day in ferry station in South harbor to join one of the vessel. When I came on board I found out that we were more or less 200 deck and engine workers, chipping, painting, overhauling the machineries and during meal time we were like prisoners on file with our own utensils, a plate, a pork and a cup. I have made a friend on board a crew member, but I have to sleep in the engine room side, the only vacant place.
After a couple of days work, the engineer requested me to work overtime until 2300hrs or sometimes midnight. They are paying us by the hour. It was a luck because only three of us were allowed to make overtime. After a week I received a cable that I have to go home because very serious was happening with my family.
So I boarded the service boat the following day and when I arrived in my uncles place they were loughing at me due to, I have more dirts libag in my neck, my face and my body. I told them that the accommodation was very poor were I was working. I ask them about the telegram but, they said it was my uncle who did it and he was already in Manila staying in YMCA, I washed myself and went to see my uncle and we reported right away to the agency he was on.
The name of the agency was Philimare, they let me signed right away contract for 14 months as a donkey man. First I really don’t know what was a donkey man, what work to do, but my uncle said I can handle it. I was scheduled the following day for medical. In the afternoon I reported in the office were I worked for a week to get my salary.
I was ask to see the port engineer which was a former chief engineer of sweet faith. He told me not to go home because they will let me join the vessel I was working as an oiler, due the oiler was burn from the boiler and cannot go with the voyage which was scheduled soon. I refused and told him very sorry but I have to go home, so he said as soon as everything will be okay at home I must report right away. I promise him I will. I did not tell him about the contract I’ve just signed.
Four days later we departed to Paris then Le Havre to join my first overseas vessel Mt Globtik Venus, a british born hindu, who owns 16 tanker ships, some are vlcc, and some are less than 100,000 dw tons tanker, I was in 65,000 dw, with 24,000 bhp engine and 1 meter diameter of piston Gotaverken engine. The first time I saw and work with such a huge engine.
Just imagine, an engine same height as the four storey building. The exhaust valve alone is almost two meters in height, the engine design has no push rod but pull rods on both sides of the liner with a cam mounted in the crankshaft and cam roller connected to the pull rods pulling down the exhaust valve as it turns.
We’ve got two auxiliary engines with 1200 kw capacity and one steam turbine generator. We have two Bobcocks and Wilcox watertube boilers and four steam turbine cargo pumps and two steam reciprocating piston stripping pump. The accommodation of this ship were in midship and aft. The Captain and the officers were in the mid ship and the Engineers and ratings are in aft part. We usually use the elevator in going to the engine room. We were 48 crew members at that time.
During those time we have tamulong, the carpenter, lots of Abs, oilers, Donkeyman which is my work and later I know that it is also the fireman or boiler man, 3 of us. We have four lifeboats and several life rafts.
Our home port is Le Havre France and we usually get cargo from Lagos, Nigeria and sometimes in Houston or Galveston, Texas. It took us 13 days to Lagos and 2 to 3 days loading by submarine pipe. During loading we usually go fishing and we caught not less 100 kilos every time we go fishing. Nobody was allowed to go ashore in Lagos.
During discharging in France, some are allowed to go shore leave. During those time we don’t have allotment so we usually send money trough the bank. I was not allowed to go ashore almost all the time due I was in charged in bunkering. We were bunkering almost all the time 2,500 metric tons sometimes 3,000 metric tons.
One time it was summer time we were discharging in Le Verdon, France, a very nice place and very near to the beach. 30% of the crew were allowed to go ashore and I was left because we have discharging operation. I was told by our Chief Engineer to stay but during 1500h coffee break we were, the pumpman and me were in the poop deck and we can see the nice beach and the people and the nice chicks playing in the beach.
We were tempted to go just a couple of minutes or hours and be back again right away. But when we have a couple of beers we forgot that we have to go back to the ship. Very naughty we went back midnight, half drank and we were caught by the Chief Engineer. He was very angry and the wiper which he promote to oiler about a month ago was demoted again to wiper, very sad because his family knows already of the promotion.
I was lucky the Chief Engineer pardon me. On our way back to Lagos, we stop and pulled out piston due we cannot do some maintenance work in port, we are not allowed. It took us 16 hours to finish the job. We arrived Lagos safely and again we go fishing with the same catch more or less 100 kilos of fish.
During topping up of the cargo, the radio malfunction and they overfill us and we have a fountain of cargo higher than the bridge before it was stop. We have pollution but we did not get penalty because it’s there mess. We departed Lagos with full cargo. On our way or almost during the voyage the crew mostly the old ones were gambling with cards, lucky 9 or black jack. At this voyage our chief cook already looses 2000 us dollards which at that time already 5 months work.
By then when they stop playing after midnight the 2nd cook when he stood up some cards feel down from his long sleeve and commented and accused him of cheating. The following day after lunch the chief cook start drinking and was drunk before dinner time.
He went to the 2nd cook’s cabin and started asking why he was cheating but the 2nd cook denied and the started shouting and fighting and the chief cook found a sharp hair cutting scissor which he stub the 2nd cook in the stomach and holding his wound he manage to escape and ran for help in the mid-ship were the deck officers help him.
Since we have still two days to go before Las Palmas, Spain, the Captain call a doctor and a chopper to pick him up. The chief cook was not arrested and still go with the voyage until his contract was finished. Later we know that they were friends again when they were in Manila.
After that incident the Captain order that no more alcohol on board. Then my 14 months contract was finish plus an extension of 7 months that made my first overseas vessel to 21 months on board with 1 dry docking.
Then I took up 4rth engineer license examination and with the help of God I passed the exam. 3 months after vacation with my 4rth engineer license I rejoined the MT Globtik Venus again as Jr. 4rth engineer. Everything was fine and we were sailing smoothly, with machineries overhauled and repaired, but seven months after we were caught by ITF – International Transport Workers Federation due to our very low salary.
Three times we were caught and send us our replacement but we refuse unless they will pay us our back wages. Because of the delayed almost a month now the owner decided to send hired mercenaries and forced to take over of the vessel.
There were 40 armed men who stormed the vessel with ropes in the ship’s side climbing by the rope with hawk and lines like pirates by this time we did resist due somebody told us not to fight because they were killers.
So held us in the mess room and 28 of us were send home with only the salary we received before. The labor attaché in Paris went on board and do nothing to help us. Some of the mercenaries were became friends to us later when they know our situation, they regretted what they did to us.
When the crew of our sister ships knew what the owner did to us, they stop the vessels to acknowledge that they were sympathizing us. When we arrived home we were meet by the press people and they were on our side but the national seaman’s board were very mad to us and we were all black listed to all the shipping agency in Manila except one who help us and promised to hire us.
After three months we received a message from the NBI to report to the office for further investigation and two agents from Scotland yard, UK the same as NBI in the Philippines who handled the case. We were so afraid because we heard that the owner filed a case against us and demurrage charged to us almost half a million us dollars.
But luckily the ITF were paying us from the owner almost the same amount they charged us and was shared between us according to the length of service. We really got hard in having another overseas employment.
One local company called me to join one of their tanker vessel to deliver diesel fuel to two ports of Mindoro and four ports of Palawan including Puerto Princesa and Brooks Point almost at the farthest end of Palawan island. It took us almost two months to finish the voyage, but it was a very memorable compared to my overseas trips.
As I went back to Manila I started again to apply for overseas and very lucky that I was accepted to work with one of the biggest greek company, the Olympic Maritime also one of the biggest in the world. I was working in this company for more than eight years.
Starting from dokimos mikanikos or junior engineer. Here I experienced and learned how to speak, write and read and greek even to count more than thousand, example; one (ena)two(deu)three (trea)four (tersera)five (pente)six (exe)seven (epta)eight (octo)nine (enya)ten (deca)eleven (enteca)twelve (dudeca)twenty (ecose)thirty (trianda)forty (seranda)fifty (penenda)sixty (exenda) one hundred ecatu) one thousand cillades) so on and so forth.
My next overseas ships were MV Olympic Peace, MV Olympic Palm, and MV Olympic Harmony, MV Beduin Brunes, which from junior engineer to second enginner.
All of the above mention ships go around the world. We usually complete a round for three months including loading and discharging of bulk cargo, grains, fertilizer, iron ore even salt. Once we load 40,000 metric tons of rock salt from Caribbean to New York City used only in winter for the roads and highways.
Josetito Reoma is a respected internet entrepreneur who loves to share his expertise on internet marketing. You may visit his blog at http://www.JosetitoReoma.com
