Parola Issue No. 108 January – February 2001 - PSAP

NO: 108
January - February 2001
Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is the
legitimate President
Voting 13-0, the Supreme Court
has unanimously ruled that Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo is the country’s
legitimate President and not her deposed predecessor, Joseph Estrada.
“Estrada has effectively resigned
by his acts and statements,” said the
ruling written by Associate Justice
Reynato Puno.
The justices also voted 9-4 on Estrada’s loss of immunity from suit.
The twin decisions were officially
released on March 3.
The ruling paves the way for the filing by the Office of the Ombudsman
of plunder cases against Estrada with
the Sandiganbayan.
But Estrada, who was toppled in
a military-backed citizens’ revolt on
January 20, has 15 days to file a motion for reconsideration with the high
court.
In deciding the legitimacy of the
Macapagal administration, the high
court quoted liberally from the diary of
former Executive Secretary Edgardo
Angara.
The tribunal ruled that Estrada had
effectively resigned even if he did not
sign his resignation letter.
The diary of Executive Secretary
Angara is an insider’s account of the
last two days (January 19-20) in office
of deposed President Estrada.
The ruling deals a major blow to
efforts by Estrada to fight corruption
case against him and retake power.
Estrada has asked the court to declare Arroyo the acting president only,
saying he never resigned as president
when he left the palace and still has
claims on office.
Estrada is under investigation on
several possible corruption related
charges including economic plunder, misuse of funds, violations of
anti-graft law, perjury, bribery and
possession of unexplained wealth.
Lifting the economy
The Supreme Court ruling has
calmed investor sentiment, presidential spokesperson Renato Corona
said. With the legitimacy of presidency cleared, analysts said they expect
Ms Arroyo now to start steering the
economy back into shape. Corona
predicted that the government would
get the economy “turned around in no
time at all.”
The government has forecast the
economy growing at least 3.8 percent
this year, which would still make the
Philippines one of developing Asia’s
economic laggards based on regional
forecasts by the Asian Development
Bank. (AFP and AP, Inquirer News Service, Mar/03/01).
People Power II toppled the presidency of Joseph Ejercito Estrada.
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
ITF proposes maritime
human convention
The International Transport Workers Federation(ITF) proposes to the
ILO Joint Maritime Commission, the
creation of a “fourth pillar” maritime
human factors convention, to supersede more than 30 current ILO
conventions.
The ITF wants the proposed code
to achieve similar status in the shipping world to the IMO’s existing
Solas, Marpol and STCW conventions.
ITF secretary general David
Cockroft told Fairplay, an international shipping weekly magazine:
“We have been negotiating a lot with
ship owners about a human factors
minimum standards convention. We
have come to an agreement to try to
adopt a resolution to take the existing
long raft of ILO maritime conventions,
some of which are ratified by some
and others which are out of date , and
encompass them all into a single convention. If it works it will stand as the
industry’s first maritime human factors
convention.”
“It will stand as one of the four major
conventions that you will have to comply with to operate a ship,” Cockroft
explained. “It will be the first time that
if you do not have the rights of workers on board a ship taken care of, you
can be detained until you put things
right.” (Fairplay Daily Shipping News,
Jan/01)
Penalize sub-standard
shipping- ICON
The International Commission on
Shipping (ICONS) has proposed the
introduction of severe penalties for
charterers and major shippers who use
deficient vessels and called for quality operators in the industry to “take
an overt public role in eradicating substandard shipping”.
According to one of the commission’s recommendations, port state
authorities, led by the US Coast Guard,
the Paris MOU and the Tokyo MOU,
would develop the penalty system,
which would be designed to minimise
the financial advantages of operating
a deficient vessel, estimated at 15 to
16 per cent of annual operating costs.
Also among the ICONS recommendations
is a proposal to establish a confidential
ship safety incident reporting system to
be known as COSHIRS. Releasing his
report, ‘Ships, Slaves and Competition,’
at the International Symposium on Safer
Shipping in the APEC Region, held in
Sydney today, ICONS chairman Peter
Morris declared there should be “an end
to the winging process and a beginning
to the action process”.
Mr Morris said the onus was now on
quality ship owners, their organizations,
charterers and cargo owners to champion
the implementation of the commission’s
recommendations. (Fairplay Daily Shipping News, Mar/06/01)
Panama opens
Filipino claim
process
Panama has begun sending claims
filed by Filipino seafarers against
foreign ship owners resulting from
illness, injuries or death suffered for
settlement in the Philippines.
The first case involves a suit
against a vessel in rem for personal
injuries suffered while at work.
The suit signals the movement of
other cases pending in Panama to the
National Labour Relation Commission
(NLRC) of the Philippines. It follows
a landmark Panama Supreme Court
decision in December that recognised
the validity of a release executed by a
Filipino crew member or his heirs.
“We were able to persuade the
court that the NLRC had been created to provide a speedy resolution to
all claims by crew members against
their employers,” said Panamanian
law firm De Castro & Robles. (Fairplay Daily News, Feb/20/01)
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http://www.psaponline.net
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾
His biggest flop ever
People Power II deposed Estrada
The second People Power in 15 years led to the collapse
of President Estrada and ushered in the leadership of Gloria
Macapagal-Arroyo.
On January 20, Ms Macapagal took the oath of office administered by Chief Justice Hilario Davide Jr. at the Edsa Shrine,
site of the historic 1986 revolt that toppled the Marcos dictatorship.
Her family, various officials, Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin, former President Corazon Aquino, former President
Fidel Ramos, foreign diplomats and tens of thousands of people comprising “People Power II” witnessed the ceremony.
In her inaugural speech, Ms Macapagal promised not to
make the mistakes of ousted President Joseph Estrada and
reiterated that her administration would be one of “leadership
by example.”
She thanked the hundreds of thousands of Filipinos who
assembled for three days at the shrine to call for Estrada’s
resignation, and asked all to help in the healing and rebuilding
of the nation.
“Let us build an edifice of peace, progress and economic
stability,” she said. (BBC News Online, Manila Bulletin, Philippine Daily Inquirer, The Star, Jan/20/01)
Source: Philippine Daily Inquirer, Jan/21/01.
Please turn to page 7 for excerpts of the
President’s inaugural speech.
Pres. Arroyo names VP and
cabinet members
The new president of the Philippines,
Gloria Arroyo, has appointed a chief opponent of her disgraced predecessor as
her vice president.
She’s chosen Teofisto Guingona,
the first senator to make public corruption allegations against the ousted
President, Joseph Estrada. He’s also a
lawyer and a former justice secretary.
Mr Guingona was born in the southern
province of Mindanao which has been
racked by separatist violence.
Mrs Arroyo said she had chosen him
because it was time to build a bridge to
an economically vibrant Mindanao from
one wracked by conflict. (BBC World
Service, Feb/06/01)
The appointees
Executive Secretary - Renato de
Villa
National Security Adviser - Roilo Go-
lez
President’s Chief of Staff and Presidential Spokesman - Renato Corona
Chief, Philippine National Police - Leandro Mendoza
Presidential Adviser for Reginal Development - Paul Dominguez
Director, National Bureau of Investigation - Reynaldo Wycoco
Customs Commissioner - Titus Villanueva
Gen. Manager of the Ninoy Aquino International Airport - Edgardo Manda
Budget and Management - Emilia Boncodin
Education, Culture and Sports - Raul Roco
Energy - Jesus Alcorda
Finance - Alberto Romulo
Health - Manuel Dayrit
Interior and Local Government - Jose Lina Jr.
Justice - Hernando Perez
Labor and Employment - Patricia Sto. Tomas
Public Works and Highway - Simeon Datumanong
Trade and Industry - Manuel Roxas
Transportation and Communication - Panteleon Alvarez
Tourism - Richard Gordon
Social Welfare - Dinky Soliman
(Manila Bulletin; Inquirer.net; Phil. Embassy, The Hague, Jan-Mar/01)
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
Denying responsibility
(Iwas pusoy - 1)
2/Engr. Felix Pulmano
Eat, work, sleep – a routine activity,
boring isn’t it? Especially for us seafarers, we have our job always with us.
Even on our day-off – Sunday, when
emergency arises, we are obliged to
work, even when we arrive at ports,
there’s no way we can elude the nature
of our job. We can’t help it my friend,
this is the culture and tradition of being
on the ship.
Good for those seafarers who just
have short contracts, three to four
months then wah! la! Home sweet
home. But how about those who have
one year contract or more? And much
harder to admit that while we have a
one-year contract, the Captain or Chief
Engineer has been relieved 3 or 4 times.
Our great dilemma is the way they treat
us, whether good or bad, just or unjust.
If it’s good and fair and humane then
one year is peanuts to endure. But
sometimes one comes along who is
much worse than a fascist…he! he! he!
They can afford to behave this way, because their working contract is just two
to three months with their wives also on
board. It is evident as you can see here
that there’s really an imbalance in our
maritime culture. What a life?
Enemy of the ship
Let’s go back to our routine job on
board the ship. Sometimes we say
to ourselves, “this is it”, we have had
enough, we cannot take it anymore?
This job is no longer a career but just
a sheer means of survival. But I tell
you my friend, without knowing it, so
many things have been exercised and
learned, say for instance, our patience,
perseverance, our tolerance in terms of
our work, condition, our body, our relationship with one another and the most
important is that day-by-day we learn
the art of accepting responsibilities.
There are instances, which happened
that we have rejected these responsibilities and have extended our fingers
pointing and blaming, judging other
people. Instances like — something
blew up in the engine room during our
watch, emergency situation such as fire
on deck, failure to secure the hatches
holds and valves that leads to a hostile
situation during sailing, contamination of
cargoes by sea-water. All of these lead
to one common enemy of the ship – accident. How we embrace our duties and
responsibilities regardless of our position, matters.
Could it have been
prevented?
Allow me to share a story, which recently happened in one of the ports of
Rotterdam. I believe we can pick up
something of a great moral value in this
story. One Filipino seaman, AB, was airlifted and rushed to the hospital. A tragic
accident occurred resulting to loss of his
left leg, loss of his job and his career. At
one glance, it would seem to be an accident, it happened and we could not do
anything about it, but if we dig into the
bottom of the story prior to the accident,
this tragic incident could be avoided.
The Chief Mate gave an order to two
ABs to dispose the left over dannege
(a sort of wooden garbage) to the big
open container dumpster lying in the
wharf. Halfway in their hauling of garbage, the Chief Mate ordered again
one of the ABs to do some work in the
gangway. At this point, the other AB
was left alone in disposing the remaining garbage. Unknown to him, a giant
forklift was coming his way, carrying
three loads of 40ft. container. The forklift suddenly hit the left side panel of this
dumpster container and it spinned right
away, hitting the poor AB standing very
nearby. Caught by surprise, the AB tried
to jump away but that was in vain, his
left leg was directly hit. Bones crushed
and blood spurted out. He managed to
yell for help but the excruciating pain
gripped his heart and he lost his consciousness.
I don’t know of the reaction of the
Chief Mate. I don’t have the capacity to
judge but hearing the story and meeting
this man while he was in the hospital, I
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾
tried to assert and rationalize my thinking.
The Chief Mate, I’m sure has been
haunted by his own conscience because he could have done two things.
He could either deny his responsibility
(iwas pusoy) and wash his hands by
blaming the poor AB for his fault of not
being careful. He (AB) should have
seen the forklift coming his way and
should have moved on the side. Or the
Chief Mate could accept his responsibility for what happened (I wish I could
read his accident report). In my opinion,
the Chief Mate could have done one of
the following prior to the accident: He
could have
1. Made a request to the port stevedore to relocate the dumpster, not
where the forklift passes.
2. Assigned two men to execute this
work — one giving attention and signal
to the forklift operator at the same time
giving warning to his mate that the forklift is coming. He should have pulled out
the other AB to work somewhere else,
instead wait till this first job ends.
3. Taken the initiative to know the
schedules of the stevedores working
on that area — when and what time
they will stop hauling the containers and
maybe in between time as opportunity
exists, instructed the ABs to dispose
that garbage or he could have waited
till the stevedores finished their job and
then proceeded to his plan.
The Good Samaritan
My comparable analysis on this seaman’s story is one of the best parables
found in the bible, in Luke 10:25-37.
The parable of the Good Samaritan.
Take a good look at the three characters
of the story and their responses to the
man desperately in need of help.
The first character: The Pharisee with
the status of the teacher of the law, the
priest and spiritual leader of their time.
But what happened after seeing the
man lying on the road, robbed, beaten
and dying? The Pharisee just passed
on the other side and left. This is an
example of denying responsibility (iwas
pusoy). A question might have come
in his mind why the man was beaten.
Maybe the man had done something really bad that those muggers barely left
on page 11
‘White list’ or white wash?
The publication of the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) ‘white
list’ of nations complying with the
STCW ’95 convention in December
2000 provoked strong comments
from the international shipping community.
Of the original 82 submissions
made by August 1, 1998 deadline,
72 made the much delayed list, thus
only ten countries failing to make the
grade. According to Fairplay’s investigation, Myanmar and Georgia are
believed to be the only significant labor supply countries not to pass the
IMO’s threshold. The list will come
into force in February 2002.
Doubts on the list
IMO secretary general Bill O’Neil
identifies the ‘white list’ as “an important milestone in the life of IMO.”
UK officers union NUMAST voiced
“shock and disappointment” at the
contents of the ‘white list’ when the
identity of compliance nations was
finally made public. “I believe the
‘white list’ is a white wash and I have
been to meetings attended by people
from throughout the shipping industry and when I have said this, there
have been nods right around the
table,’ secretary general Brian Orrel told Fairplay. “Anyone with sound
common sense and knowledge of the
industry was surprised at the extent
of the ‘white list’. One has to question
whether politics had more of a play
than competency in the final analysis
of who got on.”
“We were absolutely staggered by
the countries that found their way
on to the list,” ITF secretary general
David Cockroft concedes. “We were
involved with affiliates in the Philippines and helped them to put together
their training colleges-cutting down
numbers and increasing the quality of
their training facilities. The ITF trust
gave a substantial grant, but what do
you do when Indonesia is also on the
‘white list’, when you have spent all
that time and money. It makes it a bit
of joke and you won’t find many people associated with the business that
will disagree with that.”
International Shipping Federation
(ISF) Secretary David Dearsley noted:
“The ‘white list’ on its own is like the
emperor’s clothes – it doesn’t stand
up. It is vital that flag states go beyond the ‘white list’. There is need for
extra controls. If people do not carry
out their own bits and pieces and
rely on the ‘white list’ itself it doesn’t
work.”
See list of countries on p.6
New STCW circular questioned
The Professional Regulation Commission (PRC) has drawn criticism
for issuing a new amendment to its
certification system that appears to
have been subverting the revised
STCW Convention. Industry critics say
memo circular 01-02, approved and
issued in January by the PRC Board
of Marine Deck Officers, has ignored
the importance of simulator training
in the revalidation of STCW endorse-
ment certificates. “The memo circular
sounds as if only the board can know
what is right for seafarers even without
the aid of state-of-the-art technology
required by the convention,” they said.
The amendment qualifies an applicant
for his certificate at the operational level
without the ship simulator and bridge
teamwork-training course. (Fairplay
Daily News, Feb/16/01)
Ferry boss to run
Philippine ports
New President Gloria MacapagalArroyo has appointed the head of a
domestic ferry operator as temporary
head of the Philippine Ports Authority
(PPA). Alfonso Cusi, president of Starlite
Express, which runs between Batangas
and Calapan, took up his position as
acting general manager on February 26.
His appointment followed a petition from
port users to relieve the incumbent Juan
O Peña, who faces a string of lawsuits
related to port projects.
Fairplay sources said Cusi’s temporary appointment might have hinged on
the requirement to divest his interest as
owner of Starlite Express, a move that
he must still take to prevent a conflict of
interest. (Fairplay International Shipping
Weekly, Mar/01/01)
Mobile phones not
health hazards
The scientific study made into
the health hazards of using mobile
phones has concluded that their use
does not increase the risk of certain
forms of cancer.
“This first-ever nationwide study of
the incidence of cancer among mobile phone users does not support
the hypothesis of a link between the
use of these phones and cancers of
the brain, salivary glands, central
nervous system or leukaemia,” said
the pioneering report, carried out by
the Danish Cancer Society. However, the study considered only the
cancer question and did not clear
mobile phones of causing other ailments such as migraine or tinnitus.
The Danish study, published in
the US Journal of National Cancer
Institute, supports the findings of
studies in UK and the US that found
no link between mobile phone use
and brain tumours. (Financial Times,
Feb/0 7/01)
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
Riddles
Hokey-pokey
Mayaman, mahirap
1. What has one entrance and three exits? _______________
There was a Filipino kindergaten teacher
teaching her class how to do the hokeypokey.
She started off, “You put your right feet
in, you put your right feet out, you put
your right feet in...”
Suddenly one of the children said,
“Teacher, you have to say ‘foot’.”
So the teacher said, “You foot your right
feet in, you ‘foot’ your right feet out...”
Ang mahirap na tumatanda ay “gumugurang”; sa mayamang tumatanda,
the description is “he or she graduates
gracefully into senior citizenhood”.
Ang anak ng mayaman ay “slow learner’;
ang equivalent na anak ng mahirap ay
“bobo” o “pangod”.
Kung mayaman ka at marami kang kumain, you flatter your host who says
“masarap kang kumain, and I like you,
you do justice to my cooking”; kung
ghastly peasant ka eating the same
amount in the same house, your host
will say to himself or herself na ikaw ay
“patay-gutom” o “hampaslupa!”
2. What always hides itself but always
shows its head? ________________
3. What is always coming but will never
arrive? __________________
4. What has arrived and will never come
again? _______________
5. What did the FBI agent say to the condom? _____________
6. What has 12 eyes and still cannot see?
_____________
See answers on page 11.
Use the words...
A Filipino gets stopped by immigration at
the airport. Immigration tells him, “Use
the words ‘chicken not bread’ in a sentence.”
The Filipino looks around, puts a bag
over a woman’s head and yells, “Chee
kennot bred! Chee kennot bred!”
Nagpadala: FJson
Kung isa kang domestic na maitim, ikaw
ay “ita” o “negrita”, pero ang señorita
mo kahit kasingkulay mo, ang tawag ay
“morena” o “kayumanggi”.
(Source: Pinoy Jokes Online)
Dear Roli,
Nasaan ka man...Miss na miss namin ang kolum mo. Minabuti naming idaan na sa Parola ang sulat sa iyo at mukhang
hindi mo nakuha ang mga padala naming sipi ng Parola sa China. Miss ka namin, lalo pa nga at bago na naman ang
nagpapatakbo ng pamahalaan natin. Ano naman kaya ang palagay mo sa gobyerno ni Gloria Macapgal-Arroyo? Sana
naman ay makasama ka namin ulit sa susunod na Parola. Ed
Shipping news...5
The official IMO ‘white list’
Argentina, Australia, Bahamas,
Bangladesh, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria Canada, Chile, China, Colombia,
Croatia, Cuba, Cyprus, Denmark,
Egypt, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Ghana, Greece, Honduras,
Hong Kong, Iceland, India, Indonesia,
Ireland, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan,
Kiribati, Latvia, Liberia, Luxembourg,
Malaysia, Maldives, Malta, Marshall
Islands, Mexico, Morocco, Nether-
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾
lands, New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan,
Panama, Peru, Philippines, Poland,
Portugal, South Korea, Romania, Russia, Samoa, Singapore, South Africa,
Spain, Sri Lanka, Sweden, Thailand,
Tonga, Trinidad & Tobago, Turkey, Tuvalu Ukraine, United Kingdom, United
States, Uruguay, Vanuatu, Venezuela,
Vietnam. (Fairplay Daily News)
Ms Arroyo’s inaugural speech: Excerpts
The new leader pledged a clean start
January 20, 2001 -- In her inaugural speech as
president of the Philippines, Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo
called for improved moral standards in public life and a
new style of politics. She paid tribute to “people power”
and singled out for praise Corazon Aquino, who came
to power in the 1986 uprising that overthrew Ferdinand
Marcos.
I accept the privilege and responsibility to act as
president of the republic...
The task is formidable, and so I pray that we will all
be one, one in our priorities, one in our values and
commitments...
People power and the oneness of will and vision has
made a new beginning possible.
Pride will reign supreme as Filipinos recall the
heroism and sacrifices and prayers of Jaime Cardinal
Sin, Presidents Cory Aquino and Fidel Ramos, Chief
Justice Davide, the legislators who fought the good fight
in Congress, the leaders whose principles were beyond
negotiation, the witnesses in the impeachment trial
who did not count the cost of testifying, the youths and
students who walked out of their classrooms to be at the
Edsa shrine, the generals in the armed forces and the
Philippine National Police, and the Filipino out there who
stood up to be counted in these troubled times...
Moral renewal
On many occasions, I have given my views on what
our programme of government should be...
They converge on four core beliefs:
One, we must be bold in our national ambitions so that
our challenge must be that within this decade, we will win
the fight against poverty.
Two, we must improve moral standards in government
and society in order to provide a strong foundation for
good governance.
Three, we must change the character of our politics in
We must improve moral standards in government and society in
order to provide a strong foundation for good governance -- Gloria
Arroyo
order to create fertile ground for true reforms...
Finally, I believe in leadership by example...
Out with the old
Politics and political power, as traditionally practised and
used in the Philippines, are among the roots of the social
and economic inequities that characterize our national
problems...
Traditional politics is the politics of the status quo; it is a
structural part of the problem.
We need to promote a new politics of true party programmes
and platforms...
This new politics is the politics of genuine reform; it is a
structural part of the solution...
To ensure that our gains are not dissipated through
corruption, we must improve moral standards.
As we do so, we create fertile ground for good governance
based on a sound moral foundation, a philosophy of
transparency and an ethic of effective implementation... (BBC
News Online, Jan/20/01)
Joseph Ejercito-Estrada’s last statement as
President of the Philippines
January 20, 2001 -- At twelve o’clock noon today, Vice President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo took her oath as President of
the Republic of the Philippines. While along with many other legal minds of our country, I have strong and serious doubts
about the legality and constitutionality of her proclamation as President, I do not wish to be a factor that will prevent the
restoration of unity and order in our civil society.
It is for this reason that I now leave Malacañang Palace, the seat of the presidency of this country, for the sake of
peace and in order to begin the healing process of our nation. I leave the Palace of our people with gratitude for the
opportunities given to me for service to our people. I will not shirk from any future challenges that may come ahead in
the same service of our country.
I call on all my supporters and followers to join me in the promotion of a constructive national spirit of reconciliation
and solidarity.
May the Almighty bless our country and our beloved people.
MABUHAY!
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
Dr. Margarita Holmes
Dear Dr. Holmes:
Napapansin ko na sumasakit ang puson ko, mga 1-2 beses
isang linggo. Ito ay malimit mangyari kapag kami ay nanonood ng sine ng girlfriend ko. Wala naman po kaming
ginagawa sa sinehan sapagkat virgin pa ang girlfriend ko.
Kaunting mga halik-halikan lang.
Ano kaya ang problema ko? Madadaan ba ito sa gamot?
Minsan, umaabot ng 2-3 tatlong oras bago maalis ang sakit
ng puson ko. Wala naman akong sakit. Very healthy pa
nga po ako, 20 years old, non- smoker, at, maliban dito sa
sakit sa puson, walang problema sa katawan. Salamat po
at more power!
ROLLY
Dear ROLLY
Maraming salamat sa iyong sulat. Although hindi ako
siguradong-sigurado, ayon sa isinalaysay mo, ang problema mo ang siyang tinatawag sa ingles na “blue balls”.
Sa Pilipino ay asul na itlog (scrotum). Ang blue balls ay
isang kondisyon na nangyayari lamang sa lalaki sapagkat
ang mga lalaki lang ang may itlog (scrotum).
Nangyayari ito sa mga lalaki kapag sumasakit ang
kanilang puson dahil matagal silang na-arouse na hindi
naman sila nalalabasan. Tinatawag itong blue balls dahil
minsan nakikita ang ugat sa ilalim ng balat at ito ay kadalasang kulay asul.
Ang dahilan ay simple lang: Kapag ikaw ay na-a-arouse,
maraming dugo ang pumupunta sa iyong ari at sa paligid
nito. Iyan ang dahilan na tumitigas ang ari mo: dahil sa
dugong pumupunta roon. Kung labasan ka, ang dugo ay
mabilis na pumupunta sa ibang mga dako ng katawan mo.
Pero kung hindi ka naman labasan, (kagaya mo kapag
kasama mo ang girlfriend mo sa sinehan) matagal bago
makabalik ang dugo sa ibang parte ng katawan mo. Dahil
nabibitin ka, parang “nabibitin” din ang dugo mo at ito ang
dahilan na sumasakit ang puson mo.
Hindi ka kailangang mag-alala rito. Gaya nang sinabi
mo, mawawala ito sa loob ng 2-4 na oras. Hindi ito kailangang gamotin sapagkat wala naman side effects
at wala ring mas malalim na kadahilanan (weak kagaya ng masamang puso o mahinang dibdib o weak
lungs). Kaisa-isa lang ang dahilan ng blue balls at ito
ay kung matagal ngang ma-arouse (tigasan) ang lalaki
pero wala namang outlet kasi hindi siya nilalabasan.
Kadalasan nangyayari ito sa mga kabataan, kagaya mo,
na naghahalikan, nagki-kissing at nagpe-petting, pero hindi
dinadala sa punto nang pagtatalik o kahit na mas matind-
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾
ing petting para mag-resulta sa iyong pag-o-orgasmo.
Walang masama o tama rito. Desisyon ninyo ng girlfriend mo na manatiling virgin ang gilfriend mo. Hanga
ako sa inyong desisyon na ito. At wala ring problema kung
mag-desisyon kayo na hindi na maghintay at makipagtalik ng tuluyan. Ito ay as long as responsible sa inyong
desisyon at kusang loob ninyong dalawang ginawa ang
desisyon na ito. Ang mahirap ay kapag humindi ang isa at
may halong puwersa o pamimilit. Iba na ito.
Habang ang pananatiling virgin ng girlfriend mo ang inyong desisyon, mayroon kayong tatlong maaaring solusyon
sa problema mo:
(1) Tiisin mo na lang at isipin mong 2-4 na oras na sakit
ng puson mo ay maliit na pangbayad sa masasayang oras
na kasama mo ang girlfriend mo;
(2) Puwedeng mag petting kayo ng girlfriend mo hanggang labasan ka sa kamay o bibig niya-o sa kamay mo;
at, finally,
(3) Puwede ring mag-masturbate ka para labasan.
Kapag umuwi na ang girlfriend mo mula sa sinehan, gawin
mo ito. Ikaw na ang maging responsableng maghanap ng
isang lugar na walang makakakita sa iyo. Mas maigi siguro
na maghintay hanggang makarating ka sa bahay ninyo,
pero kung masyadong malayo ang biyahe at okay naman
ang comfort room sa sinehan o sa isang restaurant/fast
food, puwede ring sa comfort room nito. Dahan-dahan ka
na lang ng hindi ka makita nang ibang tao, sapagkat hindi
lahat ay nakakaintindi ng pangangailangan mong ito. Good
luck at inaasahan ko na natulungan kita sa problema mo.
MG Holmes
Pahabol....
Sa mga nagtatanong ng aking e-mail adress:
doctoraholmes@hotmail.com
Sige, hihintayin ko ang mga tanong ninyo.
Ingat kayo palagi.
MG Holmes
Getting to know...
Rotterdam
Kaat Mossel
Hello Sailor,
Let me first greet you: happy new-year! How was your Christmas? White and cold or was it warm and sunny? Although
half of the world celebrates Christmas in summer time I have never heard a Christmas song about the sun, it’s always
snow and sleigh bells.
Once I spent my Christmas holiday in the Canary Islands. I really burst out laughing when I heard the song “Dreaming
of a White Christmas”, while I was enjoying the sun and a Martini on the rocks. And I assure you that all I was dreaming
of were more sunny days.
Last December the weather forecast promised the Dutch snow on the 25th. For a lot of people their wish came true,
they had a white Christmas. In Rotterdam the snow came two days later and gave the children a few days to build their
snowman. At the end of the year the snow fun was over and the streets were clean again.
Right now it’s freezing. In the country further from the coast the ditches are frozen already so the people can skate on
them. For us here in Rotterdam it will take a few days more before we can start.
Snow and ice bring not only fun but as well as misery: car accidents on slippery roads and broken bones to people
who fell down on frozen, slippery streets. The first aid in the hospitals makes overtime in such sudden cold period.
Talking about hospitals, did you know that Rotterdam has a special harbour-hospital? This is the Havenziekenhuis,
which is located at the north bank of the river Maas, near metro station Oostplein.
The Havenziekenhuis was established in 1927 in behalf of the seafarers. Nowadays all patients are welcome but still
the seamen have the priority. The doctors need tropical experience before they can work in this hospital.
The metro-station I mentioned, Oostplein, is a station of the Rotterdam subway or metro, to be specific, one of the
east-west line. There also exists a north-south line. In the city centre they cross. Downtown the train runs through tunnels,
and then comes out to the centre mostly on street level or viaducts. For people living in the suburbs this is a very good
connection to Rotterdam. They get faster into town by metro than by car.
Petrol in Holland is dear, so is the car insurance and the road tax. Most of the town centres have become pedestrian
areas, where it is hard to find a parking lot. If you are lucky to find one, it costs you at least US$ 2 per hour. The
Dutch government is trying all possible measures to push the car owners to use the public transport. Is it succeeding?
Travelling by car in the rush hour still means: queuing up or simply, traffic! So if you ever visit Rotterdam and you want
to take a taxi, wait till the rush hour is over, otherwise it will cost you a fortune.
Well, this is it for now, good luck and till the next Parola
.
Kaat Mossel
Rotterdam, January 2001
A bit of history
The port outgrows the city
After 1870 Rotterdam’s harbour image changed dramatically. Wooden ships became iron vessels, steam
engines took over from sails. The transshipment of general cargo retained its importance; new, however,
was that of coal, ore and grain – bulk cargo. Waterstad, the old dock area in the town centre, was now too
small to contain the expansion into an international port: so the Rotterdam docks made the crossing to
the south bank of the Maas river. For the townspeople the horizon changed drastically. Instead of a polder
landscape the view of South Rotterdam was now one of docks full of steamships, cranes and loading
ramps. (Rotterdam Maritime Museum)
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
My warmest greetings and sweet hello to my loving wife, Celia and to my one and only beautiful daughter, Jewel. I love you and
I miss you so much. My best regards to my brothers and sisters. No matter how far we are from each other, there is no distance in
prayer. God will always make us close together.
Ch/Ck Benny P. Ruadilla
M/T Sidsel Knutsen
My valentines greetings to my loving wife, Charito C. Jimenez, my lovable children: Chery Lyn, Charlie, Cherle Mar and
Cinderella.
4/Engr. Cirilo Y. Jiminez
M/V Maya
Valentines greetings to my beloved wife, Jing, I love you. Also to my children, Apot and Juhn-juhn. I will be home soon. See
you soon.
3/O Oliver Zoilo
M/V SD Progress
My warm greetings to my beloved wife, Vivian, and my only son, Joey, to my talented daughters, Joy and Jam. God Almighty be
always with us.
Teofilo P. Gervacio
M/V Veni
Happy 4th Birthday to my lovely daughter, Jaya Wu (Feb. 21). Greetings from your Papa.
3/O Tomasito G. Wu
M/V Ocean Galaxy
Happy Valentines to my beloved wife, Rose Tisbe and belated Happy Anniversary to both of us. Sa dalawang bunga ng
pagmamahalan, Aldons and Ivan, pagbubutihin ninyo ang pag-aaral para sa magandang kinabukasan. To all senator crew especially
sa mga Pinoy crew ng Contship Optimism ganoon na rin sa lahat ng Filipino Seafarers all over the globe. Have a smooth sailing!
Vic Tisbe
Contship Optimism
Belated happy 5th Wedding Anniversary to my loving wife, Evangeline. My kisses and warmest hugs to my daughter, Clarice
Eleonore and to my supportive parents. I love you all. May the blessings of our Almighty God give you more power.
Leo O. Cadelina
M/V Euromerchant
Belated Happy Birthday greetings to my son, Gerry, daughter, Russelle and my son, Sunny together with loving wife, Sylvia. May
you have many more birthdays to come. Greetings also to all officers and crew of SKANDI-HAV together with the crew of ALDA
MARINE, TO Engr. Vic Esta and Capt. Hans Haase of Scanmar.
Rupert P. Guinto
C/S SKANDI-HAV
My Birthday greetings to Miss Rosal Tomarong. May you have many more birthdays to come in your life and God bless you
always.
C/Ck Nilo Bangalando
M/V Athinoula
Greetings to my family in the Philippines: My sister, Ate Menzi, my brother, Kuya Edgar and Kuya Ricky, to nephew and niece, JJ
Ashley and Angel, also to Ca-Bing. To my father ,Tony Gayoso and Mommy Mila Arzaga in Amsterdam, Holland.
Henry Gayoso
M/V Corriedale Express
My warmest greetings to my beloved family, especially to my loving wife, Terry, my children James, Paul, Gracia, Yumi and Kim.
Happy Valentines, too. Regards also to Paps Enting and Moms Meling, also to my brods on board different ships, Ace and Andy of
Career Shipping, Gene of Seapower, to my Compare Msgt. Elmer Puruganan, Lt. Nichol Lopez of Phil. Mariner, and also to Manny
and Vangie and families. May the blessing of our dear Almighty God be with us always.
Carlos “Dong” Tumacas
M/V Calapalos
My warmest greetings to my beloved Mommy, to my smart little Queennie, to my Japomms, JJ and to my
cute, Jck-Jck. May the Lord Jesus bless you and guide you always. I love you and I miss you all.
Joel Zerrudo
M/V Hanjin Vienna
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾
Opinion...4
ISSN: 1389-9465
Marlene Macatangay
Editor
Basco Fernandez, Josie Pulmano
and Nonoy Ty
Editorial Staff
Margie Holmes, Felix Pulmano and Roli Ancha
Columnists
Abas Abdula, Edgar
Econ and Leshley Liauw
Technical Staff
Parola is published bi-monthly by
the Philippine Seamen’s Assistance
Program(PSAP). PSAP is a non-stock,
non-profit foun-dation registered
in the Chamber of Commerce
No. S127664, Rotterdam, The
Netherlands.
PSAP was founded in 1981 in
Rotterdam with the aim to support
Filipino seafarers in their struggle for
better working and living conditions.
PSAP’s Objectives
To contribute to seafarers awareness
about their workers and human rights.
To provide support and services to
seafarers
To promote seafarers awareness on
HIV/AIDS and other health related
issues
To enhance better cooperation among
seafarers of various nationalities
through better unders- tanding of each
other culture.
Addresses:
PSAP Rotterdam
Oostbroekweg 4,
3089 KL Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Tel. 010-2400930
Fax. 010-2400932
E-mail. psap97@wxs.nl
Centro Filipino-Seamen’s
Calle Riera Vaja 6-4
0881
Barcelona, Spain
Kasapi Seafarers’ Assistance
Program Labor Center of Piraeus
Skylitsi 19, Piraeus, Greece
Desk
International Christian Maritime Asso
ciation(ICMA)
2/3
Orchard Place, Southampton
S01
1BR England
NY
Center for Seafarers’ Rights
241 WAter Street, New York,
10038 Tel. 212-3499090
Fax. 212-3498342
Printed by: Drukkerij Dizayn
him alive.
The second character: The Sadducee. This man belongs to the rich,
elite, business and influential group in
their times. If anybody could help this
wounded man, this character could be
of best help there. He denied in helping
the man but just left him half dead.
The third character: The Samaritan.
He is just a common man and he is far
being common. His personal background is despised and rejected by
the common Jews. He is a half-breed
Jewish (malato). What happened when
the half-breed man came and saw the
poor guy lying on the ground? The Samaritan man felt compassion to help
this guy. His action to help the man
was off-beat, no holds barred, a help
without “but”. All he knew was to help.
He carried the poor guy on his donkey
and brought him to the nearest inn. He
paid all the bills.
In Luke 10:36, when Jesus Christ
asked the scribes… who then in your
opinion shows a true neighbour to the
wounded man? The scribes (group of
Pharisees) responded, “the man who
had compassion to help him”.
We can read it in verse 26-28. What
would be the reward of those people who love their neighbour and love
God?
Again, try to ponder on this question,
what would be the reaction of the two
characters that dodged and denied the
responsibility to help that beaten man?
I believe that they are being haunted by
their conscience. Guilt will find them out.
What about the wounded man? What
would he feel after overcoming his near
to death experience? What about the
seaman I mentioned in the beginning of
this article? For sure the seaman and
the beaten guy in the story has something in common. They both don’t like
the things which happened to them.
They were both caught by surprise.
One is, if the poor guy knew he would
be robbed and beaten along that road
for sure he would never pass that road.
The seaman could have told the Chief
Mate to suspend the garbage disposal
till the stevedores finished their job.
They both suffered terrible pain and a
near to death experience. They are both
indebted to God and to the people that
helped them.
In my opinion, this is a trial that both
won’t forget. If they overcome it, it will
be marked in the chapters of their very
lives. They will even discover that God
still s. Providing a way of escape using people to demonstrate His love and
compassion. Although, it’s painful, God
will use the circumstance to teach us, to
be patient, to persevere, to have hope,
to be dependent and to have a true faith
in Him.
My dear brothers, denying responsibility is a human thing, but I firmly
believe that the parable of the Good
Samaritan written in the bible and the
story of the seaman have a purpose.
God is teaching us, encouraging us, to
be responsible in all our undertakings
and that includes other people too.
Answers to the riddles:
1. t-shirt
2. a nail
3. tomorrow
4. yesterday
5. cover me, I’m going in
6. a dice
Subscribing to Parola is your way of
supporting the publication.
A yearʼs subscription costs
US$10.00. Send the amount to:
PSAP
Oostbroekweg 4
3089 KL Rotterdam
The Netherlands
Thank you for your support.
See page 12, please...
Parola no.108 • January - February 2001 • Page ¾
Nang Umibig Ang Tarantadong Puso
Sa bawat nilalang, ang puso natin ay pinaka-iningatan
Sana’y huwag masasaktan at masusugatan
Pusong nagdurugo, maghilum man may lamat na naiiwan
Damdamin natin ay maapektuhan, kasama na rin pati ang ating katawan.
Ang pag-ibig pag-sumibol sa puso’t isipan kanino man,
Hadlangan man nang anupa man
Dikta ng puso’t isipan ay pakakawalan, kahit may masagasaan
Bugso nang damdamin mahirap pigilin, bingi na pag-ibig umaalipin.
Kung bakit minsan ang pag-ibig ay namumuo sa maling panahon at paraan
Tadhana’t kalikasan kapag-gumagawa nang dahilan ay hindi mo maiwasan
Puso, umiibig na naman at walang pakialam sa kahihinatnan
Liligaya ka man, kung sa bandang huli’y iyong pagsisihan ay ‘wag na lang.
Puso, bakit ka ganyan?
Damdamin mo’y isang salawahan
Hindi ka na malaya’t may pananagutan
Tumitibok ka na naman para sa isang pag-ibig na makasalanan.
Puso, ako’y iyong tigilan
Huwag mo nang guguluhin ang aking isipan
Nangangayayat na ang aking katawan pati bulsa ko’y wala ng laman
Umiibig na naman ang tarantadong puso ng aking mga kaibigan.
-- Inspired by my crewmates (Jun Pasco, Andy Mantos, Julius Antogop, Pablo Agustin,
Franz Duran, Joe Salonga and most especially by my 2/Officer Victor “Daboy”Azurin).
Ch/Off. Angel B. Cagwing, Jr.
M/V Katherine Borchard
YES, I would like to receive a copy of Parola
regularly. Please send my copy to the name and
address below.
Name:
Address:
See page 11, please...
Parola no.108 - January - February 2001 - Page ¾