A god-forsaken ride

When the barker at the chaotic and overcrowded bus station in Cubao told me there was still one seat left on the bus, I felt like it was my lucky day.

It was getting dark and I knew I had to leave immediately to catch the ferry by midnight. I was bound for Marinduque for a personal errand and I needed to go to the Dalahican port in Quezon where I would take the ferry to the province, the only way to get there.

But when I got on the bus, the last remaining seat was at the far back and I had to snake my way through a throng of passengers already comfortable in their places. Some were already sleeping, heads protruding everywhere and bare feet hanging all over the place. There was a baby wailing and the fetid smell of sweat, bananas, dried fish and what-have-you wafted in the air. I thought I even heard a rooster in a cage, or maybe I just imagined it. I felt like I was inside Metro Manila’s belly.

I’ve taken third world trips before – in and outside the country – and I wouldn’t have minded this one, but my seat was so far back, I decided to just take the next bus.

When I finally reached Quezon, it was already past midnight. I bought my tickets to the ferry and waited for the ride.

Around 1:30 a.m., a wave of passengers started falling in line. The ferry was about to leave for Marinduque.

When the gates leading to the ferry finally opened, the line disappeared and the throng of people went on a mad scramble to get on board. I was shocked, confused, and disoriented. I wondered what the rush was all about when we each had tickets anyway.

It was only when I was already on board that I started to understand. There weren’t enough seats so people were boxing out each other to be able to secure a place. It was too late for me to join the chaos so I just stood in front of a lanky man who was sleeping soundly, occupying one whole bench.

I figured that when he wakes up, I would be able to get a seat, never mind that it was just on the deck, exposed to the harsh wind and just a step away from the deep blue sea. I got my seat, but many did not.

Everyone was trying to get a seat in the inner portion of the ferry.

It was standing room only. In the chaos, I tried to look around to find the restroom and to spot the life vests. I didn’t see a single vest, not even a sign.

This god-forsaken trip came to my mind when I heard about the passenger ferry that capsized last month. I wondered why despite all the tragedies at sea, regulation over sea transportation remains very loose.

The passenger ferry capsized on Dec. 21, days before Christmas between Dinahican and Polillo Island in Quezon, leaving at least four people dead.

Indeed, as I experienced myself, we are plagued by poor sea transport, with badly regulated and overcrowded boats.

Who doesn’t remember the Doña Paz tragedy 30 years ago, which claimed more than 4,000 lives?

Why do our maritime authorities still allow our ferries to be so cramped despite all the mishaps? I do hope that shipping companies can elevate the standards of travel in the Philippines.

A tycoon once told me that he wanted to go around the country by just hopping on RoRos from one province to another – no airplanes or chartered flights.

I laughed in disbelief.

“I don’t think you’ll survive,” I warned him.

“Why?”

“Because you are a tycoon, you only take business class and such ferries don’t have that section. You’re lucky if you can even get a seat,” I said in jest.

Business Class flight from San Francisco

Speaking of business class, two of the country’s tycoons had a very comfortable flight recently back to Manila from San Francisco via Philippine Airlines (PAL).

Sources said that one of the two, the head of a major conglomerate in the Visayas, slept almost the entire flight, enjoying PAL’s business class seat, which collapsed into an almost perfectly flat bed.

The other tycoon, who also started in the Visayas but is now a major player nationwide, had a very comfortable ride as well. His family – around 10 of them – nearly filled up the whole business class section.

The tycoons had a good, comfortable time, enjoying their time in the cabin with their family.

A cancelled trip

It’s always good to get good service from an airline especially because you pay a lot for it.

But, unfortunately, for some of the country’s prominent lawyers, a supposedly five star Middle Eastern airline has refused to pay damages for a cancelled trip that caused them much hassle until now even months after the incident happened in October.

Iris Gonzales’ email is [email protected]