Netizen Disappointed Over Dream of Becoming Seaman Due to Lack of Connection
A netizen expresses his frustration after his dream of becoming a seaman was shattered because he lacked connections.
Recently, the Facebook page Marino Ph shared a heartbreaking story of an anonymous sender whose dream of becoming a seaman was shattered due to a lack of connections commonly known as a “backer.” The post elicited comments from the online community.
The netizen had graduated with a degree in Marine Transportation, hoping to secure a job as a seafarer and lift his family out of poverty. However, he soon discovered that in the maritime industry, having the right skills wasn’t enough.
Without a backer, finding a job was nearly impossible. For almost five years, he searched across Manila for a company willing to give him a chance, but every door was closed to him because he had no one to support his application.
Coming from a very poor family, he felt a heavy burden to succeed, knowing that his loved ones were counting on him. Despite the overwhelming challenges, he stayed in Manila, struggling but still holding onto the hope that something would eventually work out.
After five years of fruitless efforts, he finally met a second engineer who lived in the same boarding house. This kind person, who wasn’t a relative or friend, decided to help him and recommended him for a job at his company.
The company agreed to consider him, but he needed to complete several training courses first. Desperate to help, his family borrowed money to send to him so he could finish the required courses.
He began working as a utility cadet, doing various odd jobs like driving, grocery shopping, and even chores at the manager’s house. Although it wasn’t the seafaring job he dreamed of, he believed that if he worked hard enough, it would eventually lead him to his goal.
However, on August 27, 2024, the company learned that his backer, the second engineer who had helped him, was being sent home and would no longer be with the company. As a result, the manager informed him that he had to stop working immediately, as he was no longer considered part of the company without his backer.
In another post, a chef exposes painful experience of seafarers “pilit pinapakain yung mga expired na mga pagkain”
All his hard work and sacrifices went in vain. He felt utterly defeated and questioned why life seemed so unfair. “Ang UNFAIR ng mundo, pagod na pagod na pagod na ako. Nanay, Tatay again, I Failed, we Failed,” he said.
The social media users expressed their reactions to the post:
