A Wednesday
reunion in Manila

Wednesday night, we had an impromptu reunion in Malate. The Espina children and grandchildren had returned home. And usually it called for a celebration. Not that it was something new. But then there is always a reason for the family to hold a reunion.

Inday (Salvacion Espina-Varona) had just arrived from Myanmar. There she had tried to cover the relief effort by several nations, including the United Nations, of victims of the cataclysmic floods that devastated the Irrawaddy Delta. The casualty toll has risen to more than a hundred thousands with more than a million displaced by the flood.

Commie, Inday’s eldest son, had also arrived from the US. He had just gotten off the luxury liner in Florida and Texas where he had served for one year as a member of the cooking staff. But one listens to him recount how exciting the life of a “chef” is.

I had just arrived in Manila with my granddaughter Isabela, the daughter of Nenen. She is going back to school. I had to attend the NCCA communications executive committee meeting. Not an exciting piece of news for the kids. But our gathering provided us the opportunity to ply both Commie and Inday about their experiences.

Inday, of course, had a lot to dish out to us. Especially about how paranoid were the military of Myanmar. Although they had been given access to the border area with Thailand, Inday and her photographer found their way barred at the entry point to Irrawaddy.

No way they could get through the other side. Even the Karens (the long time ethnic group that had waged a guerrilla war against the Myanmar) had refused to escort them to the other side.

Well, we did not ply Inday with so many questions. She intends to return to Myanmar and we did not want to foil her efforts to secure an entry visa to the forsaken country.

So, Commie had to take up the slack in Inday’s adventures. And he really had a lot to tell us. Especially how he enjoyed his role as an assistant auctioneer. And how he tried to learn about the arts and the painters. It was an exciting introduction into the nuances of painting.

He also had observations about the various nationalities represented on board their liner. And Commie had a big laugh at what he called Filipino entrepreneurship. It seems that Pinoys just always look for creative ways to earn extra income. And usually, this included selling groceries and other items, such as cigarettes, to the ship’s passengers.

There was at one time the popular “last two” betting which they had introduced to the crew. “And many were betting on the final two figures on the result of the NBA,” said my grandson. That did not last long. It seems that those who had bankrolled the game ended up raking it in when nobody won the last two digits.

Pinoys also managed to earn extra when there are raffles to raise funds for their computers purchases, for example.

He paid tribute to the Italians. “One cannot shout when greeting them.” And they respond enthusiastically, was how the described the Italians. Commie, who always had the curious bent of a culture buff, expressed disappointment with the few crew members who opted to join him in exploring the historical and archaeological artifacts and relics of the places they had visited.

But then, he realized that for the Pinoys and the rest of the crew, their overriding interest was to save and earn enough to bring home to their families their savings. Since he had to family yet, Commie had all the time to devote himself to his interest and curiosity.

There were a lot of laughs and banter, with Nonoy, Malou, Nenen and grandchildren Mutya, Paolo, Isai, Ato, and Alex around.

There just was no rest for most of us. It was late at night when we dispersed. It was after all, a refreshing departure from the hustle and bustle of our daily life.

That made me forget about the prospective Dr. Graciano Lopez Jaena journalism activities scheduled tentatively for August 10 by the NCCA Visayas committee journalists.

Anyway, that’s something I can write about later.*

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