Hope for humanity

Provincial Administrator Manuel "Boy" Mejorada delivering impromptu remarks of thanks during the testimonial dinner for officials and crew of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines Ltd. and Magsaysay Shipping

On Saturday, Aug. 9, 2008, I delivered a short message during the testimonial dinner tendered by Presidential Assistant Dr. Raul Banias for the officials and crew of the T/S Spirit of the MOL for its invaluable humanitarian act of transporting relief goods from Manila to Iloilo in the wake of Typhoon Frank. Here’s a summary of my impromptu remarks:

Nothing in our lives has prepared us for the massive devastation wrought by Typhoon Frank. At the height of the typhoon, when floodwaters were inundating almost every section of the province, we felt overwhelmed by the magnitude of the disaster, and we felt helpless as we received pleas for help from every direction. Our resources were barely adequate for the usual floods hitting some areas of the province. On that day, the word “disaster” was amplified a thousand decibels, and we did what we could.

But disasters always bring out the best in human beings. When word about the calamity spread across the nation and the world, particularly through the Internet, we saw an outpouring of help that bouyed our spirits. Food, water, clothing, blankets and other basic needs came flowing like lava. Whole communities and organizations responded swiftly to lift a fallen province back to its feet. People were helping people who were literally buried in the mud.

This outpouring of relief assistance, however, gave rise to another problem. In the days immediately following the typhoon, we found, to our distress, that only one C-130 Hercules aircraft of the Philippine Air Force was doing the job of hauling the relief assistance intended for Iloilo. The plane was much too small for handle the huge volume of supplies. This handicap was compounded by frequent mechanical troubles that forced its pilots to stay on the ground. it also had to fly to other places in the country badly hit by the typhoon.

As a result, huge stockpiles of food, water, clothing, medicines and other supplies were just lying there on the tarmac of the Villamor Air Base in Manila, wating to be transported, while thousands of people waited for help. It was a logistical problem nobody had anticipated, and there was no back-up mechanism to respond to the problem.

Just then, an “angel” came down from heaven. This took the form of the T/S Spirit of the MOL, a training ship of the Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. based in Tokyo, Japan. When the typhoon hit Iloilo, the vessel was sailing in international waters, carrying out its mandate of preparing cadets from different nations to become captains in the high seas. The company’s officials, working in partnership with Magsaysay Shipping, directed the ship to change course and head for Philippine waters. From a training ship, it became a vessel on a humanitarian mission.

The company’s Philippine representatives got in touch with PA Raul Banias and asked how the vessel could help. The answer to the logistical problem was literally handed to Dr. Banias, who then arranged to have hundreds of tons of relief supplies moved to the port of Manila for immediate loading and shipment to Iloilo. By this act, Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. shortened the suffering of the people of Iloilo by hauling these relief supplies at a time of greatest need.

As I pondered upon this unselfish act — the company must have spent a fortune for fuel and manpower hoiurs to divert the vessel to Iloilo and make two trips from Manila — the thought flashed through my mind that there is hope for humanity. In this age of indifference, we find a company that just doesn’t look at its profit, but shows compassion and caring for people in distress. Here is a maritime company that doesn’t just train its future ship captains to become competent master mariners, but also teach them to help those in crisis.

The people of Iloilo were total strangers to the officers, crew and cadets of T/S Spirit of the MOL, and yet they carried out this mission as if they were rushing to help their own families. They were unmindful of the exhaustion and even hazards of navigating in turbulent seas just so this humanitarian mission could be undertaken. In this way, this company is unique, because it gives emphasis on teaching its officers and crews to be human beings caring for fellow human beings.

With this kind of corporate philosophy, I am filled with confidence that there is hope for humanity.

In behalf of Governor Niel D. Tupas, Sr., I wish to convey the gratitude and appreciation of the whole province of Iloilo to Mitsui O.S.K. Lines, Ltd. and its partner, Magsaysay Shipping Lines.