FROM STORM TO CALM
IN August 2023, off Wakayama Prefecture, Japan, Capt. Nicasio Pisueña Jr. turned his watch to a fellow officer. The night was clear, the sea calm. He retired to his cabin following a long, grueling day of work. He knew that all was well.
Pisueña never thought that a few hours later, an accident would changed his life forever.
A collision. A capsized ship. Five men overboard, three of whom he saved, and two missing. At the time, Pisueña was full of fear, guilt and depression. But even as the court of law decreed him and his men innocent, the ordeal etched deep into his being.
“I came to a point when I thought of quitting seafaring. People who never knew what truly happened gossiped and vilified me. Some brought my age into play; they say I was too young to be a captain,” Pisueña said.
Pisueña almost wished that people would have heard what the Japanese authorities said — indeed, he was young, 31, but he handled the crisis better than an experienced captain.
“Being a young ship captain amidst a crew who are way older is one of the toughest hurdles onboard. It is more than just a generation gap. Filipinos would understand the social and cultural implications of age differences in a professional ladder.”
Pisueña would have been a casualty of trauma had he decided to wallow in guilt and grief. He found a reason to battle on — his 5-year-old daughter, Necazheya.
“I am a family man more than a seafarer. Who I am begins and ends with them,” he said.
If it were up to him, Pisueña would have been a lawyer. Filial obligations shifted the tides for him, though, and brought him within the folds of seafaring — a sure way out of poverty, his family and relatives from Ivisan, Capiz, said.
He learned to love the profession the moment he entered John B. Lacson Maritime Foundation University (JBLFMU) in Iloilo City and graduated Cum Laude in 2013.
Thereon, he anchored his determination on his family — sending his younger sister to school and building his mother a house in Capiz. Even as he married and raised his family, Pisueña continued providing for his parents and three siblings.
“I cannot just quit. They are all depending on me. And if my company, Vega Manila Crew Management, continues to uphold their confidence in me, I might as well fight on,” he said.
Lessons learned the hard way
Armed with renewed hope and optimism, Pisueña sees his past experiences as lessons learned the hard way.
“I have learned not to fully rely on people, to assess their capabilities and identify their limits. I have also learned to listen from feedback, no matter the form it comes through,” he said.
Today, Pisueña serves as the Shipboard Training Officer of Capt. John B. Lacson, the training ship of JBLFMU, docked along Muelle Loney in Iloilo City as he prepared for another shipboard deployment.
His eyes sparked with joy as he shared how it relives his passion for teaching. It also served as his refuge while recovering from the trauma of his experience. “This is like a therapy for me,” he said.
“With my experiences, I would advise the younger generation of seafarers that when it comes to their profession, they should honor their pace. It is alright to take time. And as you go along, never forget the people who helped you along the way.”
Pisueña is a doting father and a supportive husband and son. At the end of the day, however, he sees himself as a true-blue seafarer.
“This profession defines who I am. It is a difficult journey, but it is still a great life,” he said.