Cagayanon overcomes ‘backer system’ with faith
“DO you know someone from the inside?”“Just send an email.”“We don’t accept cadets here.”“Do you have a referral?”
These are some of the one-liners, often tinged with condescension and arrogance, that have broken the spirit of thousands of aspiring seafarers over the decades.
Among them was John Michael Bayucan, a 24-yearold cadet who bore the disadvantages of coming from a less-popular maritime school on the northernmost tip of the Philippines and entering the seafaring sector without a “backer.”
No matter the extent of denial by some manning executives, Bayucan and many other seafarers serve as living proof that the “backer system” is indeed practiced in maritime recruitment.
Unseen by the public, however, is the struggle and indignity this system has caused among future seafarers.
“I went to Manila in 2022 with a small sack of rice, P4,000, and an eager hope that I would be accepted by an agency. I knew it would not be easy. I had no friends or family in Manila. I woke up every wee hour of the morning, dressed in my ironed uniform and a pair of tattered shoes; it was all I had. In my backpack are my documents, a bottle of water and a piece of biscuit.
“After weeks of unsuccessful applications, I realized my funds were running low. I willed myself to survive on a 3-in-1 coffee for breakfast, banana cue for lunch and instant noodles for dinner.
“My days were all the same, though. Security guards would spat questions even before I stepped into an office: ‘Anong kailangan mo?’‘Hindi kami tumatanggap ng kadete.’‘May nag-recommend ba sa ‘yo?’”
Bayucan resignedly accepted the disdain thrown at him, walked away and knocked on another door, only to be told the same thing.
“Different days, same rejections. Different companies, same reasons — I am no one because I have no backer. Every day, I would return to my dorm tired, disappointed, alone and scared. By December, I ran out of funds, food and strength. So, I simply returned home to my family in Cagayan,” Bayucan lamented.
The decision to return home a few days before Christmas was difficult for the young man. He promised his family that he would return to be a successful seafarer, not a failed broken boy.
“We are relying on a small piece of farm tended to by my father. My uncle, who raised me, has been paralyzed for the past five years, and we need to carry him around all the time. They all welcomed me back warmly, but I could see the silent expectation in their eyes. It broke my heart to see them worry about money and debts. The hardest part is knowing that they are growing old, and I may be running out of time to lift them out of this sheer poverty.”
The power of prayer
Four months later, Bayucan was invited by a pastor to attend a national prayer gathering in Manila. It was here that he finally poured his hopes and heart.
“I closed my eyes, and without even saying a word, tears rolled down my face. I surrendered to Him all the weight I had been carrying: the fears, the doubts, the pressure and the disappointments. Then I whispered and beseeched: “God, please fight for me.”
Bayucan tried his luck again, this time, more resilient from rejections.
In August, he received a message from John Michael Lechugas, a ship captain who is also a social media personality in the maritime industry. The man mentored, motivated and guided him.
“I still do not understand how a famous captain noticed me. He bought me dinner, a pair of shoes, a backpack and clothes. What stood out from our encounter were his words — “Magpatuloy ka lang. Darating din ang oras mo (Don’t lose hope. Your day will come.)”
Indeed, Bayucan’s efforts bore fruit in November when he was accepted into a cadetship program of the Multinational Maritime Inc.
The company placed him in a three-month in-house training in its Cavite-based training center, the MK Maritime Training Center Inc., after which he will be lined up for a shipboard deployment.
“I am willing to start at the bottom and work my way up. I thanked God for the comfortable bed, the air conditioning and the food that came with my training. But what I am most thankful for are the learnings of the past year and the opportunity granted to me afterward.
“All of the failures and sacrifices of the past happened for a reason; it brought me to where I was meant to be — here. It was all part of God’s plan,” he concluded.