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22 August 2006

Hi Mary Ann:

I am an Ilonggo, I expected to see you go with us surveying people who were greatly affected by the current crisis in Guimaras.

The reason why, M/Y ESPERANZA had reached Guimaras was the dire situation we and the Filipino people had been suffering for decades to come.

I and Abigail Jabines were good friends right from the very day, August 16th 2006 when I sent 3 messages to Von Hernandez, SEA Coordinating Director to help us in our despair, fighting a losing battle against the Oil Slick that has already decimated 250 kilometers of prisitine coastlines and continues to threaten the rich fishing grounds of the Visayan Sea in Northern Iloilo.

Since then, I was monitoring the movement of M/Y ESPERANZA for I knew there's a Filipino heart in her..it was you, of course!

Sad to say, you haven't given the chance to meet the local people in the affected barangays in Nva. Valencia in Guimaras.

I, my sister and my friends together with Heike Dierbach and Derek, the Viodeographer conducted an interview with a local fisherman, Rodolfo Galuno, 52 years old and a resident of Sitio Alman Sur in La Paz, Nueva Valencia, Guimaras.

Now that the M/Y ESPERANXA has left Guimaras, I do hope that GREENPEACE will not forget our plight here for I believe, you, the only Filipino crew onboard the ship, can make a special connection with the rest of the crew and for you not to forget the people of the Philippines that we are poor, impoverished but were gifted with the splendors of nature given by our God, Almighty!

Sail on! God bless and best regards to Abigail, Athena and Beng..thanks!

Adonis S. Manzan
amanzan@smartbro.net

The beautiful Mary-Ann,

The ship is a whole lot brighter with you onboard! Keep that smile rockin, the world needs it!

Shannon XO

Maan,

isa kang inspirasyon. Take care.

Eboy M. Donato
Greenpeace volunteer - Manila

BAKLA! Punta daw Aus ang Esperanza. Kasama ka ba?!?!!

I-akyat mo ako diyan hahaha.

Hello Adonis!
You are right I should have been there at the oil spill site and I had wanted to go there.
I was very anxious to see the damage that the spill had on the environment and the livelihood of the fishermen. I had wanted to do my part but I couldn't go since I have responsibilities that I can't just leave at the drop of a hat in the ship.

I have been telling the crew of the M/Y ESPY about the beauty and bounty of Guimaras and how it was going the spill was going to affect the community for years to come.
On the second day I was able to be a boat crew to the site and me and the driver Miguel was totally disgusted with the spill and how it had destroyed the reef. Guimaras is a paradise that has been violated and the extent of the damage untold.

Rest assured that the crew knows and they sympathize with the plight of the people of Guimaras, thats why we delivered relief goods as well.

Take care Adonis I wish that I could have met you in person!

Sincerely,
Mary Ann

maan, i met u in the bridge of esperanza while it was in the port of Legazpi, u were friendly & nice... very informative.

i think esperanza means "hope" in some language, i'm glad to know that greenpeace is giving hope to to unheard voices around the world...

Hi Maan!

Elbert the FR Sea turtle here. Oh how i miss you my co-sea turtle! Remember those days when we spend the afternoons gracefully swimmin' and flippin' around the office cracking corny jokes and eating the same MSG-enriched lunches? Now, you are among other great sea creatures aboard ESPY, swimmin' farther, reachin' higher...

NAKS! Hi Maan, how are things going? Im in iloilo right now fixing some DDC stuff, will be back in Manila (sad...huhuhu snob sniff sniff) on tuesday. Well, that would be the end of my great Visayan holiday. One comment about your photo: Smokin! Rock on guys! The journey of the Espy is never ending, just like our work here at gp. Not unless we all wake up one day, get out of bed, look out of the window and see paradise. Paraíso por todas partes. Paradise everywhere. Espero seguridad a todo y cuidado amiga!

Peace out!

Shannon,
My man! I miss your smile and hugs!

Ala,
Don't forget to meet up with Shannon in Oz! Heheheheh...Unfortunately, I wont be able to go to Australia in this trip because I need to disembark in the US.
I miss our chats ALA!!

Hello Not So Important (I dont know what else to call you!)

Thank you for the compliment! Daghang salamat!
Yes Esperanza means hope in Spanish.
I am glad that I work for Greenpeace because it enables me to work for the cause and do something for the environment!

I hope that I could have known your name!
Maan

ELBERT!
Hello at Kamusta ka!
Salamat sa message mo and I appreciate it so much!
Miss ko na rin ang office at palagi ko kayong naalala.
Just today we went to Donsol and we ate sa banana leaves, boodle fight actually. Crabs, shrimps and fresh grilled fish with pancit canton and rice and banana for dessert washed down with ice cold water really hit the spot today! The crew who were with us enjoyed it very much and declared it as one of the best tasting food they had!
Hope we can meet up in Cebu next week!
Next stop: Apo Island tomorrow!
Maan

28 August 2006
139AM

Hello again, Mary Ann!

Whew, this is my third message to you my dear kababayan! Well, what can I say anything more about Guimaras? It's despicable and everyday, I listen to the people's voice asking for help..they wanted immediate solution to our problem and sad to say, we just cannot control the creeping Oil Slick that has already decimated our rich fishing grounds.

And the news keeps getting worse! I am here researching more and more ways to aide the Provincial Government of Guimaras find ways to finally get a hand to this problem.

Fortunate enough to have a dynamic trio in our humble home. I am an active environmentalist way back since I had understanding of our world at an early stage in my life.

Up to now, I had this very concern with our environment and how mother earth has changed the world millions of years in the making.

I have my elder sister who works with the Provincial Environment and Natural Resources Office (PENRO) in Guimaras, my tandem with my sister who works for the Governor of Guimaras, and my mother, the current Provincial Treasurer and at the same time, member of the Provincial Disaster Coordinating Council (PDCC), also in Guimaras.

Virtually, I had everything in my hand as we speak..all I have to do is extend my help to the people who need my services in the interest of public service. And besides, this is the way I can be of great help to my fellow countrymen and our beloved country, the Philippines.

Lastly, my father, a retired public school teacher here in Iloilo City in my defense.hehe..sort of.

You can send me emails if you like. I would be very much honored to read them. And later on, we meet in person and get to know about you more.

You make us proud to be the lone Filipino onboard GREENPEACE's fleet of ships, the M/Y ESPERANZA!!!

Sail on and take care..God bless!!!

Yours,

Adonis S. Manzan
amanzan@smartbro.net

Hi Maan,

Musta ka na? Sana bumalik ka na sa dati mong kwarto para di mahulog loob mo kay.... hehehe

I am in Manila now, FINALLY. The doctors realeased me this morning after 3 ong days of tests, and more tests. At first they had sp many theories, kidney proble, diabetes, liver problem, Uric Acid, athritis etc ..etc.. That"s why I was kept there for so long. Finally today conclusive evidence came it that it is a nasty form of bacteria which entered my system on the first week of our trip. Somewhere in the Iloilo-Guimaras-Rapurapu area. I am out of the Cebu hospital but on my way to get confined in a Manila Hospital. They have not totally contained the infection yet. They will now try to culture the bacteria in my blo to be able to identify it. Oh well...more days in the hospital ahead of me.

It was great sailing with all of you. Thank you for everything, Can you please give me your real email address. Pls get Yohena's and Jim's addy too. Maraming salamat.

Sail safe!

Boy

Bading!!! Musta ka na diyan sa Espy? Siguro sobrang sunog ka na, ano? :D

I'm back in Manila after spending a few days with my relatives in Bohol. Had to stay overnight in Cebu so I could run errands and not be so stressed before I caught the plane to Manila. Several people stopped me in the streets while I was running errands to ask about Greenpeace, the Guimaras situation, and the Oceans tour because they saw that I was wearing a Greenpeace shirt. It's good to know that even though we don't have an office in Cebu, people are aware of what we are trying to achieve as an organization. It helps renew my will to keep on walking the talk and fighting the fight. The volunteers in all of the ports have also been a source of inspiration for me whenever fatigue started to set in. I'm glad that I was able to work with such a great bunch of new and old volunteers on the tour. :)

Miss you, bading. Ang tagal pa ng November! Anyway, have fun over there and keep up the great work. Ingatan ang puso, ha? Piliing mabuti kung kanino dapat ipagkatiwala. Hehe.

Love you, bading! Ingat ka lagi. Please give my regards to everyone on the ship. Ayo-ayo ra! :)

-ninay

Mama Maan,

Had a loooong talk with my baby brother (hehe.. he insists he's not a baby anymore but a big boy -- he's in kindergarten btw) and he was so excited when he learned that I was part of the Defending Our Oceans shiptour and that a Filipina (who is also a dear friend of mine) is part of the crew of Esperanza!

He has a request though.. First is, can you please say hi to all the fishies that you meet for him! Second, if ever you see Captain Hook, can you please get an autograph?

classic.
take care, abi

p.s. check your personal mail :-)

hi maan,

kumusta ka na? sana exciting pa rin ang iyong paglalakbay sa kalawakan ng pacifico. saan na kayo?

nag-email ako ng mahaba sa ship address mo kaya lang bumalik. ano na nga bang personal email mo ulit?

ingat ka.

cheerio,
pam

Update: PETRON Oil Spill in Guimaras

To the crew of Esperanza,

It's been a month since you left the Philippines but the inspiration that was born out of the Ocean Defenders Ship Tour in my country is much alive. The support that Greenpeace and Esperanza offered to the island province of Guimaras during the Petron oil spill gave the much needed traction to elevate the issue to a national emergency. Up to now the office and I still get calls from supporters from all walks of life asking for updates, offering whatever they can. You inspired not only Filipinos but other nationalities as well. A few weeks ago, we received a mail from Czech Republic -- it was from Matyas, a five year old boy, who learned of what happened in Guimaras and offered to help.

But the fight for survival is still on-going. At the moment, people are being evacuated from the impacted areas due to high levels of volatile organic compounds such as benzene in the ambient air. Ground water is at risk for contamination. Studies are being conducted on the impacts of the spill and dispersants to local ecosystems. The shift from “Habagat” or south west winds to “Amihan” or north east winds, a few weeks from now, is a looming threat to areas that were not initially affected.

Greenpeace is now focused on highlighting the company's irresponsible lack of urgency in siphoning the remaining bunker fuel which continues to spill out from the sunken tanker. The way we see it, instead of expediting its retrieval, Petron is more bent on spending for an expensive PR blitz.

This morning, two months after the spill, Greenpeace volunteers returned soiled debris from Guimaras to the Petron HQ. A banner with the words “Petron, stop the spill now!” was also laid down at the courtyard. Activists then left black footprints leading to Petron’s door to signify the responsibility that the company is hiding from. (http://www.greenpeace.org/seasia/en/news/greenpeace-returns-barrel-of-b).

I hope that efforts of Greenpeace volunteers and supporters along with the initiatives of other organizations, communities and individuals be a wake up call for Petron to immediately own up and pay up. Until then, the MT Solar 1 is still a ticking ecological time bomb.

Well, that’s all for now. I wish you a good voyage through out the rest of the tour and may you inspire more to be a voice in this fragile world of ours.

Padayon,
Abi
11 October 2006

Ma ann, halung sa pagpanglakaton..
You are the representative of the Filipino people there in M/Y ESPY and I'm sure my prayers and their prayers is for you and the rest of the crews.

Shannon, how are you there? I hope you still remember me during the short visit of Rainbow Warrior here in Iloilo,Philippines.

Ala, i met your cousin carlos paredes during the membership campaign of greenpeace here in iloilo city.
"Amligan naton ang aton dunang manggad para sa aton buas damlag."
Go mga EARTHLINGS!! Go GREENPEACE!!!
May God bless us all.....

Maan,

Hi! How are you? I'm so glad I have come across this site. I miss the good old days. Hope to see you one day!

Take care,
Chepie