Filipino Crosscurrents: Oceanographies of Seafaring, Masculinities, and Globalization

2. Ashore and Away: Filipino Seamen as Heroes and Deserters

C H A P T E R T W O Ashore and Away Filipino Seamen as Heroes and Deserters The Captain-General leaped into the water. I jumped in. . . , The water was thigh-deep. CÁRLOS CORTÉS, Longitude Ashore in Manila: Filipino Seamen as Bagong Bayani The “OFWs as bagong bayani” (overseas Filipino/a workers as new heroes or heroines) is a persistent and dominant narrative in the Philippines and in some parts of the diaspora. An illustrative example of this discourse is presented in the video Tagumpay Nating Lahat (The Success, Prosperity, or Victory of All of Us), shown as an audiovisual tribute to Filipino seafarers at the Philippine Manning Convention in Manila, November 12–13, 2007. The film depicts a young Filipino boy staring in contemplation at Manila Bay (near Roxas Boulevard) with two industrial container ships in the distance. Sensual piano music begins to stream in the audio as the boy is shown while a Filipina with a gripping high octave voice sings a Tagalog song; English subtitles appear below the video’s images. Two Filipino seamen approach and welcome the boy. One wears orange coveralls or a jumpsuit that Filipino seamen commonly wear while working on ships (particularly on deck); the other seaman wears a merchant marine’s khaki officer uniform.1 To indicate Filipino seamen’s “bayani-ness” (patriotic heroism), Filipino men are shown participating in valiant hypermasculine action on land, at sea, and on ships. The lyrics (which are slightly modified and repeated throughout the video) support the masculine heroic imagery. The opening English subtitles read: “I have a simple dream. 78 AS H O R E A N D AWAY For my beloved country. With one united effort. Together we can reach our goals. I come from a land of heroes. A place where you can find the finest Filipino seafarers. Bring pride to the whole Nation.” As the video continues, the music shifts, becoming more fast-paced and exciting; drums roll. Images of Filipino cadets and merchant marines marching in unison flash on the screen. A young seaman proudly waves the Philippine red, white, and blue flag with yellow sun and stars. Another seaman intensely embraces a woman (his wife? girlfriend? lover? sister? friend?) during a heartfelt homecoming. Other Filipino seamen are shown handling paperwork , answering telephones, calculating navigational maneuvers, fixing equipment on ships, working together as friends, sharing bottled water, and putting their arms around each other, sometimes linking arms and appearing in groups, holding their index fingers up high to declare, “We’re number one!” A Filipino seaman sits on his bed in his shipboard cabin praying , making the sign of the cross. Another cooks in the galley. Other seamen , wearing cold weather gear, stand tall at attention proudly in a straight line on the deck of a ship. The almost seven-minute long video comes to a close with multiple shots of Filipinos (the majority are men) who are presumably executives or staff of manning agencies and shipping companies (given the venue of the tribute). One noteworthy shot shows President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo smiling and shaking hands with a manning agency or shipping company official. A closing message appears on the screen: “We salute the Filipino Seafarers for bringing honor to our country. One noble purpose. One united industry. One proud nation. Mabuhay ang marinong Pilipino (Long Live Filipino Seafarers or Seamen).” In addition to being a audiovisual tribute, the video also appears to be a potential recruitment tool that attempts to attract viewers, especially young Filipino men and boys, through images that highlight Filipino seamen as hypermasculine and adventurous sea-based patriots, always heroic and hyper-heteromanly, always responsible and loyal subjects in the project of Philippine nation-building. In this way, the video is similar to television advertisements shown in the United States that are produced and distributed by the U.S. Navy, Army, Air Force, and Marines in the their efforts to recruit young people, often young working-class men (of color), to join the U.S. military. The other intended audience is clearly those employed in or affiliated with manning agencies and shipping companies (companies based in the Philippines and beyond that recruit and hire seamen) because the video was initially shown at a Philippine Manning Convention. The video visually celebrates manning agencies’ social and economic contributions in the Philippines and symbolically seals their partnership with the Philippine AS H O R...