PARLEY

MV Trans Asia-China
En route CDO-Cebu
RATING: Avoid like the plague

If there is one floating junk in the Philippine seas as of the moment, it's MV Trans Asia-China. In a recent trip to Cagayan de Oro, our ship almost hit a jetty, broke its steering gear, turned back towards Cebu, then turned back and crawled towards CDO again. The paddling speed forced many passengers including me to charge the captain's cabin, for a mutiny of sorts, and force him to bring back the ship to Cebu. Arriving back in Cebu at 1 a.m. (the ship still sailed at 2 a.m.) , I boarded Super Ferry 17 at 9 a.m., only to over take Trans Asia-China in the middle of the sea at around noon.

Photo: the captain is the guy at the top left while his chief engineer is at top right.

Bad aroma

Boat trips are always an adventure with all the action, the romance and even tragedy rolled in. In a recent trip to Cagayan de Oro City, disaster strikes early as I had to contend for an economy class bunk and beside a snoring, sweating man at point blank range from his major odor artillery. I guess I had to stay awake this night.

Chastity

This is Chastity. Four-years-old, just over two feet tall and as light as straw. I see her often roaming around Gen. Maxilom Avenue and Fuente Osmeña in Cebu City with her mother, and I think if ever my P20 would ever help in changing what could be the inevitable for her.