Boats of Sea Gypsies, in a Morning of Arrival
By Terence Krishna Lopez
published by bulatlat.comLiving in the island, I have grown accustomed to boats of all kinds. There are the fishing boats, the sail boats, the ships for cruising, ships for traveling, boats for diving, name it, I know it.
I have seen them in almost all shapes, colors, sizes, and textures. Indeed, I can no longer be surprised by boats.
Until last Nov. 11, when, fresh from a magical journey in Camiguin Island and Cagayan de Oro City, I arrived in the port of Tagbilaran City with my eyes awakened by the sight of boats I will never dream of riding onto.
They are the boats of sea gypsies, or what we call, the Badjaos. From where I was standing, I saw them, on their boats begging for money from passengers who were gamely throwing coins into the water and watch the Badjaos dive after.
Passengers who were not tourists. Passengers who live too in the island. Passengers who can just get down and hand the coins to them by the bay.
I always knew this existed, but it was the first time for me to witness such a scene.
And as I clicked and clicked on my shutter, it felt something more profound than painful. It felt more poignant than a melodrama.
Women under, babies on top
Most of them are women. That’s what first caught my eyes. I counted them all, nine women, three men, seven boats.
I saw them diving for every one-peso or five-peso coin thrown by cheering passengers from the second and third level of the ship.
It was a moment when I wanted to tell myself, why can’t women just stay home and take care of the babies?
Then again, they are gypsies. Real ones. It wasn’t just a melodramatic scene from a movie. They are real. And that’s what made it even more painful.
And then, a few minutes later, I saw how horrifying it could go. Three boats, each sailed by a woman, each with a baby, each woman leaving the baby on the boat upon diving for a coin. And each time, the baby would move, along with the boat. I don’t pray, but those minutes, I said, if there is truth in the rumors about angels, I hope they come to these babies and protect them.
And yes, the passengers were not distracted by that. Of course, there were shouts like, ‘the baby! the baby!’ but nobody really stopped throwing coins into the water until it was time for everyone to leave the ship.
Boats of our life
As I left the Tagbilaran city port area that morning and witnessed the sea gypsies move away from the ship and find a dry place nearby, I knew I had to ask some questions.
From what I have gathered, the Badjaos used to be living only in Mindanao, as a tribe in the island. They are fisher folks who, over time, with the emergence of more sophisticated and commercial fishing, were displaced, thus the migration in the different islands in the country such as Bohol, Cebu and Manila.
Here in Tagbilaran City, they are always dismissed as just beggars or just badjaos, lower-class people, people who are ignorant and stupid. Often, their names are used by kids as a term of mockery or to demean other kids. For many of us, they are just people who are fixtures of the city, providers of colorful backdrop in the drama on the streets. They are mere characters meant to be given alms or totally ignored.
Then again, I watch the streets and it is not only the Badjaos who beg. The streets of our cities are peopled by all kinds of beggars, bums and fixtures that spell altogether one thing – poverty.
And I was reminded by that American President who said two months ago, “The Philippines is in an Economic Renaissance.†(bulalat.com)
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