At around 12:30pm of January 2, 2010, after a week-long Christmas vacation in my beloved hometown Pio V. Corpus in the province of Masbate, I was already at Cataingan Port onboard a Ro-Ro barge going to Bogo, Cebu. The barge ferries buses to and pro the Ro-Ro ports of Cataingan, Masbate and Bogo, Cebu in a daily basis. Since buses were fully booked at that time, I just boarded the barge and planned to catch up a bus trip for Cebu City upon arriving Bogo City. My earlier trip going home was also through the same Ro-Ro barge. To sum it up, my vacation trip marked my first-time-experience traveling on Ro-Ro since it started operating Bogo-Cataingan route as early as April 2009.
Typical RORO Bus now plying Cebu-Masbate Route
Masbate is now part of the highway chain known as “Strong Republic Nautical Highway” which is also dubbed as the Ro-Ro Project by the Arroyo administration. The project which is one of the flagship programs of the Arroyo administration is funded in part by Asian Development Bank. As a result of the project, portions of the main roads leading from Pio V. Corpus (my hometown) to its neighboring towns are now concreted and expected to be completed even beyond Arroyo’s term. It’s mind-boggling for us, Masbateno’s, that it took eons and foreign aid funding before roads which are apparently for carabao’s use are transformed into roads for vehicle’s use -- while most of the roads in Masbate province had been reported as first class roads even during the Marcos regime. My fellow Mabateno’s know that the improvements the province is experiencing right now due to the Ro-Ro project are not attributed to any politician in the province; they are useless.
The travel from ‘Cataingan Ro-Ro port’ to ‘Bogo Ro-Ro port’ by barge usually takes 3 to 4 hours. In order that I could still take a bus trip for Cebu City from Bogo, the barge must leave the port by 1:00pm. Unfortunately, due to some problems with coast guard compliance, the barge was able to leave the port at around 2:30pm. The barge arrived and docked at Bogo Ro-Ro port past 6:00pm already when all the bus trips going to Cebu City had already left. When I arrived at the bus terminal, I’ve got two choices: one is to wait for a special trip since there was a bus-load of Cebu-bound passengers who were also waiting at the bus terminal. The other option is to stay in a hotel and take the early bus trip to Cebu City the next morning. At around 8:00pm, a bus liner announced a special trip for Cebu but using a smaller bus. I decided not to go as the bus was too crowded already and some of the passengers had no more seats and left in standing position for the rest of the 2 hour trip to Cebu City.
As I was about to leave the bus terminal to proceed to a nearby hotel, I overheard a young man about my age talking to his companion about chartering a van to take them to Cebu City. I stopped for a while near the spot where they gathered and listened to their conversation; they were now actually waiting for the van to fetch them. Armed with guts and charm I talked to the man whose name I learned later to be Bong Diaz, and humbly asked him if I can hitch a ride. Bong is a good man; he didn’t snub me and kindly told me that there is no problem with him, but he has to consult with his companion -- alluding to a woman at her 50’s who was with her beautiful daughter in her 20’s. He told the woman about my predicament and without further ado, she allowed me to be with them in the van. To make the story short, I traveled with all the comfort and arrived in Cebu City safely. Thanks to the Good Samaritan…
The Good Samaritan is actually the incumbent mayor of Mandaon town in Masbate province. It was really an honor knowing the kind-hearted Mayor Emily Estipona-Hao; her 24 year-old beautiful daughter Kristine Salve Hao, a registered nurse, who will be running as Mayor in the upcoming elections to continue her mother’s programs of government; and a relative of theirs in the person of Bong Diaz who is working at Surigao del Norte provincial capitol.
Good information.
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