‘Boat giveth, boat taketh away’

By: Emme Rose Santiagudo

THE motor boat that ferried Cecilia Fenis from Guimaras to Iloilo City as she was about to give birth was the same boat that took her only child’s life in the tragic Iloilo Strait mishap.

Cecilia Fenis is the mother of Ma. Rycille Sol Therese Fenis, one of the 31 casualties when three motor boats capsized in Iloilo Strait last Aug 3, 2019.

Ma. Rycille, 18, was about to go home from her NSTP class when the boat that she boarded, MB Chi-Chi, capsized in the Iloilo Strait Saturday afternoon.

Hours before the incident, Cecilia sent Ma. Rycille a message asking if the sea was calm amid a tropical depression that exacerbated the monsoon or habagat: “Wala gabalod?”

“Huo. Wala naman ah. Indi man gid mabalod,” Ma. Rycille replied, which turned out to be her last message to her mother before the tragic incident happened.

In 2001, Cecilia rented MB Chi-Chi to ferry her from Jordan, Guimaras to Iloilo City as she was about to give birth to Ma. Rycille.

“Amo man na ang amon gin-okupar pag-paospital ko nga mabata na ko sa iya,” an emotional Cecilia said in an interview.

This was also the same reason why “Chin chin” was Ma. Rycille’s nickname, almost similar to the motor boat’s name Chi-Chi.

“Subo gid, daw indi mo man mabaton kay only daughter mo man lang na siya,” Cecilia said.

Ma. Rycille was a first year student taking up Bachelor of Science in Accountancy at the University of San Agustin when the tragedy happened.

Cecilia said her daughter dreamt of becoming a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

On Wednesday evening, Ma. Rycille’s remains and other eight casualties were brought to the Guimaras provincial gym in Jordan where President Rodrigo Duterte was supposed to pay his respects and condole with their families. But the President scuttled the trip due to bad weather.

Cecilia said she was supposed to give a letter to the President asking for help her husband Rey, who is working in Saudi Arabia, come home for their daughter’s funeral.

“May ginpreparar ko tani nga letter para kay Pres. Duterte para mabuligan mapadali puli ang akon nga bana kay gusto niya man makita ang amon bata,” she said.

Ma. Rycille was among the 45 passengers of MB Chi-Chi when it capsized Saturday afternoon. Only 34 managed to survive while 11 died.

Meanwhile, Department of Transportation (DOTr) Secretary Arthur Tugade extended Pres. Duterte’s sympathies to the survivors and the families of the casualties.

Tugade also gave financial assistance from the President to the families of the fatalities.

The families of the casualties received P20,000 each while the survivors P10,000 each.