For years, Bong Fernan Tumanda lived a life carried by the tides. From 2016 to 2020, the sea became his second home, taking him from Europe to Belgium, from Amsterdam to America on board tanker ships. The work was steady and the pay was good, but every departure came with a heaviness that no salary could ease.
“Nine months at sea, three months at home,” he recalled. Then came the words that pierced him more deeply than any storm:
“Mas marami ka pang oras sa barko kaysa sa amin.”
When the pandemic struck, Bong’s wife was pregnant, lockdowns were unpredictable, and fear hovered over every family. It was then that he realized he could not spend another milestone oceans away.
“During COVID-19, I realized I didn’t want to miss any more moments,” he said. “I was scared of what would happen to my family if I wasn’t there.”
So, with courage and uncertainty in equal measure, Bong chose to come home for good.
A New Beginning
Starting over was not easy. The sea had given stability, but life on land required rebuilding from the ground up.
“Nandiyan ‘yung fear,” he admitted. “Pero sa awa ng Diyos, nameet pa rin ‘yung needs namin.”
He searched for opportunities that would keep him close to home. One day, his wife told him about a TESDA training program offered in their barangay through Pilipinas Shell Foundation, Inc. (PSFI).
“At first, I just wanted to enroll even if I had to pay,” he said. “Kahit tuition fee lang, kaya ko.”
Through PSFI’s Sanayan sa Kakayahang Industriyal (SKIL) program in Cagayan de Oro, with the support of Shell Pilipinas Corporation, Bong found a new path: a scholarship in Electrical Installation and Maintenance (EIM).
Anchored in Hope
“Mas natutunan kong mahalin ‘yung EIM kasi practical siya,” Bong shared.
The interest had always been there. “Nung high school pa lang, gusto ko na talaga ‘yun.”
He worried at first that he was too old to study again, that it would be difficult to start from scratch. But PSFI’s support eased those fears.
“First step lang talaga mahirap, but the rest will follow,” he said. “Don’t quit in the middle of the scholarship. PSFI really takes care of us.”
What moved him even more was how the community began to appreciate technical skills that were once taken lightly.
“Some people say, ‘NCII lang yan,’ but for me, this opportunity is priceless. Before, no one would shoulder the cost for me to study. Now, I’m here, learning and growing.”
Coming Home to What Matters
After completing his training, Bong found work as an Electrical Maintenance Operator under an agency that handles SSS compliance. It may not be the same as working at sea, but for Bong it is exactly what he prayed for: a livelihood that allows him to stay home.
He now gets to help his wife manage their small trucking business, and he dreams of enrolling in an Automotive course someday to expand their income.
Weekdays are for work, weekends for learning, and evenings are sacred.
“At least two hours a day with my kids, kahit stroll lang. That’s our time.”
Budgeting, which he once did alone in a ship cabin far away, is now something he and his wife plan together.
“Mas nakilala ko si misis,” he said proudly.
A Life Reclaimed
Looking back, Bong carries the discipline of the sea with the gentleness of a father who knows what truly matters.
“Padayon lang,” he said. The money may come and go, he explained, but time is something you can never earn back.
The ocean will always be a part of him. The courage, the resilience, the years spent providing for his family from afar. But today, it is love, not distance, that anchors him.
For Bong Fernan Tumanda, the compass that once pointed toward distant shores now guides him home. The waves have quieted, but in their place is the peace he had long been searching for.
