Only child dies in same boat that mom took to give birth 18 years ago

WAITING FOR DU30 Relatives of those who died in the boat accidents in Iloilo Strait wait for President Duterte at the Guimaras provincial gymnasium in Jordan town on Aug. 7. The President, however, canceled his trip to the island province due to bad weather but met with other families in Iloilo City. NESTOR BURGOS JR.

JORDAN, Guimaras, Philippines — In 2001, Cecilia Fenis hired the services of the motorboat Chi-Chi for a special trip from Guimaras Island to Iloilo City to give birth to her only child.

She never imagined that Ma. Reychille Sol Therese Fenis, or Chin-Chin as she fondly called her 18-year-old daughter, would die on the same boat after it capsized in Iloilo Strait on Aug. 3. She said her daughter’s nickname was in fact derived from the motorboat Chi-Chi.

Chin-Chin was among the nine fatalities from Guimaras. Fifty-two passengers of the motorboats Chi-Chi and Jenny Vince, and 13 crew members of the boats, including the Keziah, survived the accidents. The Keziah had no passengers.

Twenty of the fatalities were passengers of the Jenny Vince and 11 from the Chi-Chi.

The Philippine Coast Guard has been conducting an investigation on the circumstances and possible cause of the boat accidents and to determine if any one should be held liable.

Transportation Secretary Arthur Tugade last week relieved six officials of the Coast Guard and the Maritime Industry Authority while investigation of the sea tragedy, considered by Guimaras residents to be the worst sea tragedy in recent memory, was ongoing.

Coping with loss

According to Cecilia, family members have yet to finalize the burial date for her daughter since they are still waiting for the arrival of her husband, Rey, who works in Saudi Arabia as a supervisor of airport personnel.

Rey went home early this year to join the celebration for Chin-Chin’s 18th birthday on Jan. 12.

“He is applying for an exit visa so he can come home for good with his benefits. But it will take time,” she said. “I cannot bury my child without her Papa.”

She was still trying to cope with the loss of their daughter, a first year accountancy student at the University of San Agustin in Iloilo City.

“My daughter had many plans. She was already planning, along with her friends, to hold a reunion in five or 10 years and travel,” she said.

Ma. Reychille Sol Therese Fenis —CONTRIBUTED PHOTO

Cecilia said Chin-Chin, on the day of the tragedy, sent her a text message informing her that she was on board the boat and was on her way home to Jordan.

When she learned later that day that the Chi-Chi had capsized, Cecilia repeatedly sent text messages and called her daughter but there was no reply from Chin-Chin.

No wedding, but funeral

Instead of a wedding, Maria Nieves Grandeza would have to bury her live-in partner Romeo Baguio Jr. and their 3-year-old son, Jay Arvien, who died in the sea accident.

Romeo brought his family from Barangay Ermita in Cebu City to Grandeza’s home province in Guimaras to formally ask her parents for her hand in marriage.

Aside from his son, he brought with him his father, Romeo Sr., and his immediate relatives—Danilyn, Rommel, Dannelle and Angelina.

But tragedy struck and only Grandeza survived.

The remains of the Baguio family members, except for Romeo Jr. and Jay Arvien, were taken to Cebu City on Thursday last week on board a C-130 plane of the Philippine Air Force.

Grandeza chose to have her son and partner buried in Guimaras.