A seafarer's wife's journey to manning presidency

DIANNE Alilin is among the many Filipino seafarers wives who have seen and experienced first-hand the gradual changes that time and technology have brought to the maritime industry.

Alilin met her husband in 1994 in Senator Crewing Manila (SCM), a recruitment agency for Filipino seafarers. She was a newly hired processing officer of the same company at the time.

Like all «marine-ated» wives, Alilin and her husband bridged their long-distance relationship with letters, telexes, voice tapes, and satellite calls.

She was among the maritime women of the early 90s who endured nine months to more than a year of physical separation from their husbands, biding their time, caring for the family until the next letter arrives or when the phone rings.

It was a difficult time to be a seafarer's wife back then.

«It is hard for both the seafarer and the family to be far away from each other. Thirty years ago, we could only communicate through letters, radio messages, and sometimes, phone calls,» Alilin recalled.

Decades of being apart tempered the couple's relationship with fortitude and a deeper sense of sacrifice and devotion.

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This also inadvertently prepared Alilin for a future she would not have imagined at the time.

The rise to the presidency

29 years, four children, and three job promotions later, Alilin was appointed as SCM president.

«The offer first came in December 2022 from then president, Rosemary Aaron. She was very supportive and confident that I could take on the role. My family likewise encouraged me,» she said.

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A year later, the baton of leadership was passed from one woman to another.

«Had this happened 20 years ago, it would have been challenging. It was difficult to be a woman maritime executive back then, much more to be a woman seafarer. Now, however, it has become a norm for manning agencies and government authorities to have women in higher positions of power. This proves that women can do the same things as men,» Alilin said.

Steering the helm of SCM, Alilin is now responsible, among many other things, with the safety, welfare, and professional advancement of their seafarers.

Alilin carried these duties with compassion that is