A video of a Filipino seafarer shouting at the top of his lungs “Makakauwi din tayo!” is going viral.
The uploader, Cesar Barcena, is a lifeguard staff from Symphony of the Seas.
Fellow Filipinos from other cruise ships across their ship cheered him on when he shouted, “Makakauwi rin tayo! Makakauwi rin tayong lahat!”
“Uwian na!” a fellow Filipinos shouted back. Some whistled, showing solidarity to the Filipino spirit and resilience.
“Laban lang!” Barcena called back.
The other cruise ship fronting the view of the Filipino seafarer is the MSC Meraviglia.
Barcena said other cruise ships which are also waiting for go-signal from Florida authorities are Royal Caribbean sister ships — Anthem of the Seas, Mariner of the Seas, Navigator of the Seas, Empress of the Seas — and Scarlet Lady from the Virgin Voyages Cruise.
These ships are drifting 1,200 nautical miles away from Miami port.
He told The Filipino Times that out of the 2,200 crew members of the Symphony of the Seas, more or less 700 are Filipinos.
He said there are no COVID-19 cases in Symphony of the Seas, but they remain stranded off the blue waters because Florida is afraid that any of the crew have contracted COVID-19.
Their sister ship Oasis has reported 14 confirmed COVID-19 positive among its crew.
Watch Barcena’s video below:
