WHEN a Philippine Navy quartermaster arrived on the wharf in Subic to meet HMAS Ballarat, he was surprised to learn of a distant family connection on board.<\/p>\n
Ballarat\u2019s commanding officer sparked up a conversation with the sailor, noting he had the surname Penafiel \u2013 the same last name as a member of ship\u2019s company.<\/p>\n
The sailor brushed it off, joking, \u201che\u2019s probably just Spanish or Mexican\u201d, and the conversation went no further.<\/p>\n
But it did spark an interest.<\/p>\n
Soon after, Physical Training Instructor Leading Seaman Phil Penafiel received a Facebook message from his father in Australia saying one of his cousins in the Philippines had reached out to ask if he had a son on board Ballarat.<\/p>\n
The family is one of many from the Philippines who settled in Mt Gambier, South Australia.<\/p>\n
This quickly followed with the pair connecting on social media to coordinate a meeting.<\/p>\n
\u201cFamily is such a strong value in Filipino culture,\u201d Leading Seaman Penafiel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cFilipinos are very much bonded by family and family values, so I would never waste an opportunity to meet another family member, no matter where they are in the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
Leading Seaman Penafiel invited Carlo (his cousin) to the ship so they could meet.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had a really awesome time getting to know one another,\u201d Leading Seaman Penafiel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSharing family photos and discovering how our families were connected was pretty surreal.\u201d<\/p>\n
Carlo plays representative basketball for the Philippine Navy and presented with a jersey with \u2018Penafiel\u2019 proudly adorned on the back.<\/p>\n
Leading Seaman Penafiel reciprocated with a physical training instructor cap with his name inscribed.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve been planning to come back to the Philippines since before COVID but haven\u2019t had the chance,\u201d Leading Seaman Penafiel said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSo visiting with the Navy for the first time in nine years was such an amazing experience.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve done some pretty amazing things in my career, but this one really hit home for me and is definitely a highlight.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy family, including my partner and I, have already planned to come back next year, and Carlo and I have organised to catch up when I return.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ballarat visited the Philippines as part of a regional presence deployment.<\/p>\n
By Sub-Lieutenant Jake Badior<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
WHEN a Philippine Navy quartermaster arrived on the wharf in Subic to meet HMAS Ballarat, he was surprised to learn of a distant family connection on board. Ballarat\u2019s commanding officer sparked up a conversation with the sailor, noting he had the surname Penafiel \u2013 the same last name as a member of ship\u2019s company. The […]<\/p>\n