BMI or MARINA? Does It Even Matter? I Say NO!


Blogswarm by: cybercritic on FlickrSulpicio Lines has a way of incurring my wrath as easily as I can blink my eye. Today’s news illustrates my point very well. “Complete madness and an unacceptable twist of fate” is what I will call this new strategy of theirs should it succeed, which I pray to God – do not. Okay, so Sulpicio Lines has managed to do their homework and do some reading on maritime laws, republic act 9295, which is the “rightful body to conduct the inquiry”…blah blah blah. They have been so good at this homework/reading that they’ve even managed to turn the table and they’re now, would you believe it? suing the BMI guys to the tune of P650,000 pesos in damages! and this is apparently P500,000 for “moral damages, P100,000 for lawyer’s fees and P50,000 for litigation expenses! Whew! Can you believe that?

Sulpicio Lines is claiming that BMI is biased and somewhat I guess, prejudiced as to the guilt of SLI. Well, I have news for you Sulpicio Lines — honestly, the entire nation is prejudiced right now! What do you expect?

You have the audacity to say that you are not being given fair trial now that your ships have figured in a sea disaster for the fifth freaking time already and yet you are still in operation?!

On the other hand, yeah, you might be right. There weren’t any fair trial ever since. Because, frankly, if a fair trial happened, you wouldn’t be in this industry now, would you?

Let this inquiry, trial proceedings or whatchamacallit push through. Because if justice will prevail, it won’t matter whether it’s through BMI or MARINA or your local barangay.

I am for fair trial. I am for the victims. Because at the end of the day, it all boils down to lost lives — lost forever, that no amount of compensation and punishment can reverse. If you ask me now:  a life for a life — that is fair trial. Tell us Sulpicio Lines, can you pay that much? Are you ready for a fair trial?

2 responses to “BMI or MARINA? Does It Even Matter? I Say NO!”

  1. […] as of this time, the best option is to support BMI (Bureau of Marine Inquiry) instead of trying to pass the ball to their “inquisitor of choice” (or the “rightful body to conduct […]

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  2. At reading this first i was like- You are right! What are these Sulpicio Lines people thinking, putting innocent lives in danger this way. But you have to face reality. You really feel strongly about this which is commendable but really, there is not much that can be done.

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About Me
Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera Marmol aka RJ Marmol profile picture

I’m RJ Marmol — writer, musician, and independent creator based in Manila.

I write songs, essays, and books about the messy overlap between money, overwhelm, creativity, identity, and rebuilding. Much of my work circles around what happens when life stops feeling manageable — and how we try to think clearly, make decisions, and keep moving anyway.

I’m also the author of Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur, a nonfiction book published under Steady Hand Press. The paperback edition is listed under my full publishing name, Cecilia Regina Aquino Blanquera.

On the music side, I release work as HeyRJ. On the writing side, this site is where I gather my books, essays, notes, and whatever I’m building next.

Music

HeyRJ is my sonic soul project. I create raw, minimalist-style and deeply personal music interpretations that feel like a late-night conversation with your truest self.

By blending lo-fi acoustic textures with poetic honesty, my work explores love, loss, grief, healing, and the quiet in-betweens of life. Each song is a letter — a journal entry — a gentle companion for when the world feels too loud or too quiet.

While my catalogue began with intimate cover renditions, my work is increasingly being shaped by original writing, drawing from years of poems, lived questions, and emotional survival.

“Stuck Home Syndrome” released on March 20, 2026 is my first original 20-track album written during a period when time felt compressed and days began to blur into each other. The songs came from sitting with thoughts that had nowhere else to go — unfiltered, repetitive, and sometimes uncomfortable. It’s a concept album that isn’t built around singles or polish. It’s closer to a continuous inner monologue, recorded with minimal production and very little ornamentation and meant to be listened to as one cohesive body of work. The goal wasn’t to resolve anything, only to document how it felt while it was happening.

On May 29, 2026 I released new original singles – “Rapturous”, “Uh Huh”, “Look At You”, “All That” and “Blew Print”. I continue to release both original and cover songs and intend to so for as long as I can so check back every once in a while — you might. just find something you’ll like.

For business inquiries relating to music, email me at: heyrjmusic[at]gmail[dot]com or my personal email at: rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com.

Books

Rebuilding Under Debt: Thinking Clearly When Everything Is a Blur

A nonfiction book about what debt does to the mind — and how to begin functioning again when financial stress has made everything feel blurred, urgent, and overwhelming.

Rather than treating debt only as a financial math problem, the book explores the emotional and cognitive realities of financial distress: shame, decision fatigue, avoidance, panic, relationship strain, and the difficulty of making sound decisions while mentally depleted.

Published under Steady Hand Press. It’s available worldwide in ebook and paperback formats on Amazon. Bookstores and libraries can also be order it wholesale via Ingram.

Contact

For book-related inquiries, media requests, bookstore questions, or discussion-group invitations, you can reach me through the contact page on this site or send me an email to rjmarmol[at]gmail[dot]com or hello[at]steadyhandpress.com