A GARBAGE collector who had no money for fare decided to swim to Bohol to visit his dead relatives there.
Ceferino Angco, 48, single, from Barangay Caltrava, Carmen, Bohol, said he missed his place so much that he had to pay it a visit.
But since he didn't have money for the boat fare, he decided to swim the distance. He started swimming at 10 p.m. of October 27 from Cebu City.
But the current was against him and he was swept towards the waters off Talisay City at 8 p.m. of October 28.
He survived the ordeal by hanging on to a piece of styrofoam. He was spotted by the fisheries authorities and was rescued.
Angco said he had grown tired of his life in Cebu as a wandering garbage collector, so he decided to return to Carmen, Bohol to reunite with his siblings and relatives.
He also aimed to make it to Bohol in time for All Souls' Day so he could light candles for his dead relatives.
"I thought of killing myself. I ate leftovers to survice. I collected garbage. I begged. I slept on the sidewalk," Angco said.
He decided against killing himself when he realized that he could swim the distance between Cebu and Bohol. Last Saturday, he gave it a try. (GPL)