“Nakasakay na ba ‘yan?” a maritime veteran once bluntly asked a colleague in a doubtful inquiry about Teresa Huelar-Inocencio’s capability as a trainer.

For years, Inocencio’s capacity as a trainer of seafarers was questioned by the old salts, often asking different questions but of the same effect — “has she ever been on a ship to even train those who already have?”.