By Christele Jao Amoyan

Mang Reynaldo’s life starts at 7 am. He drives his way from Bay, Laguna to his tending contract farm at PhilRice on his two-wheel ride, rain or shine. Early on, he will be spotting birds picking palay grains, and will be weeding wild grasses sprouting on the half-hectare rice paddy. This would be his day-to-day routine for the next 30 days before harvest-time nears mid-week of October.

The 45 year-old farmer Mang Reynaldo is the breadwinner of his family.  He has four children. Two of which – Reyciel, 26, and Realyn, 24 – got married at a young age. Not one of them were able to finish high school.

Mang Reynaldo and his family are among the two million households that depend on rice-based farming in the country. He has been a farmer for over 20 years. Currently, he is working as a contractual laborer at PhilRice Los Baños with an income of P390.00 per day. Mang Reynaldo says that the money he receives can barely support his family’s needs. “Kulang ang kinikita ko. Ang mamahal na ng bilihin ngayon. Kaya nga ibayong pagtitipid na ang ginagawa ko.”

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, a farmer earns about P75,000 annually on the average. Basically, a farmer’s salary is considered underpaid labor compared to a white-collar-job’s whose workload is less physically taxing than that of manning the rice fields.

The RICEing Crisis

“May krisis ngayon sa bigas,” says Rey Buhat, a rice retailer in Barangay Batong Malake, Los Baños. For six years that Rey has been experiencing rice price increase, it is only now that he felt the erratic shift of rice prices. From the regular milled rice of P34.00 per kilo, it went up to P41.00. Some of his costumers were surprised about this.

However, Rey’s costumers still pick the good quality rice. He said that buyers still prefer quality rice despite the price hike. “Di bale ng medyo mahal ang bigas, basta masarap naman kainin,” Rey explained.

Rice price crisis has already been a problem since 2007/2008. The price tripled in six months after a steady slow trend in 2005 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Hence, there are two reasons why there is rocketing price of rice. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) claims that the shortage in supply and heightened demand keep the price up. This means that the price yield produced does not meet the consumers’ demand or consumption requirement.

The RICEing Consumption

Thirty to seventy per cent of a person’s caloric intake is derived from rice. Rice is enriched with nutrients and carbohydrates to fuel up the daily body energy need. It serves as the primary staple food in the Philippines.

Rice is every Filipino’s favorite. It matches well with almost any kind of viand. Rice can also be served anytime of the day, may it be day-in or day-out. Pinoys have sinangag (fried rice) during breakfast, mixed with savory garlic and spices – a perfect combo for beef tapa and egg. For lunch, nothing wins the appetite than a freshly cooked rice and caldereta. And for dinner, bahaw (leftover rice) swam in hot soup of sinigang will finally satisfy your day.

Gil Suazo, a junior student in the university spends half of his 100-peso allowance on rice. Every meal, he consumes three to four cups of rice a day. “Mas importante na may kanin,” says Gil.

Gil and the rest of the 3.5 billion people on earth eat on rice. That is half of the world population. Moreover, 90 per cent of that comes from Asia alone, where still, extreme hunger is faced by 560 million people in the region.

Based from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2013 consumption forecast, the Philippines produced more than 11 thousand tons of milled rice in the first quarter of the year. Though the country tops 6^th as the largest rice yielding country in the world, the production rate is yet to meet the domestic consumption at 12, 900 tons. 

The RICEing Problem

“Meron tayong isang mabigat na problema. Tumataas man ang production natin, ang population naman natin ay tumataas din,” told Richard Romanillos, development coordinator at PhilRice Los Baños. The booming count of Filipinos is essentially one aspect of concern to rice production. According to the Population Commission (PopCom), the Philippine population is expected to reach 98 million by the end of 2013.

Aside from the growing need for rice, another challenge is the shrinking arable farmlands. FAO reported that after a couple of decades since 1991, two-thirds of the 10 million hectares of rice fields are gone.

In spite of these stumbling blocks to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the country, Filipinos remained accountable for rice wastage. In 2010, 13 per cent of rice has been wasted. This much could already feed 2.6 million people for a year’s time. Furthermore, PhilRice survey shows that for every two tablespoons of leftover rice, 17 million pesos is spent for rice supply.

(Y)our RICEponsibility

This RICEing demand paves way to the National Year of Rice 2013. This campaign works in the national arena venturing from rice production to rice consumption. NYR 2013 shares the advocacy of rice self-sufficiency.

This is embodied in President Benigno C. Aquino III’s Presidential Proclamation No. 494 launched in October 18, 2012 conveying the theme “Sapat na Bigas, Kaya ng Pinas.” Hence, during the President’s 2^nd State of the Nation Address (SONA), he mentioned: “Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan. Ikalawa, ayaw na nating umasa sa pag-angkat. Ang isasaing ni Juan Dela Cruz dito ipupunla, dito aanihin, dito bibilhin.”

The said nationwide campaign joins farmers, consumers, policy makers, and even the private sector to foster a rice self-sufficient Philippines. Moreover, IRRI being a non-profit organization also extend its support to the government for better rice production. “IRRI does develop new rice varieties,” told Sophie Clayton, IRRI Public Relations Manager. In fact, with their new varieties, they have assessed an additional P2,180.00 income of farmers per hectare per year. “This helps the national economic figures as well,” she added.

NYR 2013 aims to make every Filipinos RICEponsible. We can make it happen, right?

By Kristin Chloe Pascual and Maria Carmel Rimpos

When Marivic had her second child, Miko, she expected him to follow the same journey as her first child. However, Miko walks on a different path. At the age of two, Marivic saw his first signs of autism.

“There was something wrong with him,” Marivic, now a trainer at the Autism Society Philippines Laguna Chapter, recounts the first time she noticed the signs in his then two-year-old son. She said that Miko did not know how to play with a toy car. Instead of running its wheels against the floor, Miko would just turn the wheels in his hands repetitively. He also would not have eye contact when someone is talking to him.

The lack of eye contact also alarmed Shiela, parent of Althea, an autistic child. The mother became more concerned when she observed that Althea never cried whenever she was hungry.

Sharon’s son, Daron, on the other hand has a slightly different case from Miko and Althea. He doesn’t pay attention when someone calls him. Something else would catch his interest instead. His mother shared, “when music from Disney movies are played, he pays attention immediately.”

The three children have shown signs of autism, a development disorder. Autistic children don’t usually make eye contact when a person calls their attention. According to Joseph Languez, an occupational therapist, they look at the person talking to them for one second and then they drift away. Also, they exhibit repetitive behavior by continuously flapping their hands, flipping their fingers, and even banging their heads.

Languez explained that as early as 10 months, parents can start seeing signs of autism in their child. A simple “peek-a-boo” would normally trigger the baby to laugh. If this isn’t the case, something could be wrong with the child. Usually, symptoms of autism are visible at the age of two years. However, autism can only be officially diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician when the child is already three years old. At this age, a normal child will already fully participate in social interaction, communication, and behavior, while an autistic child will encounter basic learning problems in these three aspects. Aira Kristina Basmayor, a speech language-pathologist stated that these three are known as the “triad of impairments.”

For diagnosis, a child must first take the standardized diagnostic criteria indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV). It shows a list of a child’s problems in social interactions, communication, and behavior or activities. Languez added, “at three (years of age), all of the criteria would be observed because at two years old, the language is not yet that developed.”

Though the real cause of autism is still unknown, it has already been linked to social factors, heritage, and a combination of both. Recent materials from Mt. Sinai Medical Center have shown that people with autism have an incomplete set of genes. However, this case is not always inherited from the parents.

People with autism encounter problems in processing the sensory inputs transmitted in their brains. Languez said that autistic children have problems specifically with their five basic senses (touch, sound, sight, hearing, and taste) as well as proprioceptive and vestibular senses. Proprioceptive senses refer to the sense of joint movement which allows us to move objects and respond to other’s touch. On the other hand, vestibular senses refer to the sense of balance and direction. It enables a child to stand properly and distinguish left from right.

These problems can be observed mainly through an activity children naturally engage in as part of growing up such as playing. Autistic children are very peculiar in the way they play and interact. When playing, one would notice that an autistic child has his “own world” which means that he isolates himself from other people.

It is important to note that each child diagnosed with autism is unique. According to Basmayor, “they manifest different levels of severity and also have different characteristics.” One technique that benefits one child could have a different effect on the other. Hence, it is important that each child is treated with utmost care.

Autism still has no cure but it can be monitored through special education, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Children with autism need assistance to properly perform basic activities of daily living such as taking a bath, brushing their teeth, dressing up, and eating. They do not learn by themselves; they should be taught.

The goal of a speech therapy is to improve the child’s communication and socialization skills. Basmayor stated that it would be difficult and frustrating for the children and their families if they don’t know how to express even their basic needs and wants. “Our role is to help children with autism learn how to express themselves, engage into communication (verbal or non-verbal), exhibit appropriate social skills and be functional,” she added.

In line with this, the goal of occupational therapy is not really to correct the children’s behavior but to teach them to become independent. When they grow up, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to adapt. Their parents wouldn’t have a difficult time assisting them anymore. Moreover, the occupational therapists would want to let the children experience the “normal” life, without any discrimination. “We give them ways to make their lives meaningful,” Languez said. “We make them feel that they’re also normal.”

Unfortunately, the parents can also hinder the progress of the child. There are cases when the parents won’t accept their child’s condition. “Denial is the number one defense mechanism,” he said.

The tendency of parents with an undiagnosed autistic child is to evaluate them as having delayed development. Languez added that the earlier the parents would accept the situation of their child, the sooner the possibility of intervention towards the progress of their child.

Glaiza Ozarraga, another occupational therapist, said that parents who are in denial always ask for a second opinion from other doctors. “They won’t stop going to doctors until someone would tell them that their child is just delayed,” Ozarraga added.

Moreover, Ozarraga said that this kind of thinking of parents greatly affect the progress of the child as they might not put him into therapy right away. And if they decide to, they might even control the flow of the session.

To boost the esteem of the parents, Languez suggested the Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP) as a support group. “They offer free seminars to have an idea [about autism] and to accept that it’s okay to have such a kid,” he said.

Basing on the figures from the United States social mapping data, Autism Society Philippines believes that one million Filipino families live with an autistic member. As mechanisms for diagnosis have become sophisticated, more and more people are likely to be diagnosed autistic. Shiela, who is also part of the Autism Society Philippines Laguna Chapter has realized that of all people, she should be that one person who will not discriminate her own daughter. Before, she was still scared bringing Althea to public places for fear that other people might discriminate her daughter.

However, she has learned that she should take risks and let Althea blend in. Althea is currently enrolled at the Anos Day Care Center and is able to cope with the lessons. She also added that Althea does not throw tantrums anymore whenever they go to malls. She even knows how to run an errand already and buy from a neighborhood store. “My approach is that I play with her but at the same time I also train her,” says Shiela.

Aside from denial, the capacity of a family to pay for therapies and special education could also be a great barrier. During diagnosis, the developmental pediatrician would usually require the patient to undergo a costly Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) to rule out that the disability is not caused by impairment in the brain.

Therapy sessions are costly. For the speech therapy, initial evaluation ranges from Php1,500 to Php2,500 while actual therapy costs Php500 to Php700 per session. On the other hand, the estimated value for an occupational therapy is about Php500 to Php650 in one session. If a family could afford the expenses, they would opt to go to private hospitals and pay the rate.

Meanwhile, some of the parents go to public hospitals, like the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and Philippine General Hospital just to get an intervention or correction in their child’s behavior. However, they sometimes need to wait for months before they could be accommodated.

According to Ozarraga, intervention is important because there is a major difference between the behavior of a child who underwent therapy and who didn’t. She said that the latter would be uncontrollable if they would go to a session. “Those who had therapy already knew the routine, so they’ll sit down once they get inside the room,” she explained.

In Daron’s case, Sharon shared that they were not able to enrol him to the school and therapy center recommended to them by their first development pediatrician due to its high cost. As a result, they opted to enrol Daron to a less costly special education. She said that they have seen changes in Daron’s development but the expenses are still relatively high since it’s located far from their home. When a special education center was established in Paete, they immediately transferred Daron to make some adjustments with their family budget.

Sharon admitted that along the way, Daron’s follow up at home became inconsistent causing the regress of his son’s development. “At the end of the day, follow up and consistency is still the essence of improvement,” Sharon explained.

According to Ozarraga, therapy won’t be effective if the parents don’t participate in changing the kid’s behavior once they go home. She said that they must also help the child practice what he learned at school. “We always encourage families on what activities they can do at home, because the home is the best learning place for the child,” Basmayor expressed.

Marivic agrees with this. Though she didn’t have much resource to give her child a therapist, she tried her best to teach her own child. Upon Miko’s diagnosis of autism, she started researching about the disability through books and magazine articles in libraries and decided to learn how to teach an autistic child. Ever since then, she has always been Miko’s teacher and guidance. She proudly stated that her child has become more independent after many years of training. He could even now travel and ride an airplane alone.

She emphasized that parents have a big role in improving their child’s situation. “In a therapy, they only learn for an hour a day,” she said, “but we spend 23 hours with them. We [the parents] have to be the one to guide them.”

by  Joyce Anne Alvero and Jossellejane Raizza Alvarez

Fascinated with online shops, Justine Audrey Pasion decided to open her own online business called “Vogue Ensembles.”  Justine is just a simple student who is now enjoying extra income and other perks from her online shop.  According to her, it doesn’t require much hard work.  Justine shared several tips on how to start an online business based from her experience.

Identify supplier and target buyers. Look for a supplier of the products that you want to sell online. Identify as well who are the target buyers of the products.  Remember that your supplier may not have everything that your consumers want.

Set up an online shop. There are many social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and even Youtube to showcase your products. As for Justine, she prefers Instagram because she finds it much easier to use.

Decide on the transaction process.  Canvass different modes of payment that will best suit you and your clients.  According to Justine, opening a bank account has its advantage because it has no charge fees while the use of remittance centers can help track the actual payment of your customer. “May mga napepeke kasing resibo,” Justine shared.  How the products will be delivered to your clients should also be considered.

These steps are no different from what Mae Anne Alejandrino did when she started her own online shop.  Mae Anne got bored from just surfing the web, checking updates on social networking sites and watching videos on youtube every weekends. With the need to have extra allowance, she decided to open an online shop, the “Mhirhy Cosplay Shop.”

Cosplay is Mae Anne’s hobby.  She used to buy stuff for her costumes online. “Since hilig ko rin ang cosplay at anime, naisipan ko na gawin itong business. Nung nagba-browse ako sa isang cosplay online shop, nakita ko na pwede pala akong magbenta din ng mga cosplay items. Dun na nagsimula yung Mhirhy Cosplay Shop.”

Mae Anne shared that it is very important to find your interests in order to be happy doing what you love while earning money. Opening a business and doing it like a chore will just make you want to quit easily. Also, being honest and accommodating at all times helps in gaining costumers’ trust. A lot of patience is also a requirement.

Mae Anne uses Facebook for her online shop. She suggested LBC Express and JRS Express for shipping items to buyers.  For receiving payments, she gave the following options: Smart Padala; Gcash; BPI bank deposit; BDO bank deposit; LBC Pera Padala; Cebuana Lhuillier; M. Lhuillier; and Western Union.

From what Justine and Mae Anne shared, it seems that an online shop is just another easy way to earn money.  But there is more to this when you do your own online business.

Online shops fall under the category of e-commerce industry. In this type of industry, transactions such as buying and selling of products or services are done online.   Few examples of these online jobs or businesses include English or language tutorials, language translations, editing services, selling new and used products, medical transcription services, web-development/design services and many more.

Online businesses require less capital.  Renting a place for your store is not a concern. You can start off by simply selling products or services using different social networking sites. However, the downside in doing this type of business is that the buyer’s identity could not be quickly verified. Anybody can easily make online accounts using fake names and identities.

Prof. Jeanette Angeline Madamba from the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship of the College of Economics and Management shared that the use of social networking sites are not necessarily ideal for selling or buying products but it can help boost market reach. Prof. Madamba explained that verifying the online buyer’s profile is difficult.  It would be hard to trace the buyer should there be problems in payment collections.  Thus, one should take precautions to make sure that the buyer is trustworthy.

Prof. Madamba shared that venturing in e-commerce can also contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  The GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time. Per capita, it reflects a country’s standard of living. “E-commerce allows a more expanded market reach which translates to more product demand which in turn increases GDP,” explained Prof. Madamba. “Using the expenditure approach, e-commerce boosts the consumption side of GDP which is the sum of consumption, investment, government spending and net exports. It can also trigger growth in investment, government spending and exports, not just the consumption side,” she added.

Still according to Professor Madamba, another advantage of e-commerce is the flexible hours it offers. Since online businesses do not need a physical space, it is easily accessible to everyone who has access to Internet. Other than shipping schedules or appointments for the services, an online entrepreneur has control over his/her time.

However, just like any other businesses, e-commerce also has its own challenges.  Prof. Madamba shared that the fast pace of changing technology could be one. Adapting to certain changes may be difficult but an online entrepreneur should not stick to the idea that what he/she knows is already enough. Another is that a good online entrepreneur must be daring enough to take risks and follow the trends in technology or better yet, make innovations that will help him/her expand the business. Online security of the payments is also a challenge. Because Internet is a vast world, the security of each transaction cannot be fully assured. Lastly, online businesses are easily replicated and therefore competition may be stiffer.

Do you want to start your own business while you’re still in school? Why not try having your own online shop as well? Get up and be ready to venture out. Welcome to e-commerce!

by Gian Carlo D. Camacho and  Maureen V. Cambay

It is a common sight to see numerous sampaguita vendors in Los Baños, especially near the UPLB gate. Usually, they could be seen in Vega Center, Carabao Park, and some of them may be seen around Freedom Park and outside the Student Union building. With all these vendors around, people could notice one thing. Most of them are children.

Most sampaguita vendors are children since they are more pitiful to look at compared to their parents. Sometimes, parents of these vendors could be seen sitting near them while just watching their kids sell sampaguita.

A 14-year-old sampaguita vendor who lives at the back of the St. Therese chapel sells sampaguita as part of his daily routine ever since he was a young kid. Considering that they are 13 siblings in the family, he sells sampaguita to help his family with the finances. He also wanted to have extra money for his allowance when he goes to school.

Another sampaguita vendor shared that he uses his money to eat whenever he is hungry. Some of their sampaguita vendor friends have the same reason as well –to help their family and to have pocket money when they go to school. Since they go to Lopez Elementary School during day time, they can only be seen in Vega Center during late afternoons and night.

Ms. Hanna Erika Laviña, a social worker from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), revealed that the number of children selling sampaguita in Los Baños is not really increasing. The children selling sampaguita today are almost the same children who sold sampaguita few years back. She shared that the DSWD used to hire someone who roamed around Los Baños (LB) to stop the children from selling sampaguita. However, the children couldn’t be put in their custody because their parents are actually working.  Caught children vendors are just usually brought back to their parents.

The DSWD currently plans to conduct livelihood programs for the parents of these children. However, with the conduct of livelihood programs, the parents must promise that they will never allow their children to sell sampaguita again.

According to aProf. Helga P. Vergara from the Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS) in UPLB, one reason for the existence of the sampaguita vendors is the need for a source of livelihood. Some of the parents of the sampaguita vendors are just at home taking care of their younger siblings. Because most of these parents have many children, they do not have a choice but to stay at home and take care of them. This situation forced some of their children to sell sampaguita.

Selling sampaguita is popular in LB.  This is another reason why the number of  sampaguita vendors continues to increase every year, according to aProf. Vergara. Though some people get annoyed and do not entertain them, most people are still fond of them. This has resulted in other vendors even from other places to go to Los Baños to also sell their sampaguitas.

Another reason given by aProfessor Vergara is the increasing number of relocation sites near Los Baños. She believes that some sampaguita vendors are not actually from Los Baños. Some may be from the Bayan ni Juan relocation site in Calauan and some may be from other relocation sites from nearby towns.

Whether to buy sampaguita from the children vendors or to just give them money depends on one’s decision. But personally, aProfessor Vergara believes that buying from them or giving them money should not be practiced. Aside from making the children used to the situation, it can also attract other vendors outside Los Baños.

On the other hand, according to aProf. Argee Albor who is also from DHFDS UPLB, the authorities must implement programs that would educate and keep the parents of sampaguita vendors busy and productive in their day to day lives. Examples of programs they must offer are seminars about family planning. He believes that lack of family planning is a big factor that causes such increase in the number of sampaguita vendors. Parents tend to have many children whom they can hardly support with their income. He also suggested livelihood programs for parents. He also added that having a job is a natural contraceptive for parents because it keeps them busy in their everyday lives.

Sampaguita vendors have been present in Los Baños for many years already. Some get annoyed by them, some just ignore them while some talk and entertain them. But should we really buy sampaguitas from these children vendors or just give them money? Will there still be time when no more children will sell sampaguita in Los Baños?

nina  Christina Mae Bernardo at Charlie Cagampang

Malabo man ang kanyang paningin ay naaaninag ni Lolo Ambo sa mahabang baybayin ng Bayog ang paglubog ng ginintuang araw. Ilang oras na lang ay gagayak na siya upang mangisda. Layunin niyang makahuli ng marami upang may pangkain ang kanyang pamilya kasabay ng pagsikat ng araw kinaumagahan.

Pagdating sa may baybayin ay nagsamang malakas na hangin at alon ang nadatnan ni Lolo Ambo at ng kanyang 12- taong gulang na apo, si Kiko. Ngunit hindi parin sila nagpatinag sa lakas ng hampas ng alon ng gabing iyon. Ang nasambit lamang ni Lolo Ambo ay, “tara apo sagwanin natin ang malakas na alon na ‘yan at kung papalaring makahuli ay may maipapangkain na tayo kinabukasan.”

Sa laot, hawak ni Lolo Ambo ang sagwan. Kasabay ng paandap-andap na apoy sa ilawan ng kanilang bangka ay hindi na niya makita ang mga isdang naglalanguyan sa kulay itim na tubig dahil sa kanyang malabong paningin. Si Kiko na ang kanyang nagsisilbing mata. Kaya kung wala ang kanyang apo upang samahan siya ay hindi rin makapangingisda si Lolo Ambo sa malawak na tubig-tabang ng Laguna de Bay.

Pakikipagsapalaran sa lawa

Pangunahing pangkabuhayan ng mga residente sa Brgy. Bayog ang pangingisda dahil sa kalapitan nito sa lawa. Maraming mangingisda ang pumapalaot doon sa araw-araw.

Ayon kay Benjamin Moldez o Mang Ben, kasalukuyang pangulo ng Fisheries and Aquatic Resources Management Council (FARMC), tinatayang nasa humigit kumulang 200 na mangingisda ang lehitimo at malayang nakapanghuhuli sa lawang iyon. At halos lahat ng mga mangingisdang ‘yon ay ipinapangbenta ang kanilang huli upang kumita’ o kung hindi ‘man ay inihahain sa kani-kanilang hapag-kainan.’

Tulad ni Lolo Ambo, isa siya sa mga mangingisdang araw-araw na nakikipagsapalaran sa lawang iyon. “Halos lahat ng kita ko ay ibinibigay ko sa aking mga apo upang kanilang ipang baon,” ang nasaad ni Lolo Ambo habang itunutulak niya ang kanyang bangka papalaot sa lawa. Kanya ring ipinagpapasalamat na dahil sa pangingisda ay napag-aaral niya ang kanyang apat na apo. Siya na ang nagsilbing ama dahil napiit sa kulungan ang ama ng mga ito. Talagang hindi maikakaila ang dedikasyon at pagpupursigi ni Lolo Ambo sa pangingisda basta ba’y mapagtapos niya ang mga ito sa kanilang pag-aaral.

Ngayong buwan ng Oktubre masasabing sapat lang ang kinikita ni Lolo Ambo sa pangingisda. Sapat lang sa gastusin sa bahay at pang-baon ng kanyang mga apo. Katulad halos sa ibang mga mangigisda ng Bayog, ang huli ni Lolo Ambo ay pumapatak sa 3-4 kilos kada-araw. At  madalas, tilapia ang nahuhuli ng mga mangingisda dito. At ayon kay Mang Ben, ang kadalasang kita ng mga mangigisda rito ay humigit kumulang 200-300 na piso kada-araw. Ngunit mababa na ito kumpara noong 1990s na umaabot ang huli ng mga mangigisda ng lima hanggang sampung kilo at noong 1980s naman ay 30-40 kilos.

Patunay nito ang kwento  ni Lolo Ambo tungkol sa mga panahong wala silang huli. At dahil dito’y nakaranas sila na hindi kumain ng hapunan. “Lolo, kumain na po ba kayo? Papalaot na tayo maya-maya.” ang saad ni Kiko galing sa maghapong paglalaro. Tanging pagtango na lamang ang kanyang nagawa na may halong nadamang kalungkutan. Maging ang kanyang mga apo ay hindi na rin inisip kumain. Kundi ay inabala na lamang nila ang kanilang mga sarili sa paglalaro upang makalimutan ang kumakalam nilang mga sikmura.

Maraming dahilan kung bakit nakararanas ng ganito ang mga mangingisda sa panahon ngayon. Mula sa dating mayaman at masaganang lawa ay mabilis ang pagkaubos ng mga isda nito. Malaki talaga ang epekto nito sa produksyun ng isda sa pamilihang bayan at lalung-lalo na sa mga mangingisda na ito na lamang ang inaasahan upang mabuhay.

Isang malaking pagbabago

Na-ikwento nga ni Mang Ben ang dating ganda ng lawa ng Laguna. “Ang kalidad ng tubig noon ay sadyang napakalinis,” kanyang naidagdag. Kaya’t laking pagtataka na lamang niya na maraming problemang kinahaharap ngayon ang lawa. Isa na nga rito ang papaonting huli ng mga mangingisda. Minsan pa nga’y umaabot sa isang kilo na lang ang nahuhuli ng iba. “Marahil sa kompetisyon ng mga mangingisda kaya’t nakakaranas sila ng mababang huli,” ani ni Mang Ben.

Ayon din kay Mang Ben, ang pagdagsa ng maraming pabrika sa karatig lugar ang isa sa pangunahing nagbigay ng perwisyo sa mga mangingisda sa Bayog. “Dati’y sagana ang lawang ito sa mga seaweeds ngunit dahil sa mga kemikal at dumi na sinasalo ng lawa ay naglaho ito bigla,” kanyang paliwanag. Ang seaweeds ang nagsisilbilbing palaitlugan ng mga isda.  Sa madaling salita, kung walang seaweeds, wala ring buhay na maisasalba sa mga isda ng lawa.

Ngunit ang nakapagpapabagabag sa kanya ay ang mga dumi na galing sa kabahayan. Nabanggit ni Mang Ben ang mga dumi na nanggagaling sa mga alagang hayop. Bilang presidente ng FARMC, minsan na niyang sinabihan ang mga residente patungkol sa masamang dulot ng dumi sa lawa. Ngunit hindi parin niya nakontrol ang mga ito dahilan na rin sa kanilang kapabayaan. “Marahil nakakalimutan na nilang ingatan ang lawa at nauuwi nalang ito sa kapabayaan.”

Sasagwan ka pa ba?

Iginiit ni Mang Ben na hindi parin sila nawawalan ng pag-asa na maibabalik pa sa dating ganda ang Laguna de Bay. Ngunit hindi na katulad ng dati na kahit saan ka man sumagwan ay may mahuhuli at mahuhuli ka. Hindi rin tulad ng dati na maaring inumin ang malinis na tubig ng lawa.

Bilang solusyon sa pagkaunti ng mga nahuhuling isda, ang organisasyong FARMC na kinabibilangan ni Lolo Ambo at iba pang lehitimong mangingisda ay nagbuo ng isang estratehiyang magpapataas sa produksyon ng isda na tinatawag na “aquaculture.” Ang nasabing estratehiya ay tinatawag ding “Blue Revolution.” Ilan sa mga popular at tradisyunal na inaalagaan sa “aquaculture” ay tilapia, bangus, hito, guso, lapu-lapu, alimango at iba pa.

Ayon kay Mang Ben, ang konseptong ito ay binubuo ng kulungang-lambat o “floating cage” kung saan nakalagi sa kalmadong tubig at protektadong lugar ang mga lambat upang makaiwas sa malakas na hangin at alon. “Sa pamamagitan ng pagku-culture ng mga isda tulad na nga ng tilapia ay napapadami ang mga ito upang may mapagkunan ng hanapbuhay ang mga taga Barangay Bayog,” dagdag pa niya.

Pakikipagsagwan

Pasikat na ang araw nang dumaong ang bangka na sinasakyan ni Lolo Ambo at ang kanyang apo na si Kiko sa tabi ng baybayin. May dala-dalang tatlong kilong tilapia si Lolo Ambo. Halos hindi maipaliwanag ang nararamdaman niya ngayon. Sa wakas makakain na sila. Ang ilang oras na pinagpaguran nila ay nagbunga. “Kakaunti man pero sapat na ‘to para sa pamilya ko at ito ay galing pa sa biyaya ng Panginoon.”

Ayon pa rin kay Mang Ben, simple lang naman ang nais nilang maisakatuparan at iyon ay ang araw na kung saan ang agos ng lawa ng Laguna ay sasabayan ng masagana at maraming huling isda. “Kung inyong mapapansin maraming mangingisda hindi lang sa barangay na ito kundi pati na rin sa ibang lugar ang nakikipagsapalaran at bumababad sa init ng araw upang makabingwit man lang. Maraming mangingisda ang umaasa na ang lawa ang magsisilbing kasagutan sa kumakalam nilang sikmura,” paliwanag ni Mang Ben.

Para naman kay Lolo Ambo, na simula’t sapol pa ay pangingisda na ang hanapbuhay na nagmula pa sa kaniyang mga magulang, hindi siya matitinag kahit ilang alon pa ang humampas sa kaniyang bangka. Sasagwanin at sasagwanin ko pa rin ito,” aniya.

Ang pagsagwan ba ni Lolo Ambo ay katulad din kaya ng pagsagwan ng ibang mangingisda? Marahil iisa ang kanilang tinatahak na direksyon at iisa ang kanilang layunin- ang makahuli at makakain. Ika nga, mahirap sumagwan na salungat sa alon. Ngunit para kay Lolo Ambo, “sa agos ng buhay, aking natutunang sumagwan ng paayon, at manalig sa Panginoon na may darating na biyaya para sa amin.”

by Paulyn Stephanie Bacani

The filing of certificates of candidacy (COC) for the barangay election 2013 officially ended on October 17 with approximately 470 registered candidates for the 14 districts of Los Baños.  Most of the candidates are re-electionists.

According to Randy Banzuela, COMELEC Election Officer of Los Baños, this year’s filing of COC went smoothly.  Police officers were present during the duration of COC filing to ensure peace and safety in the Municipal Office. Rendell Villanueva, Administrative Staff of the Municipal Office’s Action Center, added that there were crowds of people and supporters of the candidates, particularly on the first day.

The campaign period began on October 18.  As candidates who have filed their COCs are bound by the rules of COMELEC, Banzuela encouraged everyone to report candidates who conducted premature campaigning.   Those who will be proven to have violated the rules will be disqualified from this year’s elections.

Banzuela added that there would be changes in the process of voting. Instead of putting only the names of candidates per barangay, COMELEC Los Baños initiated the inclusion of pictures in the secrecy folders. He explained that COMELEC Los Baños came up with this idea because most of the voters only know the candidates by face and not by their names. Banzuela added, “Kami lang ang gagawa ‘non.”

The Barangay elections will be held on October 28, Monday.