Beyond the “Middlemen” in seafood trade/
Indi lang “Middlemen” sa Baligyaan sang Isda
Hiligaynon/Ilongo [see English below]
Wala ko ginplano nga amo ini akon ubrahon— magbakal, magbaligya, magdumala sang stand. Hospitality Management ang akon gin-eskwelahan. Amo lang gid to nga kurso nga makaya sang akon Tatay bayaran sang una. Bisan nagaskwela pa ko, gaupod gid ko sa iya sa pantalan kada sabado kag dominggo. Ako gid na ang ginadala ni Tatay. Si Tatay kay broker pero sang napatay sa, nagpauli ako halin sa Middle East kag ako na nag pungko sa iya pwesto. Ang mga suki kay ara didto, gahulat. Nagpungko na lang ko kag amo na.
Indi ako ang nagtukod sang negosyo halin sa wala— ginpanubli ko lang ini.
Pero ginpaninguhaan ko matun-an ang tanan. Indi ko kabalo magbaligya isda sang una. Kabalo lang ko maglista kag magkwenta. Pero ang presyo, pakig-istorya, pakig-negosasyon? Gintun-an ko gid na amat-amat. Ginapamangkot ko pa gani akon suki “Amo ni ang ayo ko sa isda niyo, okay lang?” Gusto ko mangin patas. Asta subong man gihapon.
Subong, ako gid gadumala sang tanan. Ako gid ya. Ako ang nagadesisyon kung sin-o akon pa-utangon, pila ang ihatag, kag san-o magbutang limitasyon. Wala ko na ginakonsulta ang akon upod sa pagdesisyon— ako lang gid ya. Gabulig man siya sa pwesto, pero ang desisyon, akon gid na. Ako man ang nagapili sang mga kabulig— kadam-an kilala ko na halin pagkabata, mga batchmates ko. May pila nga permanente, ang iban nagaabot kag nagalakat.
Wala ako suki buyer. Ginabaligya ko sa kung sin-o ang may maayo nga presyo — kis-a sa panting, kis-a ginakarga ko sa roro pakadto Manila. Pero sa mga mangingisda, may ara gid ko suki. Kadam-an paryente. Ang iban, suki na ni Tatay antes pa naging akon. Nagpabilin sila sa akon bisan may iban nga broker nga nag-offer mas nami nga presyo.
Akon ginpa-utang kay laban para sa sakayan — gasolina, yelo, pagkaon sa dagat. Kung kabalo ko nga maayo ang tawo, amo na — hatagan ko. Kung para sa bugas, indi ko gid kaya magbalibad kay kabalo ko nga kinahanglan gid na. Kung emerhensiya — pang-hospital sang kabataan, pangpa-doktor — gahatag ko ah. Pero subong, indi na ko magsapar sang tanan nga gasto sa ila panimalay. Sa sakayan lang gid ya. Sang una, daw libre lang tanan; subong ginakontrol ko na. Sang una, bisan personal nga butang ginapahulam ko pa. Pero nabal-an ko nga ginabayaran lang nila iban nga utang gamit akon kwarta. Amo na nga nagbutang ko limitasyon. Kung pagustuhan ko sila ya, ako gid ya ang malugi.
Indi man ini permi hapos. May ara nga nagakadula na lang nga wala gasiling. May isa ko ka pakaisa — wala cash nga utang, pero may ice deduction — kag insigida na lang ang iya tripolante nagdeliver sa iban nga komisyonan. Wala siya nagsiling ngaa. Wala man naglain buot ko nga “Ay, ngaa amo to siya.” Ginpabay-an ko lang. Pagkaligad sang pila ka bulan, nagbalik siya. Ginbaton ko liwat. Sapakay lang gihapon kami, daw wala natabo. Amo na ako. Kung wala utang, libre sila maglakat. Pero kung may utang, ginapauna ko anay nga mabayaran antes maghalin sa iban.
May mga suki gid nga naga-take advantage. Hambalon nila, “Ginpa-utang mo siya, ngaa wala ako?” Amo gid na ang risgo kung gatransaksyon ka simo paryente. Pero ginapili ko lang gid ang tagaan ko dalagko nga kantidad. Bisan paryente pa, kung kabalo ko nga indi kabayad, ginaprotektahan ko man ang akon kaugalingon.
Bisan pa sina, indi ko gid malikawan ang magbulig. Kung kulang akon kwarta para sa akon mga suki, nagapanghulam ako sa akon mga utod ukon sa Bombay nga nagalibot sa pantalan. Kis-a may kwarta man ko, pero gusto ko may tinago. Halimbawa, manghulam ko ₱10,000 sa Bombay, ₱100 lang kada adlaw ang bayad. Mas magamit pa namon ang kwarta mung. Pero kon kinahanglan dako nga kantidad — ₱20,000 pababaw — ginahambalan ko ang akon mga utod. Utang gid na, indi regalo. Bayaran ko gid.
Kung magbayad man ang mga mangingisda, indi gid na sabay-sabay. Amat-amat lang. ₱500 diri, ₱1,000 didto. Wala ko sila ginadaliam, pero wala ko man ginakalipatan.
Para sa akon, ang maayo nga suki amo ang nagabayad bisan wala ginahambalan. Insigida gapabuhin. Kung nami ila kita, sila pa ang mahambal, “Buhini da anay dos mil.” Amo na nga klase sang suki ang ginapabilin ko.
Kag nagabalos man ko sang bulig. Kada Disyembre, ginalibot ko gid ang mga sitio, may dala nga gamay nga regalo ukon ilimnon para sa ila painom. Ginalibot ko gid na sila. Gina-ekspektar nila nga magpakita ko — kag nagapakita man ko. Indi lang para sa negosyo, kundi kay pamilya man sila. Bisan indi kami magkadugo, sila ang naga-hatag kita sa akon, kag ako man naga-hatag pabalik. Give and take. Amo gid na ang sukianay.
Kung may bag-o nga mangingisda nga mangayo financing, indi ko mag-oo dayon. Nagapamangkot- mangkot ko anay, labi na sa pakyaw — sila ang mas kabalo kung sin-o may utang, sin-o nagbalhin stand, sin-o naghalin nga wala nagbayad. Kis-a mas damo pa sila nahibaluan kaysa sa broker.
Nagasalig ko sa tawo, pero naga-verify man ko. Amo na nga klase sang broker ako — istrikto kung kinahanglan. Indi lang basta basta gadumala sang stand. Ginapadayon ko ang relasyon. Ako gid ya.
English
I didn’t expect to be doing this — buying, selling, managing a stand. I studied hospitality management, actually. But it was the only course my father could afford at the time. Even when I was in school, I’d tag along with him to the port on weekends. Ako gid na ang ginadala ni Tatay (I was the one my father always brought). He was a broker, and when he passed, I came home from the Middle East and just… sat in his place. The suki (fishers) were already there, waiting. Nagpungko na lang ko kag amo na (I just sat down and that was it).
So I didn’t build the business from scratch — I inherited it. But I learned the rest on my own. I didn’t know how to sell fish directly at first. I knew how to keep records, list totals — but pricing, talking, negotiating? I had to learn. Slowly. I would ask my suki, “Amo ni ang ayo ko sa isda niyo, okay lang?” (This is the price I’m asking for your fish — is that okay?) I wanted to be honest. I still do.
Now I run everything myself. Ako gid ya (It’s really me). I decide who to finance, how much, when to stop. I don’t consult my partner. Ako lang gid ya ga decision. He helps me at the stand, but the decisions — they’re mine. I choose my helpers too — mostly people I’ve known since childhood, batchmates. One or two are steady, others come and go.
I didn’t expect to be doing this — buying, selling, managing a stand. I studied hospitality management, actually. But it was the only course my father could afford at the time. Even when I was in school, I’d tag along with him to the port on weekends. Ako gid na ang ginadala ni Tatay (I was the one my father always brought). He was a broker, and when he passed, I came home from the Middle East and just… sat in his place. The suki (fishers) were already there, waiting. Nagpungko na lang ko kag amo na (I just sat down and that was it).
So I didn’t build the business from scratch — I inherited it. But I learned the rest on my own. I didn’t know how to sell fish directly at first. I knew how to keep records, list totals — but pricing, talking, negotiating? I had to learn. Slowly. I would ask my suki, “Amo ni ang ayo ko sa isda niyo, okay lang?” (This is the price I’m asking for your fish — is that okay?) I wanted to be honest. I still do.
Now I run everything myself. Ako gid ya (It’s really me). I decide who to finance, how much, when to stop. I don’t consult my partner. Ako lang gid ya ga decision. He helps me at the stand, but the decisions — they’re mine. I choose my helpers too — mostly people I’ve known since childhood, batchmates. One or two are steady, others come and go.
I don’t have a suki buyer. I sell to whoever offers a good price — sometimes to the panting (retailers who buy in smaller quantities and re-sell in local markets/Barangays/neighbourhoods), sometimes I load to the roro (Roll-on-roll-off Ferry) for Manila. But with fishers, I do have suki. Most of them are family. Others were my father’s before they became mine. They stayed with me — even when other brokers offered better terms.
I finance mostly for boat needs — fuel, ice, provisions. Of course I finance because If know the person and they are good, that’s it amo na. If its for food, for bugas (raw rice) I could not really say no because I know it is really a need. But also for emergencies, gahatag ko ah (I would really give), if for the hospitalization of the children, for the doctor, I would give. I don’t cover household expenses anymore. Sa sakayan lang gid ya. (Only for the boat.) Before I was free now I just control, I’d even lend for their personal things before, but I realized they were using my money to pay other debts. So now, I set limits. Kung pagustuhan ko sila ya, ako gid ya ang malugi. (If I let them do what they want, I’ll be the one who loses.)
But it’s not always easy. Sometimes they disappear without a word. I had a cousin once — no cash utang but just ice deductions (ice was provided for being at sea) — and suddenly, his crew was delivering to another komisyonan (broker). He never said why. I didn’t ask. Wala man ko ya negative feeling nga “Ay, ngaa amo to siya.” Ginpabay-an ko lang. (I had no hard feelings like, “Why did he do that?” I just let it go.) A few months later, he came back. I accepted him again. Sapakay lang gihapon kami. (We just greeted each other like nothing happened). That’s how I am. If there’s no utang, they’re free to go. But if they do owe me, I expect them to settle first before delivering elsewhere. Of course, some suki fishers take advantage. They say, “You let him borrow, why not me?” That’s the risk of doing business with relatives. But I choose who gets what. Ginapili ko lang gid ang tagaan ko nga dalagko. (I carefully choose who I give large amounts to.) Even with family, if I know they can’t pay, I defend myself.
Still, I don’t mind helping. If I am short with cash for my suki fishers I borrow from my siblings or even from the Bombay lender (also called 5-6 or Turko money lenders/loan sharks “informal” financers who come around the Port to offer loans with high interest). I might have money, but I’d rather keep some in reserve — let’s say I borrow ₱10,000 from Bombay, I only pay ₱100 a day. Mas magamit pa namon ang kwarta mung. (We can still make use of the money in the meantime.) But if I need a big amount — ₱20,000 or more — I message my siblings. It’s utang, not a gift. Bayaran ko gid. (I really repay them.)
And when they (the fishers) pay, it’s never all at once. Amat amat lang na. (It’s gradual.) ₱500 here, ₱1,000 there. I don’t rush them — but I don’t forget either.
A good suki for me is someone who pays without being asked. Insigida gapabuhin. (Immediately deducts from their balance.) If they earn well, they offer. One said, “Buhini da anay dos mil.” (Deduct ₱2,000 right away.) That’s the kind of suki I keep.
And I give back too. Every December, I go around the Sitios bringing something. Sometimes it’s drinks for their painom (fiesta gatherings). Ginalibot ko gid na sila. (I really make the rounds.) They expect me to show up — and I do. Not because it’s good for business, but because pamilya man sila (they’re family too). And that bond matters. Even if they are not related, they give me income, and I give back, it’s a give and take relationship sukianay.
If a new fisher comes asking for financing, I don’t say yes right away. I ask around — especially the pakyaw, the carriers. They know who owes who, who switched stands, who left unpaid utang behind. They know more than brokers sometimes.
I trust people, but I verify. That’s the kind of broker I am, strict when I need to be. Not just running a stand — holding the relationships Ako gid ya.