A story based on interview and discussion transcripts (participants words are copy and pasted here in the form of a story) from work package 1 of the Patron of the Seas Project – this socio-cultural concept emerged as a key emotional and moral driver of market and economic transactions in the fisheries of Iloilo, Philippines.
Hiligaynon/Ilongo [see english below]
Hambal nila, indi gid kuno ini gulpi lang nagasugod. Sa umpisa, buy and sell lang gid. Pero kon may isa ka tawo nga nagbulig sa imo sang wala ka gid sang tanan — dira nagsugod ang utang nga kabalaslan.Sang wala ka pa sakayan, wala makina, wala kapital pero mayara isa nga naghatag. Sang wala kwarta, may nagsiling, “Sige lang, kuha anay.” Sang nagpauli ka halin sa pagpangisda kag may ara na dayon ginhatag sa imo — dira nagsugod ang utang nga kabalaslan.
Sang una wala wala gid sila — wala sakayan, wala makina, wala pangabuhian. Pero may ara nagbulig para makasugod sila. Amo na nga ginadumduman nila. Ginadumduman nila kon sin-o ang nagbulig sang wala pa sila. Ang kabalaslan amo ang pagdumdum sang kaayo nga ginbuhat sa imo sang wala ka pa sang tanan. Amo na ang nagapabilin.
Kis-a indi lang ini parte sang kwarta. Parte ini sa serbisyo. Parte sang ginbuhat nga maayo sang isa ka tawo para sa imo nga indi mo mabayaran sang kwarta lang. Ginabalik ini sa maga lain-lain nga pamaagi— sa pagpabilin, sa pagbalik, sa indi pagdaya. Ibalik mo paagi sa padayon nga pagdeliver.
Bisan nabayaran na ang utang, ang balatyagon nagapabilin. Bisan settled na ang kwarta, may yara ka gihapon ginabatyag. Kay kabalo ka nga dira ka naghalin — sa imo suki. Syempre mahuya ka maghalin sa ginhalinan mo. Kon nangin maayo ang imo pangabuhian paagi sa isa ka tawo, kag sang nakatindog ka na sa imo kaugalingon nagbalhin ka lang dayon, indi na kabalaslan. Amo na ang wala huya.
May naga hambal nga madalom gid ang utang nga kabalaslan — tubtob nga buhi ka. Basta wala dako nga lalis. Kag bisan may lalis, indi ini madula. Ang lalis malabay lang, pero ang kabalbalan nagapabilin. Nagadumdum ka. Nagabalik ka. Nagapadayon ka sa nagbulig sa imo.
Sa buy and sell, amo ini sya hu: ang mangingisda padayon nga nagadeliver sa iya suki bisan may iban nga mas mataas ang presyo. Bisan mas dako ang tara, bisan mas bug-at ang bawas, kon may kabalaslan ka gid, indi ka kahalin.
Kis-a mas manubo ang presyo, pero sa imo suki ka gihapon. Indi mo pagsapakon ang iban nga mas taas magpresyo. Mahuya ka magbalhin. Indi ka mayo kapangayo dugang. Nagapabilin ka. Amo na ang epekto sini sa pagpresyo, sa pagtimbang, sa pagdesisyon kon diin magbaligya.
May isa ka buyer nga nagsiling nga may utang man siya nga kabalaslan sa mga mangingisda. Kay kon wala sila isda, wala man siya kita. Kon magmangkot siya, “May ara ka da isda?” kag sabton siya nga “Oo,” malipay tanan. Kay may maabot nga kita. Pareho lang gid. Pareho sila nagakinahanglanay.
Mapakita man sang buyer ang kabalaslan paagi sa pag-atipan. Kon mag-abot ang mangingisda, hambalon, “Pangape di anay.” May ginahanda nga pagkaon. Kon sin-o gusto magkaon, makaon. May iban nga ginapasulod pa ang suki kag crew sa ila balay. Ginahatagan atensyon. Amo na ang paagi sang buyer sa pagpakita sang utang nga kabalaslan — paagi sa pag-atipan.
Sa dagko nga pantalan, ang mga broker man nagapakita kabalaslan sa ila suki sellers. Nalipay sila kon damo ang delivery. Nagauswag sila kay may kita sila halin sa sellers — mga mangingisda kag manugbaligya halin sa isla. Kon sobra ang isda kag wala may mabakal, ang broker gihapon nagabakal sa iya suki para may madala sila pauli. Bisan barato. Bisan pang-ula na lang. Kon sobra gid kag wala may gusto magbakal, may broker nga masiling, “Baklon ko na lang sa inyo tag 100 para mapuslan niyo lang.” Indi na negosyo lang. Kabalaslan na. Kay may isa ka tawo nga nakakita sang imo kabudlayan kag wala ka ginpabay-an. Amo na nga gusto mo gid magbalik. Kay kabalo ka nga bisan ano matabo, baklon nila ang imo isda. Amo na nga nagapabilin ka.
Indi pareho ang porma sini sa tanan. Ang mangingisda kag seller mabatyagan gid ini sing makusog. Ang buyer kis-a lain ang pagpakita. Halimbawa, kon Paskwa, nagalibot ang broker nga may dala regalo. Naga hambal, “Dako gid ang ginbulig ya sa aton sini nga tuig.” Dira makita ang ila kabalaslan.
May negatibo man nga bahin ini. Kis-a hindi ka kahalin bisan gusto mo na. Bisan may iban nga buyer nga mas taas ang presyo, nagapabilin ka gihapon kay may utang ka nga kabalaslan. Daw nahigtan ka. Nahigot ka sa relasyon. Antuson mo na lang. Sa matuod lang, gikinahanglan man sang buyer nga mabatyagan ini sang ila mga sellers. Kay kon ang mga mangingisda ukon manugbaligya wala kabalaslan, wala man produkto nga maabot sa ila.
Amo na nga may mga tawo nga nabatyahan ang pressure, labi na kon may utang nga kwarta. Kon may utang ka pa kag magbaligya ka sa iban nga buyer, dira nagaabot ang pressure. Ginahambaln ka nga magbayadanay. Kis-a indi sa kwarta, kundi isda. Padayon ka nga nagadelver tubtob mabayaran ang utang. Amo na ang pressure. Pero lain ini sa utang nga kabalaslan. Parte ini sang ginbulig nga ginbuhat sa imo.
Kon wala utang nga kabalaslan, mas mag-an ang kabuhi. Kon wala a kabalaslan, hilway ang imo paminsaron. Pweded ka magkadto bisan diin. Pwede ka maghalin. Indi mo kinahanglan magdumdum. Pero ang tawo nga wala kabalaslan, makakuha lang sa imo kag maglakat dayon. Amo na ang problema amo na ang ginahambal sang iban nga wala pagpasalamat.
Indi gid ini matapos. Bisan nabayran mo na, nagapadayon gihapon. Bisan settled na ang utang, ang relasyon nagapabilin, kay ginadumduman mo ang kaayo. Ginadumduman mo kon sin-o ang nagbulig saimo halin pa sa umpisa. Amo na nga may mga tawo nga nagpabilin bisan nabayran na nila angtanan. Kay kon wala to nga tawo, indi nila mapatindog ang ila pangabuhian.
Kis-a may mga mangingisda nga maghalin kag matilaw sa iban nga buyer. Pero kon may maglain ukon may magproblema, nagabalik sila. Pagbalik nila, masiling sila, “ may utang pa ko to mu.” Mahuya sila. Nagadumdum sila sag ila ginhalinan. Kag nalipay man ang buyer nga nagbalik sila.
Importante gid ang utang nga kabalaslan sa tion sang kinahanglanon– kon may masakit, kon walahuli, kon malain ang merkado. Kon sobra ang isda kag wala may mabakal. Kon may kabudlayan sa dagat ukon sa balay. Kon may nagbulig sa imo sa amo nga mga tion, indi mo gid na malipatan. Mabatyagan mo gid ini sing madalom. Ibalik mo kon kaya mo– indi permi sa kwarta. Kis-a sa pagpabilin. Kis-a sa paghatag isda. Kis-a sa pagbulug kon sila naman ang nagakinahanglan. Bisan may plano ka maghlain saulihi, bisan gusto mo magbakal sang imo kaugalingon nga sakayan, samtang ang imo ginagamit halin sa ila, nagapabilin ka. Nagabawi ka sang kaayo agud indi madula ang salig.
Padayon kag permanente ang utang nga kabalaslan. Kabahin ini sang relasyon. Basta ginadumduman ang kaayo, nagapadayon ini. Amo na ang paglihok sini halin isla pakadto sa mainland, tunga sang mga mangingisda, manugbulad, barangay buyers, mga nagakuha sang sobra, mga broker, kag pamilya. Amo na ang paagi nga ginakabuhi ini.
English
They say that it does not start right away. At first it is just buying and selling. But when someone helps you when you have nothing, that is when it starts – utang nga kabalaslan. When there was no boat, no engine, no capital, and someone provided it. When there was no money, and someone said you can take first. When you come back from fishing and there is already something given to you right away. That is when utang nga kabalaslan begins.
When they had nothing before, someone helped them so they could have a livelihood. Because of that, they remember. They remember who helped when there was no boat yet, when the engine was lacking, when there was no pangabuhian (livelihood). Kabalaslan is remembering that someone helped you when you had nothing. That is what stays.
Sometimes it is not about money. It is about the service. It is about what someone did for you. You cannot pay it with cash. You have to return it in other ways. You return it by coming back. You return it by staying. You return it by not deceiving them. You return it by continuing to deliver.
Even if the debt is already paid, the feeling stays. Even if you already paid the utang, you still feel something. You still feel that you came from them – your suki. Of course, you would feel mahuya (shy/shame/embarrassed) to leave the one you came from. If you built your livelihood through someone, and then when you can already stand on your own you transfer to others, that is not kabalaslan. That would be wala huya (no shame).
Some say utang nga kabalaslan is deep –madalom. As long as you live. As long as there is no conflict. Even if there is conflict, it does not disappear. The conflict will fade, but the utang nga kabalaslan remains. You still remember. You still come back. You still return to the one who helped you.
In buying and selling, it looks like this. Fishers still deliver to their suki even if there are others who offer a higher price. Even if the tara (weight deducted from products like crabs to account for water weight or spoils by trader) is higher, even if the deduction is heavier, if you truly have kabalaslan, you still cannot leave.
Sometimes the price is lower, but you still focus on your suki. You turn back on others. You do not go to the one with the higher price. You feel mahuya to do that. You cannot ask for more. You stay. That is how it works in pricing. That is how it works in weighing. That is how it works in deciding where to sell.
One buyer said she also has utang nga kabalaslan to the fishers. Because if they do not have fish, she also has no income. She said that the buyer depends on the fishers too. When she asks fishers, “May ara ka da isda?” and they say yes, all are happy. Because earnings will come. She said it goes both ways.
Buyers can show it by taking care of their fishers. When they arrive, they can say, “pangape di anay” (lets have coffee). They can put food out. Whoever wants to eat, eats. Some suki buyers welcome fishers and crew in the house. They attend to them. Thats how a buyer can show utang nga kabalaslan. By pag-atipan. By care.
Brokers at the big ports also show kabalaslan to their suki sellers. They are happy when a lot is delivered. They improve because they earn from the sellers – the fishers and the traders of the islands. When there is too much fish, even if no one else will buy, the broker still buys it from their suki – so the fishers can go home with something. Even if it is cheap. Even if it will only be for pang-ula (fish meal). When there is a lot of fish, and no one wants to buy, a broker can say, “baklon ko na lang sa inyo tag 100 para mapuslan niyo lang” (I’ll just buy it from you from 100 so you can just get something/some benefit) – that is not just business. That is kabalaslan. You feel it because someone looked at your hardship. Because instead of throwing it away, they still bought it. So because of that, you really want to come back. No matter what, they will buy your fish. That is why you stay.
It’s not always the same with fishers and buyers. Fishers and sellers feel it strongly. Buyers sometimes feel it too, but it shows differently. The brokers can show it during Christmas. They come with paskwa (christmas presents). They say, “dako gid ang ginbulig ya sa aton sini nga tuig” (a really big help she/he gave us this year). That is where utang nga kabalaslan shows for them.
There are negative sides. Sometimes you cannot leave even if you want to. Even if another buyer offers higher prices, you stay because you have utang nga kabalaslan. You feel tied. Nahigtan. You endure. Antuson mo na lang (just endure it). Actually the buyers need the sellers to feel it – if the fishers or sellers don’t have kabalaslan then of course the buyer will have no products.
So, some people feel pressured, especially when there is money debt. When you still have utang, and you sell to another buyer, that is when pressure comes. You are told to pay first. Sometimes not in money, but in fish. You keep delivering until the utang is paid. That is pressure. But that is different from utang nga kabalaslan. The kabalaslan is about the help that was done.
When there is no utang nga kabalaslan, life is lighter. If you have no kabalaslan, your mind is free. You can go anywhere. You can leave. You do not have to remember. But people who have no kabalaslan can just get from you and leave. That is the problem. That is when people say there is no gratitude.
It doesn’t really end. Even if you pay, it continues. Even if the debt is settled, the relationship remains. Because you remember the goodness. Kaayo. You remember who helped you from the beginning. That is why some people stay even if they already paid everything. Because without that person, they would not have built their livelihood.
Sometimes fishers leave. They try another buyer. But when something goes wrong, they come back. When they come back, they say, “may utang pa ko to mu” (I still have a debt there). They feel shy. They remember. And the buyer is happy that they returned.
Utang nga kabalaslan matters in times of need. When there is sickness, when there is no catch, when the market is bad. When there is surplus and no buyer. When there is hardship at sea or at home. When someone helped you in those times, you cannot forget. You feel it deeply. You return it when you can. Not always in money. Sometimes in staying. Sometimes in giving fish. Sometimes in helping when they need it. Even if you plan to leave someday, even if you want to buy your own boat, as long as what you are using came from that buyer, you stay. You give back so that the salig (trust) will not be lost.
Utang nga kabalaslan is consistent. It is part of the relationship. As long as there is goodness remembered. That is how it moves between island and mainland, between fishers, dryers, barangay buyers, gleaners, brokers, and family. That is how it is lived.
