Bidoy is from the southern Palawan town of Balabac. When he gathers enough river pearls from his area, he travels to northern Palawan, the other end of the province, to sell them to visitors in Coron. He approaches the several boats, rowing on improvised rafts, moored at Kayayangan Cove or Hidden Lagoon, offering bracelets crafted from river pearls. He and the other migrant merchants would seek shelter in a bangka during periods of intense monsoon rain. In the event of a typhoon, they would move back to the mainland and head upriver, soaked through yet shielded from the gales.

#ProjectLarawan. Profiles of the Filipino. One portrait at a time.

Project Larawan is an initiative of Gabriel “Gabby” Malvar, a documentary filmmaker, writer and photographer, whose narratives are nuanced with unique, inventive perspectives to provoke an inquisitive look at his favorite subject, the Philippines. Become a part of Filipino identity every other Saturday on the DAILY TRIBUNE.