Fish, be with us

Taliptip, Bulacan retains fishing as its chief source of livelihood.

Fish and other seafood have always been principal to the diet of Filipinos, being in an archipelago. Almost 60 percent of the population live within or around coastal waters, so fishing is a main source of livelihood for many — and among them are the residents and fisherfolk of Taliptip, Bulacan.

Situated on the north coast of Manila Bay, of which a thousand residents of seven sitios reside, is an expanse of water where marine life thrives, be it the local favorites bangus, hipon, sugpo, alimango and other types of fishes that feed not just people in the Philippines, but also most Bulakeño fishermen for whom fishing is a main livelihood.

Dependent on natural resources, most residents here have makeshift homes and baklad (fish trap) for their daily living. Taliptip is known for being an important fishing ground for spawning and nursing fish, crab, shrimp and other local seafood.

According to data from the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources in 2017, Bulacan is a primary fish spawning and nursing ground because of its well-preserved mangroves. Next is the LPPACHEA area, which is the Las Piñas-Parañaque Critical Habitat and Ecotourism Area.

FRIENDS from the media en route to see the mangroves up close.

Residents in Taliptip also live without electricity, and would rather just use batteries on important appliances. In spite of this, it is the only place they call home.

“Hindi lang displacement ang kakaharapin ng mga mangingisda (dito) at pagkawala ng kabuhayan nila. Kung hindi yung malawakang baha na maidu-dulot ng proyekto kasi tatambakan nito ang natural na daluyan ng ating katubigan (The problem is not just going to be the displacement of fisherfolk living in this area and the loss of their livelihood. It’s seeing the bigger picture, it’s going to be the environmental consequences of filling the natural cycle of our waters),” Giya Clemente, a representative from Akap Ka Manila Bay, an alliance of the church people and the fisherfolk in Bulacan, Bataan and Pampanga.

Akap Ka Manila Bay, along with Oceana, aims to protect the livelihood and housing of those living along the waters of Manila Bay, as well as the integrity of the natural environment, now that it is still facing a lot of development projects.

Their current focus is the communities living in Taliptip, Bulacan, and its environment. As fishing is the only source of income they have in Taliptip, many residents worry about how they will make a living if they are relocated.

Taliptip is known for caring for the mangroves, which in turn help the residents and the environment.

BOAT port where locals go in and out of Taliptip’s waters.

Vito Hernandez, from the Advocates of Science and Technology for the People and also a faculty member of the University of the Philippines Diliman, shared the economic and environmental importance of small-scale fishermen in our society and the environmental impact and consequences of disturbing natural resources, especially when the world is facing climate change.

“Most of what we buy in the markets, ako taga-Cubao ako eh. So Farmer’s Market, Arayat Market, yung mga binebenta doon. Galing yun sa kanila and (along with) every market in the Philippines (Most of what we buy our markets as I am from Cubao, Farmer’s Market, Arayat Market all the things they sell there along with every market in the Philippines, the seafood comes from the

small-scale fisherfolks),” Vito shared. “Because that’s (fish) we get in shallow waters.”

“Importante sila sa atin (Fisherfolk are important to us),” he added.

Over 70 percent of the food security and self-sufficiency comes from the sea or the waters, not just for Metro Manila but for the entire Philippines.