The Good People of Agno

This fisherman averages five "alimango" per day. With the use of his banca or "bilog" that has outriggers to provide stability, he catches the "alimango" in the crevices and holes found on both banks of the Mabini River. He sells his catch to lovers of crab meat delicacy. This villager's fishing is an honest way for him to earn a living as well as to put food on the table for his family.

In Dangley village in the lower reaches of the Mabini River we see another Agno fisherman. He is preparing to go up and down the waterway catching "talakitok" or giant trevally which is also known as jack fish, as well as "lapu-lapu," a grouper fish named after Lapu Lapu (1491-1542) who fought and defeated the Spanish-sponsored explorer Ferdinand Magellan in the Battle of Mactan in 1521.

Here we see two other Agno fishermen, with their respective outriggered "bilogs," patiently fishing around Dangley village for "talakitok" and "lapu-lapu." "Talakitok" is suitable for fish fillets using "kalamansi" juice mixed with "patis" and laced with crushed red chili for "sawsawan." It may also be eaten as "tinono nga ikan" using the Lingayen-made fish sauce called "bagoong" as the dip containing slices of red, juicy tomato as well as "sili sairo!" On the other hand, the "lapu-lapu" may be prepared as "relleno," "escabeche," "sarciado" as well as simply eaten as fillet, grilled ("tinono nga ikan") or steamed.

At the mouth of the Mabini River, a Sabangan Sur fisherman is engaged in the catching of wild bangus fry using the fishing net attached to his outriggered "bilog" behind him. Bangus or milkfish is the national fish of the Philippines. It is grilled or fried and then cooked with assorted vegetables in a wonderful Pangasinan and Ilocano dish called "pinakbet." In the Bangus Festival of Dagupan City in April 2006, 101 ways of cooking bangus were featured!

Two Sabangan Sur fisherwomen are seen in this picture. They are catching bangus fry too using their fishing net in the mouth of the Mabini River. Filipino women play an important role in helping their respective families make both ends meet for household subsistence.

These fisherwomen stay in the water for many hours everyday under the tropical sun to eke out a living. Their sunburnt bodies reflect the daily struggle they wage to face the desperate choices they have to make in the margins of society.

With the geological monuments called the Umbrella Rocks in Sabangan Norte across the mouth of the Mabini River in the background, the fisherwomen of Sabangan Sur demonstrate that fishing is becoming feminized; that women are capable of performing this task previously considered the exclusive domain of men.

The importance of the Mabini River in the life of the Agnoans is underscored by this picture. Not only is this body of water used for subsistence as well as commercial fishing; it is also a waterway for transport used by the riverine inhabitants of the town, a path for communication as well as cultural interaction through the centuries until today.

 
A family that fishes together eats fish together! Here we see the members of an entire household doing cooperative work in catching bangus fry along the Sabangan Sur coastal waters of Agno Bay. In the background to the left is Aloleng Beach and to the right are the precipitous Bangol Crags.

A Sabangan Sur village fisherman sits in the company of his nephew under a makeshift shed made of slender tree trunks and coconut leaves while fixing his fishing net used as well in catching bangus fry in Agno Bay. By netting 2000 bangus fry everyday, if the weather is good, he is assured of a daily income of PHP500.00 for his basic commodities like rice and clothing.








 

The lady of this household, together with one of her children, shows to the lay photographer's local guide the bangus fry already placed in the plastic pail. According to her and her husband, bangus fry buyers owning fishponds pay them PHP500.00 for every 2000 bangus fishlings. How long it takes them to gather 2000 bangus fry varies from day to day depending on the supply available in the sea.