With the chirps of the crickets still resonating and the sun still seemingly asleep with the rest of the world, fisher folk in Barobo, Surigao del Sur set foot into their bancas in the hopes of catching fish for their tables. These fisher folk depend on their luck at sea to support the needs of their family. And like the sea, their catch has highs and lows leading to uncertain income.

Fuelled by hardships and dreams, Vilma T. Guingue, 47, breaks the notions surrounding work once thought suited only for men. She accompanies her husband to help him catch fish at sea to feed their nine children waiting at home.

By joining the Anunang Gamut Fishermen Association (AGFA) in 2017 as secretary and caretaker, Vilma hopes to find the freedom she wants to serve a key role in the country’s food system and step outside her usual routines as a housewife to provide a brighter future for their children.

In 2011, the local government of Barobo helped AGFA acquire a bangus aquaculture project with the Mindanao Rural Development Program (MRDP) which was later upgraded in 2018 when the group was granted P1,164,135.55 worth of materials to raise 30,000 barungan or bangus fingerlings as an expansion to their original project.

“Before, we only depended on the fish we caught for our income and it was rare to get an abundant number of fish,” Vilma said. “Now, aside from the share we receive from our bangus harvests, I now earn P4,000 every month. It’s a big help to the family. I was able to send two of my children to college and thankfully they have already graduated.”

Margarita M. Mabong, AGFA’s bookkeeper, also observed a shift in the attitude of Anunang residents. “People here are happier and have gotten healthier because they can now eat properly and nutritiously. We can cook different bangus recipes. It was a huge difference before when we had no fish pens,” she said.

Taking care of the bangus entailed a lot of work from feeding to making sure that the nets do not have holes so the fingerlings could not escape. It also involved the removal of dead fish to avoid poisoning the live ones. “It wasn’t hard for me since my husband helps. If before I helped him to catch fish at sea, now it’s the other way around,” Vilma said.

PRDP continues to uplift its proponent groups by providing infrastructure or capital needs and capacity building. Just this 2021, members and non-AGFA members were trained in “Bangus Bottling and Processing Training” which is in partnership with the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR).

Like Vilma, this PRDP training empowered women in the community to do something relevant while their men were at sea. Vilma also encouraged her daughter to join and learn new skills.

“This boosted our morale as wives. While our husbands are busy at sea, we can do deboning and bottling, then sell these products. It’s extra income for the family, community, and the association,” said Rubelyn T. Cahilis, wife of an AGFA member.

Barobo LGU is also in full support of the association, providing them with materials such as pressure cooker, gas stove, kitchen wares, among others for the start-up of their bangus processing business.

Excessive harvesting causes the fisherfolks to sell the bangus at a lower price, losing the chance of additional profits. Now, with the acquired knowledge of processing, the excess bangus can already be sold at a higher price compared to the unprocessed fish.

Alongside their bangus processing, AGFA aims to expand its aquaculture into sea tourism, with the support of Barobo LGU.

For Vilma, government interventions provided opportunities for a woman like her to make a living. She said that giving them skill trainings pushes more women to find their voice in the community and start a business.

“I am deeply grateful for all the interventions given to this community, especially for including and making us women important,” Vilma expressed.

While women are no strangers to the hustles of being of managing their households, with the cooperation of AGFA and government interventions, they unceasingly catch dreams in an endless sea of opportunities.