by Doris Bongcac
Armel Lamata learned to fish when he was just seven years old.
He learned the skill from his late grandfather, Marcelino Sasan. Fishing has been his life since.
The 31-year-old Armel has tried working elsewhere but he would always go back to fishing whenever he could.
Catching fish has been the main source of livelihood for his family, who reside in Seaside in Barangay North Poblacion in Naga City, Cebu. He lives there with his common-law partner, Beverly Hingon, 31, and their three children – Vanessa, 13; Shahara, 7; and Ziph Delan, 2.
But while he loves what he does, Armel said, he wanted a different kind of life for his children as being a fisherman is exhausting and requires hard physical work.
A Better Life
For someone with first-year high school education, Armel said he always looks forward to seeing his children earn a degree and live a better life compared to what they now have.
Ang importante makahuman sila og eskwela, basta dili lang maparehas namo. (What is important is they finish their studies, that they don’t end up like us.)
It is for this reason that he works very hard.
Armel said he would go out to sea everyday as a motorboat engine operator.
He would sail at 8 a.m. with a colleague or two coming from the Seaside Fishermen Association, where his father, Melchor, is the president, and be back home after two hours. At times, they would head out at 4 p.m. and come home by 10 in the evening. If they are lucky, they are able to bring home as much as 40 kilos of fish. Their catch would normally include tamarong, tulingan, malapati, and anduhaw.
Armel said they would either fish in the waters of Naga City or go to the waters of Bohol, especially if there was fair weather. On ordinary days, they would catch three to five kilos of fish, which they would sell to a relative, who is a vendor at the Naga City Public Market.
Chosen Livelihood
Melchor is very proud of his son and his dignified profession. Of his seven children, Armel was the only who became a fisherman, a livelihood that helps the latter support his dreams for his children.
As a father, Melchor is particularly pleased knowing that Armel is also happy with who he has become.
Bisan og maka-trabaho pa na siya sa usa ka lokal na kompanya sa semento, ang huna-huna ana naa gihapon sa dagat. Inig uli managat pa gyud. (Even if he got a job at a local cement company, he would still think of going out to sea. When he gets home from his work, he will still fish.)
A project-based mechanical contractor for the same cement company, Melchor added that he, too, would go out to sea if he had time. It’s a skill he learned from his late father-in-law some 25 years ago.
For Armel, he intends to continue to fish for as long as he can, saying, “Basta dili lang mag tapol sa dagat, naa man gyud kay makuha. (As long as you don’t get lazy at sea, you will catch something.)”
Fishing In Stormy Seas
According to Armel, the life of a fisherman is difficult. There had been several instances when he would get caught in a storm while at sea.
But he continues to persevere with his family in mind and it’s the kind of motivation that keeps him aware of the responsibilities of the job.
“Maningkamot lang gyud nga dili matikwang ang bangka. Kun mag lain ang panahon, huwat lang gyud usa nga mo lurang. (We always try our best to keep our motorboat steady so that it won’t capsize. If there’s bad weather, we wait for it to pass [then we continue to fish].) ” he said.
Last June, Typhoon Betty kept Armel and his fellow fishermen on shore for about a week. With their main livelihood affected, they had no choice but to rely on the generosity of sari-sari store owners for their needs.
“Utang lang sa. (Buy on credit.)” he said.
Sometimes he would also have work opportunity by helping a neighbor assemble their trisikad or sidecars.
Armel recalled when his family and those of other fishermen in Seaside North Poblacion were almost left with nothing when Super Typhoon Odette hit in December 2021.
Strong winds and huge waves brought damaged their boats and their homes.
They had to evacuate after the water level started to rise.
Nahurot gyud ni tanan diri. (We lost everything here.)
Re-Starting For Armel And Company
Therma Power-Visayas, Inc. (TPVI), Aboitiz Foundation, and the City of Naga came together in response to the fishermen’s situation.
In March, they turned over a livelihood re-starter kit that included a motorboat and fishing supplies to six organized groups including Seaside Fishermen Association of which Armel is a member. The donation is part of an initiative called “Livelihood Recovery Projects” for accredited associations and cooperatives in Naga City.
Last December 2022, TPVI also turned over a Rice Retailing Project to the Inoburan, Tina-an, and Langtad Fishermen Association. Two months later, the company conducted a swine raising orientation for the Uling and Mainit Farmers Association as part of its community-based agro-enterprise for swine production.
Kian Santos, Reputation Manager of AboitizPower Thermal Business Group, said the project was inspired by the Productivity Initiatives of Sustainable Organizations (PISO) program of former Naga City Mayor Kristine Chiong and Aboitiz Foundation’s RE[START] Livelihood Recovery Project.
TPVI replicated the project in 2021 with 10 beneficiary associations and in 2022 with 6 beneficiary associations from the City of Naga.
“With the assistance of the City Agriculture Office (CAO), which is our project partner implentor, we continued this livelihood project through the provision of needed livelihood re-starter kits to selected cooperatives and organizations. The project aims to provide assistance to those associations affected by the pandemic and other calamities as well as provide an alternative livelihood for them to diversify their businesses,” Kian said.
Reaping Measurable Benefits
Santos said the Seaside Fishermen Association was selected as a program beneficiary because their home, Barangay North Poblacion, is one of the closest barangays to TPVI in terms of proximity.
With the re-starter kit, they saw a 10 percent increase in the association’s income that will have to be reflected in the progress report that they will submit to the CAO.
He also shared a plan by the association to purchase another motorboat from the profit that they will earn from the livelihood support.
“Depending on post-project evaluation and the quality of maintenance of the beneficiaries, another round of assistance may be considered,” Kian explained. With the help of TPVI, Aboitiz Foundation, and the Naga City government, Seaside fishermen were able to slowly get back on their feet.
Daku kaayo ni nga tabang namo labi kay nabongkag sa Odette ang among mga bangka. (This was a big help for all of us especially after Odette destroyed our motorboats.)
Their association, established in 2005, now has 97 members who are fishermen and fish vendors.
The biggest difference made by TPVI’s support is in empowering local communities and fostering economic resilience to the fishermen in Naga City.
As for Melchor, he is optimistic that once they put in the work, all members will be able to maximize the donation towards a better quality of life.
