Fishing

Clear skies and calm waters made the day ideal for fishing. Waves quietly lapped the shoreline as we pushed the bangka boat into the water, prematurely disturbing the early morning tranquility. We took a short detour towards the nearby town market in order to buy a couple packs of alkaline AA batteries for the digital camera. After doing so, I hopped back into the boat, and we took off looking for a good fishing spot.

Sunlight glittered across parts of the ocean's surface. We chugged along until the water's color changed from green to varying shades of blue. We just chose a random spot to fish where the water was quite deep (dark blue). With a quick whirl, the metal bar that served as a weight, plunged into the water and took my fishing line towards the hidden depths of the ocean, only to stop when it hit rock bottom. Equipped with four hooks baited with small shrimp, we waited for the rock fish to bite. With the line so deep into the ocean, it was difficult to get a feel for what was a bite and what was just the current. It took a little while to adapt and finally decipher which vibrations required action, because a true bite requires a quick tug from the fisherman's arm in order to secure that the hook ensnares the fish and does not let it wiggle loose.

Our fishing equipment was not very fancy, but rest assured they were effective nonetheless. Soon, we were pulling in all sorts of rock fish, like lapu-lapu, mulmol, and bisugo. Fishing was quite a delight and a bit addicting. The fish that we caught are actually quite expensive at the market, reaching 350 pesos / kilo for lapu-lapu. Fishing is actually a means of living for many people of the province, and it proves to be a reciprocal occupation, providing direct food on the table and also money when sold. Unlike the machine-like jobs of modern civilization, fishing has an appeal from its unpredictability and its dependence on the fisherman's discretion, meaning the amount and type of catch is dependent on the fisherman's skills, experience, diligence, and decisions. Its a way of living that is flexible in that one can decide when one would like to fish. If one would like to spend the whole day and night fishing in order to bring in a plentiful catch, and then rest the next day or two, one can do that. Or if one would like to fish for a set amount of hours per day, they could do so as well. Or if one would like to fish only for food, they could do so. The point is there are a number of possible options. Try to do this in the modern world and tell your boss that you would like to work a lot today so you can take a rest tomorrow, or that you would like to take it easy this week so you would only like to work enough for food, and I think he may advise you to take some sick leave instead because you aren't thinking clearly, or he may just outright fire you.

In a matter of an hour, we caught enough to make a decent meal for a whole family, which was just in time as our skin began to burn and the waves began to roll. We took a short break at a nearby island, which I later discovered was Hermana Menor. Rice, grilled pusit or squid, and spicy vinegar was our morning meal. We sat there eating with our hands, as Filipinos traditionally do, enjoying the spectacular tropical scenery. It was a serene and relaxing break, as blue birds chirped atop nearby trees and a light wind whistled through the surrounding shrubbery. I wasn't able to explore too much of the island as I saw several “no trespassing – private property” signs. I was informed that someone tried to nab a few coconuts in the past and was caught by the owner. The owner then forced him to take down all the coconuts from the tree and drink all of them in one sitting.

On the way back to the mainland, I noticed an eye-catching beach that jutted out from the island of Hermana Menor. Its pristine white sand and clear waters were so stunning that I couldn't resist making a stop. I walked a bit into the water and it seemed to suddenly deepen significantly not far from the shore. I was told that many children and a handful of adults that were poor swimmers have disappeared at the very spot. Soon, the wind began to pick up and the waves grew larger. The fisherman who accompanied me alerted me that it was time to head back before the circumstances became worse. So we all ran back to the boat and rushed back to the mainland bobbing up and down to the rolling waves. We were soaked upon return from the splashing waves, but had a warm belly not long after as we had fried rock fish for lunch.

Barangay Sabangan, Lipay, Hermana Menor, Sta. Cruz, Zambales Pictures / Photos: