By Manny Piñol
Yes, (old) men do cry.
It has been a long time since I last saw a man cry
But yesterday as 600 men in blue t-shirt, including 120 members of the neglected Badjao sea gypsy tribe, received 300 fiberglass fishing boats, I saw many old men with sunburned faces wipe tears from their eyes.
For the first time in their lives, they received from the national government sturdy and beautiful fishing boats made of fiberglass which came complete with engine, nets and fishing lines.
Seeing the men cry, I addressed the government officials and workers who were present during the ceremony and told them to see how a simple act by government to reach out to the poorest of the poor could be a momentous event for them.
“Let us not put in our pocket the money intended for the poor because that would be like depriving them of joy and happiness,” I told the government officials.
I also reminded them of President Rody Duterte’s commitment to end corruption in government and of giving to the people what is due them.
The fiberglass fishing boats some of which were fabricated by Typhoon Yolanda victims in Tacloban City were like a Mercedes Benz compared to the traditional wooden boats which most Filipino fishermen use.
The distribution of the fiberglass boats all over the country is a project of the Dept. of Agriculture-Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources to boost fish catch for the market and also to address poverty among fisherfolk families.
It also supports President Duterte’s commitment to provide “Available and Affordable Food” for the Filipino people.
The turn-over of the fiberglass fishing boats was held at the Daliao Toril Fish Port in Davao City as part of the Kadayawan Festival activities.
Davao City Mayor Sara Duterte was supposed to receive the fiberglass boats but I was informed that she was advised by her doctors to take a bed rest.
What made the occasion very dramatic yesterday was the participation of 120 Badjao families who stood out in the crowd of blue because of their golden hair.
The Badjaos are a nomadic tribe who consider the sea their homes but have largely been looked down and discriminated against because many of them end up as beggars in the streets of many cities in the country.
Yesterday, I saw joy in their faces when I declared that the Badjaos, along with the 480 other recipients of the fiberglass boarts, would be drafted as the first group of Bantay Laut, fishermen who would be tasked with guarding the seas where they fish against illegal fishing and cleaning up the seas of floating garbage.
I also asked the Badjaos if they were willing to send their children to school so that they would not end up begging in the streets and they all shouted “Yes.”
As members of the Bantay Laut they would give issued large laminated IDs which they could wear and that they would be auxiliaries to the Philippine Coast Guard and the PNP Maritime Group in the campaign against illegal fishing.
What made the fishermen very happy was the announcement that for the next three months, each of them will be receiving a P3,000-honorarium as Bantay Laut.
After three months, livelihood programs like operating a nursery for mangrove tree seedlings which could be sold to the DA or the Dept. of Environment and Natural Resources, will be given to them.
When the speeches ended and the fishermen were allowed to take a closer look at the fishing boats displayed all over the area of Fish Port area, I saw them jump excitedly inspecting one boat after another.
And yes, I saw some of them cry again.
(Photos by John Pagaduan.)
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