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Clockwise from
left: An average of
16
oysters cling to
a rope; an oyster
farmer deftly
cracks one open; as
fresh as it gets in
Cambuhat River
A R I V E R R U N S T H R O U G H I T
In the late ’90s, the locals were
miseducated about the river that runs
through the town and were unaware of
the river’s true potential. “To begin with,
there never was much to fish in the
area,” explains Dodong.
All that changed with the river tour.
Given the stamp as priority area for
the Coastal Resources Management
Project, Dodong reveals that the
paradigm shift not only invigorated
the townsfolk, it gave them the
opportunity to rely on one another to
keep the industry that feeds the whole
community alive. “Spawning season
is from June to September, but at any
given time there are mature oysters
from the previous season to harvest,”
says Dodong. It’s a sustainable cycle
that they now honor deeply. “Farming
these oysters not only introduced a
sustainable alternative livelihood,
but made sure that the river is clean.
Permanently.”
To punctuate his claim, Dodong
flips a knife in the air, pries open the
biggest oyster in the lot, dips it into the
water for a quick rinse, and plops the
sweetish-salty flesh from the mother of
pearl shell into his mouth. He goes on to
persuade others to have a taste as well.
The rhythms
of the river
A basketful of blanched oysters, slightly
open and ready to eat, are brought in
by six ladies: Cresencia, Irinea, Cirila,
Victoria, Juditha and Lydia. Caught
fresh from the same river below the
al
fresco
community center, where lunch
is now served, they cost a mere PHP15
per string (about 16 oysters each), the
current going rate from the source.
The ladies suddenly disappear, and
there is a bit of scurrying in the kitchen
area. Visible through metal bars, one
can make out the 40-something-year-
old women touching up their faces with
a bit of rouge and pinning their hair up.
In a matter of minutes, as you nibble
on the last bits of meat from the sweet
crab leg and slurp up any remaining
oysters, the ladies emerge and the
show begins.
They have shed Western wear and
now don the powder blues and pinks of
blouse and skirt separates that appear
