At about 7:30 am, they start hauling in the fishnet that the men had cast out at sea hours ago. Very far away, another line of men and women are pulling in the other end of the net.
The old and the young put in the much needed strength to pull the net. This is their early morning aerobics exercise. More sophisticated folks could have done the same in the gym with better results. But for these simple folks, they do their exercise as they seek for food for their tables.
As the end of the line looks near, the folks hope that it could be a good catch. They hope that today must be better than yesterday.
The two lines of people get nearer...
... and nearer. So is the awaited catch.
Small boys run to see what is enstored for them. Will they have a good meal today? Will their parents now buy them their requirements for school?
Ah, there it is! That net could make our day....
The boys seem to think that it is a heavy load. But nobody is cheering......
And the prized catch! Still nobody is cheering....
Behold! The fruit of hours of hard labor! And it doesn't even fill the shallow container. Yesterday, the catch was better. Yesterday's catch filled up seven containers.
Transient and local buyers start to flock to buy some of the catch. But the folks cannot sell. No, not yet. They first have to divide the measly catch among the so many stakeholders. And before they can even divide the catch mong themselves, they first have to wait for the person with whom they pawned the net they used. By practice, the de facto owner of the fishnet will first get his share before anyone lays a hand on the catch.
Meantime, while the olds wait for the owner of the net and the young ones play to while away the emptiness in their tummies, the men check on the net...
.. before they roll it for safekeeping, and ready to be unrolled again the following day for, hopefully, a better catch.
Others continue on their aerobics exercise by pushing the boat to higher grounds.
The weather can turn bad and the seas can be nasty. But the boat will now be safe. Today the catch is disappointing. But tomorrow is another day. And with the net and the boat safe and in good condition, and with the fisherfolks working as a team and undaunted by the challenges in life, tomorrow may just yield a better catch. @
2 comments:
hard work. hard life. bleak future. Palitan sa si Gloria Arroyo!
Ngayon na!
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