Waiting for the big fish to come

Labrado Bacidella, 46, used to be a construction worker. Because of the pandemic, he turned to fishing to sustain himself and his 5-year-old son, Angelo.

“Ang hirap doon sa construction site, Sir, dahil ‘pag lumabas ka iqu-quarantine ka ulit ng 14 days. Sayang ‘yung araw, sayang ‘yung kita (It’s difficult to stay in the construction site, Sir, because when you go out, you have to go on quarantine for 14 days. Time is wasted and you can’t earn money),” Bacidella said as he fixed a fishing net in Baseco Beach, Manila.

The COVID-19 outbreak has cost the jobs of more than 112,000 workers, half of whom were laid off in June alone. The Department of Labor and Employment recorded at least 112,414 workers who were displaced either due to retrenchment or business closures in its latest report.

Photo by KD Madrilejos/Rappler

Bacidella would wake up early in the morning and board the small fishing vessel owned by his boss, to venture into the murky waters of Manila Bay up to the Cavite area. If the catch is good, a tub full of fish would amount to P2,000. He would get a share of the money and use it for his daily expenses.

When he couldn’t set sail to catch fish, he would fix broken fishing nets, and get paid P300.

“Kailangang um-extra, Sir. Kailangang dumiskarte (You have to do extra work, Sir. You have to be resourceful),” Bacidella added.

Like many others, Bacidella has been struggling to make ends meet since the pandemic forced lockdowns and other quarantine measures. He said his landlord had already notified him to vacate their small place in Baseco if he continued to fail paying rent. 

The Department of Trade and Industry announced that there would be no eviction of tenants who fail to pay rent during the quarantine period. This is not the case, however, in the Bacidella’s Baseco compound.

“Paano ako makakabayad? Wala ngang kita, ganitong may bagyo pa at pandemya? Panggastos ng upa, ilaw, bayarin wala (How can I pay? I have no earnings, and theres’s bad weather and a pandemic. Money for rent, expenses, none)!” Bacidella said.

Photo by KD Madrilejos/Rappler

In May, Labrado received cash assistance from the government but he said it was not enough to tide them over.

In his public address on August 2, President Rodrigo Duterte said the government had no more money for cash assistance to poor families, as he reverted Metro Manila and nearby provinces to a two-week modified enhanced community quarantine.

This week, the country went into an economic recession, after the gross domestic product shrank by 16.5% in the second quarter.

As he patched up a broken fishing net, Bacidella may just be dreaming of catching that elusive big fish so that he and his son could survive the pandemic. –Rappler.com