countdown to the market

Every day, I buy a kilo of fish for the dogs. My mom does too, for the family and her staff. Usually, the kinds of fish that are normal size, nothing like what I saw this morning.

Kuya Roman facing chopping block, his hands in steady rhythmic motion. From behind, what he was cutting looked like a mermaid with long silver tail. It was huge. Oh, for the 50 guests they have in their bed and breakfast.

In El Nido now, the sea must feed not just the locals, but the influx of tourists too. Again and again, there are mouths to be fed and the ocean must cope. There are questions I’m scared to ask because I’m scared of the answer.

How are the reefs surviving in a tourist-driven community led by traditional political systems? Are there real efforts to give back to the marine ecosystem even half of what we land creatures keep taking? For surely, in any relationship both parties must give and take to survive. How much longer do we have?

It’s the moments I walk to the market and in pauses like this that I pray the weather stays kind for the fish, for the fishermen, and all those stomachs waiting onshore.

4 February 2025 | El Nido, Palawan