Seaweed for a brighter future: A Bangsamoro legacy
By Datumama Tutin
Being born and raised poor is never your fault. But it will be your forever fault if you remain poor and die out of poverty.
Imagine children working already just to help their parents meet their daily needs. These kids have seen how hard life was; how difficult it was for their families to survive. They are supposed to stay home and spend time playing with their fellows. But these kids chose to go to sea farms to assist their parents in harvesting seaweeds. At a very young age, they are learning how to make a living for their families. They are learning to figure out how to feed themselves.
The persistence of poverty has been a long overdue issue in the country. There are so many children suffering out of poverty; worst, they are dying out of hunger and malnutrition. Tawi-Tawi, a far-flung place situated in the Bangsamoro Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao (BARMM), is not exempted from this. There are many families in this province who remained poor up to this day. Luckily enough, they manage to survive every day because of the abundance of seaweeds on their island. These treasures of the sea had provided them the opportunity to feed their families.
Since the early 1970s, seaweed farming has been the major source of income for the residents of Tawi-Tawi. In fact, about eighty percent of the people’s livelihood in this province centers on the cultivation of such marine plants, making Tawi-Tawi the top producer of seaweed in the country, and one of the few in the whole world. The consistently large volume that Tawi- Tawi produces every year is the very reason why it still remained the “Seaweed Capital of the Philippines”.
Normally, for some families, the parents are the only ones who go to work. But for Tawi- Tawi residents, the case is different. Children too are working for their families by engaging in seaweed cultivation. As early as ten years old, these Bangsomoro kids had learned to earn money by simply diving under the sea to collect seaweeds, tying them up, and even selling them themselves to tourists and some seaweed lovers around the area. This may not be the kind of life that most parents would want to see for their children, but the fact that these young Bangsamoros have already instilled in their minds their obligation to help their parents in any possible way they can is something that we all must be proud of. Through their initiative, they are able to buy food and medicines for their families as well as provide themselves with pocket money for school. Their age never hinders them to find a way in order to give something to their loved ones. Even the freezing water in the morning nor the heat of the noon sun cannot stop them. These children remind us that no matter what your age is, you can still do something for your family. You can still get rid of poverty. You can definitely turn your dreams into reality if you work hard on them.
For over fifty decades, Tawi-Tawians have been depending on the bounty of these seaweeds on their island. Fortunately, the BARMM government and other sectors in the region are doing their best to sustain the seaweed farming industry in Tawi-Tawi. They are working together to intensify and expand the production of seaweeds in the province by providing the farmers with
more seedlings to grow and facilities where they can store and easily dry their cultivated seaweeds. The support and assistance that farmers receive from our compassionate and benevolent leaders will be a stepping stone that will provide more job opportunities for the Tawi-Tawians. Lest we forget, the seaweed farming industry was the reason why Tawi-Tawi had freed itself from being one of the poorest provinces in the Philippines. So, it is very important to sustain the seaweed industry in Tawi-Tawi. Not only will it benefit the locals, but it will also improve the socioeconomic situation of the region. One day, with the effort and collaboration of our dynamic leaders, the poverty in the province will completely be terminated. Soon, we will see a more prosperous Tawi-Tawi, slowly but surely.
With that being said, let us encourage the people of Tawi-Tawi, most especially the children to continuously embrace seaweed farming. We must remind them to always treasure the gift of the sea. Seaweed is not just seaweed. It has become an integral part of their lives. It is where they generate income to alleviate poverty. On top of that, venturing into seaweed farming is already a part of their daily practices. Seaweeds speak about their culture, history, and origin. It is a reflection of their identity as Bangsamoro seaweed farmers. Furthermore, this serves as a legacy of the past for the present and for future Bangsamoro generations of Tawi-Tawi. Hence, they must sustain this legacy. They must strive harder to preserve their culture. With seaweeds, a brighter future awaits the children.