Trip to Zamboanga: Facts about Rubber and Sardines

Hi all,

Every now and then I get the urge to write about the things I learn about after going around the country. This is something I’d like to share with you – so come along for the tour! This little photo essay will be about rubber and sardines: two different, thriving industries in the province of Zamboanga.

This is called Satti – it’s the favorite snack of the Tausugs of Jolo and my breakfast when I arrived in Zamboanga a few days ago. Having this breakfast dish of beef cubes on a stick dipped in thick, sweet, spicy broth with rice could be summed up in one word: sarap.

How to Make Rubber 101

Before manufacturing companies even begin production of rubber shoes and tires, they import the semi-processed raw material from the Philippines. That process is explained in just three simple phases which I’d like to label (a) flatten; (b) dry; and (c) squish. I’m sure there are more technical terms but I like starting out with the basics. That works for senate bills, too!

This first phase shows you tree sap being flattened through the machine.

This next picture shows you the flattened sap being dried up.

After the drying, the flattened sap is, for lack of a better word, squished until it forms something that now sort of resembles rubber blocks. These blocks, which are being packaged in the picture, are exported as the semi-processed material for tires and slippers.

Learning about this process was a big discovery for me – and a cause of sadness. Why do we merely export the semi-finished product? Why haven’t we become producers of the final output as well? There’s a big enough market for many rubber products, but maybe we’re making it too hard for people to start their business, making them run from pillar to post and being forced to pay bribes. And maybe it’s cheaper to send rubber abroad and finished products back in because transport costs within the country are far too high. As long as we don’t change that, we continue to miss out.

Tuna and Sardines Processing

Apparently, when the fishing vessels go out to sea, they go near the borders of our ASEAN neighbors to catch fish. They carry a big refridgerator to ensure freshness of the catch. When they’re brought home for processing, the picture above shows you what the process looks like for tuna.

This, on the other hand, is for sardines.

And just like that, they’re finally canned and weighed. Amazing. Oh, and to add to this talk about sardines, I remember reading a NYT article last year about sardines being “health food in a can.” I’m glad to know that we make a lot of it and we do it very well. However, it’s future depends on protecting our fish stocks both from overfishing and from illegal fishing of foreign vessels in our waters.

As the election campaign heats up in the next few weeks, I’ll probably see more places around the country and I’ll try to make even more photo-essays about them. Until then, let me leave you with this short note on sardines and rubber coming from Zamboanga – industries with hardworking people that inspire hope for our future. And a recommendation, certainly, to try the Satti when you’re there!

M.