Hi everyone,

By now you’ve probably seen our latest TV commercial – the one about sardines. Now that I’m back in Manila, I’d like to take this time to tell you a quick story behind it.

Sometime in 2007, I received an e-mail from a supporter thinking as far ahead as 2010. Mike, a former OFW, said that his sardine company would commit Spanish-style sardines (all the way from Dipolog!) to my staff so that none of us would go hungry during the campaign. It was very touching! And it made me remember the reason for the e-mail.

Mike was a beneficiary of the DTI Sulong Program (at the time I was still the department’s cabinet secretary). This initiative allowed him to access a loan of P500,000 to start his sardines business. This same company later won an award for being an outstanding small and medium enterprise in 2003. Today, “Tito Mike’s” now exports 90% of its products to the US and Canada. In case you’d like to taste them yourself, the sardines are MSG-fee and can also be found in your local Pan de Manila!

The point of this story is: he got the loan and the award because of his initiative and his sound business idea. He didn’t know me or anyone else at the DTI but he was treated on the basis of his merits and potential… and not because of connections! That’s what he was grateful for. His offer of support was not based on utang na loob (because I didn’t intervene in his behalf)… but because he saw first-hand how government could work if those in power didn’t dispense favors but instead supported good ideas.

Ito po ang nangyayari kung merong tapat at tuwid na pamumuno na nakatutok sa pagtulong sa maliliit na player sa merkado: sila ay lumalaki rin. In this real life example, hundreds of fishermen are now able to sell their catch regularly to food processors like Tito Mike’s. A small business – which started out with a simple loan – is now able grow itself and even compete abroad! Millions of Filipinos in different other industries deserve this kind of opportunity. Let’s help each other make this happen this 2010… not just for food processors like Mike but for every Filipino who deserves a fighting chance to succeed. Kung tapat at tuwid ang pamumuno, tiyak ang asenso.

M.

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.