You give me fish, I give you gulay
Gerandy Danao, mayor of Narra, Palawan, shares how barter and bayanihan are helping his townspeople live through the quarantine
This Covid-19 pandemic has been bringing out one of the most exemplary features of Filipino culture— bayanihan, the community effort to help one another in times of need.
Gerandy Danao, mayor of the town of Narra in Palawan, shared with Manila Bulletin Lifestyle how his townspeople are working together to survive this difficult time. According to him, local officials—from the barangay and the police, to coast guards and the fire protection bureau—are all working together to look after the welfare of the citizens of Narra, making sure everyone follows the enhanced community quarantine protocols.
Farmers and fishermen
Mayor Gerandy also proudly shared that, due to the generosity of their citizens, he’s able to apply a kind of barter system when it comes to giving food packs.
Fishing is one of the industries not directly hit by the coronavirus crisis. Narra fishermen can still freely go and catch fresh fish. “We have fishermen who donate fish every day. We also give those to people,” Mayor Gerandy says. “When I go up to the mountains, people there give me vegetables and fruits that I then
‘We have fishermen who donate fish every day. We also give those to people. When I go up to the mountains, people there give me vegetables and fruits that I then give to our fishermen.’
give to our fishermen. Through that, I am implementing a barter exchange here.”
Before he was elected as the town mayor who ended decades of political dynasty in his town, Mayor Gerandy worked as a farmer. His main source of income was goat farming. Small wonder he has a good relationship with other farmers.
Aside from fresh produce, Narra LGU also gives out 20 kilos of rice, canned goods, and antibacterial soap to their people. This is all to make it easier for people, especially those whose livelihoods have been affected like tricycle drivers and shop workers, to survive the quarantine period.
“Ang mga mangigingisda natin walang
problema (Our fishermen have no problem),” says the mayor. “But those [who] are tricycle drivers, shop owners, and shop workers are badly hit. We have a population of 81,000 here and 80 percent of them couldn’t work because of the crisis.”
Lack of supplies
When asked about financial assistance given to 21,000 families in Narra, Mayor Gerandy says that they don’t give cash. He even openly admitted that due to the demand for rice from other LGUs in Palawan, some barangays in their town haven’t been able to receive food packs. Narra is a small agricultural town that serves as the main rice producer on the island province of Palawan.
“We are experiencing delays when it comes to distributing rice because of the high demand from the NFA (National Food Authority),” he says. He asks his people for more understanding. “To my constituents, please be patient. Please understand
that NFA is working hard to meet the demand for rice,” he adds.
As of writing, there are no Covid19 positive persons yet in Narra, while the few persons under investigation will soon finish their self-quarantine period. If someone does test positive, Mayor Gerandy says he can’t confidently say they are ready because they lack medical supplies needed to combat the deadly virus.
“Yun ang medyo kulang kami kasi yung mga inorder po namin sa Manila
hindi rin po makatawid dahil lockdown (That’s something we lack because our orders from Manila can’t get to us yet because of the lockdown),” he explains. “But we have orders. That’s why I’m really grateful to those who are donating medical equipment for our frontliners.”
Mayor Gerandy says that, with the possibility of the ECQ being extended, Narra already has an approved R20.2 million budget ready.
Images courtesy of Narra Mayor's office