The fishermen know that the sea is
dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers
sufficient reason for remaining ashore. – Vincent Van Gogh
I’ve seen Pinoys in almost all trades and occupation imaginable
in the Kingdom. From house helps and nannies tagging their wards in malls,
agricultural workers while traveling on remote assignment, building maintenance
people, skilled craftsmen, medical personnel and professionals in their
respective field of expertise. But I never expected I’d met some Pinoy fishermen!
Most of them came from the same town in Batangas and doing the same job as fishermen in the Philippines before they came here. They’re independent, don’t have a Saudi “boss” and takes care of each others safety. They don’t have medical insurance, cash allowances or a regular monthly salary like the rest of us. What they have is a percentage of the catch they make of which a portion is given to their Saudi “sponsor” as his “share”, rental for using his boat and other expenses necessary to make their stay in the kingdom “legal”.
But there is a downside to this kind of agreement. Fishing in
the Arabian Gulf is seasonal. There is a
moratorium on fishing around the territorial waters of the kingdom to preserved
and sustain the resources of the gulf. They avail of this by going home to the Philippines for
vacation which last from three to five months a year. Quite a long R&R, if
you ask me, especially if you don’t have any other means to augment your income
and depending solely on your savings for your expenses. But judging from their
outlook and their material possessions, they seem to be satisfied of what they
have or where they are. I even suspect they earn more than our average Pinoy
workers in the medical profession.
These brave souls never question
that they are thousands of miles away from home or working in one of the most
perilous occupation. To them, the sea is what fields are to farmers. They go
there to reap their sustenance.
To each his own, ika nga!
So inspiring! Ngayon ko lang narinig ang ganitong kwento/trabaho. These Filipino fishermen really have the work attitudes that we can be proud of.
ReplyDeleteAno po kayang isda 'yang nahuli nila? Snapper?
Ewan ko, pero mukhang masarap gata-an, ihawin o di kaya gawing daing. : )
DeleteI find them very brave, very industrious souls who have no way of making themselves useful, but fishing. I find it a noble deed naman pero I hope they are safe in their dealings with the sea. I guess, passion din nila yan kaya ganun.
ReplyDeleteMore like a necessity to me, especially kung hindi ka nakapagtapos. : (
Deletesalamat sa information. pinoy fishermen in saudi? astig.
ReplyDeleteang pinoy nga naman, kakambal ang dagat. kahit saan mapadpad.
i need to hit beach soon.
I never imagined na pinasok na rin ng pinoy ang fishing industry dito sa M.E.
Deleteisa ako dun sa recreational fishermen sa al-khobar! LoL!
ReplyDeleteyes saw some pinoy fishermen in damman and i heard the pay is good din compare sa pinas =)
Kasama ka rin ba sa "naka-apak" para makahuli ng halaan. >: D
DeleteMayroo kayang puedeng pagkakitaang iba during the fishing off season yung mga ayaw umuwi at magbakasyon ng matagal sa Pinas? Baka naman their income is so good they can afford long R&R sa atin.
ReplyDeleteMaraming "sideline" dito basta hindi ka lang pihikan. Baka yan ang ginagawa ng iba during off-season.
Deletehats off to these Pinoys! walang inuurungan. (wishing that every Pinoy is like them ha ha) nothing wrong that i see with the kind of work they have but it worries me about their job security. always, their status are wobbly most of the time/
ReplyDeletethey have the same condition and risk on their occupation sa pinas. better if they work here, mas mataas ang kanilang kita.
DeleteAlam mo naman ang hobby ko ay mangisda. Pero iyang isdang iyan, natakot ako. Ang laki eh.
ReplyDeleteAng galing talaga ng Pinoy sa paghahanap ng mapagkakakitaan.
Anong klaseng isda ang hinuhuli mo? >: D
Deleteisdang bato. o kaya the usual, lapu-lapu. i usually rent a small boat pag sa batangas. but in places like guimaras, sa gilid lang marami nang huli. from sunrise to sunset ako. addict ako sa fishing.
Delete