As hundreds of thousands of families in southern Negros Occidental slowly rebuild their lives after Typhoon Tino ravaged their communities on November 4, the story of Cadiz City “uga” (dried fish) stands as a quiet reminder of how they can find strength in their own resources, a press release from Cadiz PIO said.
In every ton of “uga” distributed to each hardest-hit town and city in the southern portion of the province, there’s a message of hope – that like “uga”, dried under the sun, can really endure through heat, wind, and storm.
But, at the end of the day, “uga” matters in every meal – a staple for most Filipino households.
And now, it serves as a tangible lifeline for all households in the south that have been affected by Typhoon Tino.
And it’s the Tino’s induced-crisis that currently spotlighted Cadiz’s “uga”, especially its meaningful essence in the lives of evacuees in various evacuation sites in the local government units in the 4th and 5th Districts.
This was after Cadiz Mayor Salvador “Bading” Escalante, Jr. sent each Tino affected town and city 1.2 tons of “uga” or a total of 9.6 tons.
These include the cities of Bago and La Calota and Pulupandan town in the 4th District.
Other recipients were the towns of Moises Padilla, Isabela, Binalbagan, La Castellana and Hinigaran in the 5th District.
Aside from “uga”, Escalante also gave each of those towns and cities 20 sacks of rice.
“It is better to give than to receive,” the mayor stressed.
Escalante, who is president of the Association of Chief Executives (ACE) in Negros Occidental, said, “I can feel the burden and pain of my fellow mayors, who have thousands of evacuees right now due to Typhoon Tino.”
“I know they can survive, but helping them in one way or the other will really mean so much for them and to their constituents.”
Escalante said their “uga” is the simplest thing they can send, but he knows it matters most for ordinary people, especially in the midst of a crisis.
“Uga is our famous local produce. It speaks beyond endurance and resiliency; it really represents hope amid grit and struggles ‘swak’ to be appreciated by many, who will start life anew from the wrath of Tino,” Escalante explained.
Likewise, he stressed, “uga” also symbolizes relief and recovery.
Hence, for Escalante, the decision to send “uga” to the Tino’s affected communities was both practical and symbolic.
This, as he underscored that the “uga” industry in Cadiz has long sustained its people — food that endures even without electricity, and a product that represents the resilience of coastal families, who work with what nature provides.
Furthermore, Escalante said that in every crisis – be it in economics or nature – again and again, “uga” becomes a lifeline.*
