Remembering Ilig Exhibition

On December 7, 2019, Ang Panublion Museum launched an exhibit called "Ilig: Time-Honored Fishing Methods and Practices in Roxas City". It was a highlight of a one-year research that started as a project funded by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts where I was part of a team that documented fishing practices of Capiz. Together with Dr. Hazel Joaquin and Ralph Gerard Cadiz of Capiz State University, I visited different fishing communities in some towns in Capiz where we interviewed fisher folks and their families, took photographs and videos, and experienced how life was in these coastal communities. 

Since the project covered only one fishing community in Roxas City, I decided to continue the research, which became the topic of a master's degree thesis funded by the Commission on Higher Education. One time, I was with a meeting to Ang Panublion Museum director, Cheryl Anne del Rosario, and artist Marika Constantino and I brought up the idea of exhibiting about the fishing practices of Roxas City in time for the Sinadya festival. Cheryl beamed with joy upon hearing it while Marika thought of it as an interesting concept. The work began with Cheche, Marika and I, as well as Leiff Antonino, the museum's creative assistant, which led us to scour different seaside barangays for boats, nets, paddles, and other fishing gears. We also worked with local artists to get them to exhibit their work depicting fishing practices. Researching and curating an exhibit is an exhausting job but the output is fulfilling. 

To give you an idea about what the exhibition was about, here's the note that I wrote and shared to visitors. 

The Province of Capiz, which faces the Sibuyan Sea, is replete with marine resources that sustain the livelihood of the locals in this area. Roxas City, the province’s capital, is dubbed as the Seafood Capital of the Philippines with the wealth of natural resources that come from the sea. It supplies export seafood products to various countries such as Taiwan, Japan and the United States. The main aquaculture farms are oyster and milk fish farms that take advantage of natural tidal bays and other low-lying areas near the coast. For years, the fishing communities of Roxas City have developed fishing methods and practices, employing fishing gears which are either stationary or non-stationary. These contribute to the rich cultural landscape of the Philippines, forming part of the community bank of knowledge abundant in these places.

Fisher folks acquired their knowledge in fishing processes through their constant interaction with their parents and their colleagues in the community. Specifically, emphasis is placed on learning by doing through repeated practice over time rather than by simple observation and replication.

These days, though, passing on traditional knowledge in fishing to the younger generation has diminished. Ilig is an attempt to help bridge the gap and bring awareness to the teachers and students, especially the younger generation about this intangible heritage at risk of modernization and technology. 

The exhibit lasted for only 13 days because it was a casualty of Typhoon Ursula that swept Capiz on Christmas Day. Nevertheless, enjoy the photos of the exhibition which I am sharing below!