The Richness of the Jal-o (Manggad kung Hae-o)

The words used by a community in describing certain reality or experience are indicative to their rich awareness of the things around them. They also serve as clues to the richness and diversity of the environment where they are situated at a certain time. Conversely, the cessation or death of certain words point to a fact that the things they described have ceased to be. These realities are happening down by the Jal-o River. The words in Inakeanon hereunder are clues to the dynamism of culture and the generations that have had used them, not to mention the vibrant environment:

a. Fishes

1. Bagtis (goby)
2. Obog (dusky sleeper)
3. Bae-a (goby)
4. Sugi (river garfish)
5. Puyo (climbing perch) 
6. Pantat (broadhead catfish)
7. Haeo-an (true murrel)
8. Aeogsuk (snakehead murrel)
9. Kilo (spotted scat)
10. Mub-ead (scat) 
11. Danggit (scat)
12. Mangagat (snapper)
13. Bugok (yellow snapper)
14. Inid (white dotted grouper)
15. Paeangan (long-spined glass perchlet)
16. Aliso (mangrove red snapper)
17. Baeanak (broad mouthed mullet) 
18. Gusaw (blue mullet)
19. Sili (freshwater eel)
20. Ogdok (giant moray)
21. Poyoy (finger eel)
22. Nipa-nipa (brackish water eel)
23. Sap-sap (pugnose ponyfish)
24. Eawayan (common ponyfish)
25. Tambasakan 
26. Bang-eos (milkfish)
27. Tilapia (blue tilapia) 
28. Amuean-buean (tarpon)
29. Awa (ladyfish)
30. Lap-lap 
31. Tabagak (freshwater sardinella) 
32. Tamban (freshwater sardinella)
33. Tabyos
34. Bueogwas (white small fish, like tabyos)
35. Paead (speckled tonguesole)

b. Shrimps

1. Mayos (krill or small shrimp)
2. Oeang (downstream freshwater prawn)
3. Patuyaw (upland freshwater shrimp)
4. Paye (upland giant freshwater prawn)
5. Bueok (downstream giant freshwater prawn)
6. Batod (brackish water shrimp)
7. Pasayan (whitish brackish water shrimp)
8. Saksog (brackish water prawn)
9. Sugpo (tiger prawn)
10. kamantaha (ghost shrimp)
11. pitik-pitik (mantis shrimp)

c. Other Crustaceans, Shellfish

1. Alimango (mud crab)
2. Kalampai (river crab)
3. Kasag (blue crab)
4. Umang (hermit crab)
5. Karag (mangrove crab)
6. Uson (hermit crab)
7. Kagang (freshwater crab)
8. Oeangkas (minuscule land crab)
9. Diwae (Angel wing)
10. Litob (blood clam)
11. Litob-litob (blood clam)
12. Tahong (green mussel)
13. Sisi (mussel)
14. Abahong (brown mussel) 
15. Taeaba (oyster)
16. Kukod kabayo
17. Bebe (freshwater clam)
18. Tuway (mud clam)
19. Bagungon (telescope shell)
20. Igi 
21. Imbaw (mangrove clam)
22. Banag 
23. Kaguko (small freshwater clam)
24. Hungkay-hungkay 

The list of Akeanon words for the rich marine life in the Jal-o and the Tinagong Dagat (Batan Bay) is a long one. And yet, there are signs that the young generations are becoming alienated from most of those words and the very realities they represent. I remember a proposal from scholars of regulating the fishing activities therein which attracted vehement reactions. The proposal was based on several researches and more particularly on a study detailing the overfishing activities in Batan Estuary that eventually threatened marine life in the area. The proposal is for the fisher folks to observe off season for fishing at a certain period when molting is observed among crustaceans. It was rejected outright. 

So I sing in the silence of my restless heart the song of Asin lamenting the dying of the once beautiful ecosystem I was privilege of interacting with.