DAGUPAN CITY ? Trapped on the roofs of their huts because of 20-foot-high floodwaters, fishpond owners watched helplessly while neighbors swam and scooped up bangus (milkfish) escaping from overflowing ponds.
The enterprising residents brought woven baskets or nets to catch the fish.
The fishponds in central Pangasinan had been wiped out by surging floods triggered by strong rains spawned by tropical depression ?Pepeng.?
Fishpond operators here and in nearby Binmaley and Mangaldan towns said they no longer paid attention to their fish stock, preferring to wait for a rescue boat.
Floods have crippled the city and most of the eastern and central towns of Pangasinan, hampering travel to Metro Manila and the shipment of goods out of the province, which is the main producer of the country?s tastiest bangus.
Many residents fishing in the floodwaters were selling their catch to fellow calamity victims, said Mae Viray, a member of the city information office.
From P90 to P30 per kg
Prices of milkfish dropped to P30 a kilogram from Thursday?s prices of more than P90 a kg when floods triggered by Pepeng?s strong rains washed out the province?s fishponds and cages.
Jess Aquino, owner of the biggest fishponds in Binmaley, said they decided not to harvest their bangus stock early and watched the floodwaters carry away their harvest.
?Even if we harvest the bangus before the floods, we won?t make a profit as we could only sell them at P30 a kg,? he said.
Bangus escaping from the ponds sought out the rivers in Binmaley, Mangaldan and Dagupan.
Feast for neighbors
The loss for operators is steep. A hectare of fishpond contains between 5,000 and 10,000 bangus. Fish cages that culture bangus can hold as much as 50,000 fishes.
Aquino said some operators tried to save their haul. One way was to install nets around fish cages and and put as many fishes as possible.
Those who could not do this, however, chose to write off their losses.
?Let [the neighbors] feast on the fish as long as the rescue boats come and save us,? Aquino said in Filipino.
