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A total 1.2 tons of ‘uga’ courtesy of Cadiz City Mayor Bading Escalante Jr received by La Castellana local government unit meant for their evacuees affected by Typhoon Tino on November 4. (Cadiz City PIO photo)

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.

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 endures 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 Tino’s affected households in the south.

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.

Also given were the towns of Moises Padilla, Isabela, Binalbagan, La Castellana and Hinigaran in the 5th District.

Aside from “uga”, Mayor Escalante also gave each of these towns and cities 20 sacks of rice.

“It is better to give than to recieve,” Mayor Escalante stressed as really gave justice to this proverb, rooted in the bible (Acts 20:35).

Mayor 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.”

Mayor Escalante said their “uga” is the simpliest thing they can send, but he knows it matters most for ordinary people, especially in the midst of 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,” Mayor Escalante explained.

Likwise, he stresed, “uga” also symbolizes relief and recovery.

Hence, for Mayor Escalante, the decision to send “uga” to the Tino’s affected communities was both practical and symbolic.

This, as he underscored that “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, Mayor Escalante said in every crisis – be it in economics or nature – again and again, “uga” becomes a lifeline.

And as Cadiz people delivered the tons of “uga” to per LGU in the south, there is this rythym that simply carried the wave and weight of shared struggle and solidarity.

“And I am proud of doing something and sharing something that could spell a a beautiful meaning in the lives of people in crisis. And it’s heart-warming, indeed,” Mayor Escalante. “Bangud sa ‘uga’, always may pag-asa!”● (CCI)

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