Where are the patos that laid the golden eggs in Pateros? Sounds like my question is inspired by one of Aesop Fables children’s stories but no it is a real question I asked myself when I went to Pateros for an ocular visit last week. There are many versions of this children’s story you may have heard…the original version was that of a goose killed for the golden eggs he laid… you may have heard of the hen too. The sad news is both suffered the same sad fate due to greed. But for this particular story in Pateros, we are going to talk about another feathered friend, the pato or Mallard duck , more popularly known as Pateros itik (Anas platyrynchos).

This is not a story about greed. They are battling with a different kind of animal called ‘Urbanization”. It is rabid. It is aggressive… and there is no stopping it!

Every day, urbanization and modernization creeps closer and closer everywhere. No place is exempted. If it hasn’t arrived in your community’s doorstep today, it will. It’s just a matter of time. The important question is, are you prepared for it as a community?

Come join FlyingOff-Course as we journey today to a place called Pateros known as The Balut Capital of the Philippines. Let us take a peek at their struggles and their passionate battle in saving Patero’s duck-raising and balut industry as they race towards a future of becoming perhaps the last first class municipality in Metro Manila that have yet to become a city.

How Pateros got its name is interesting. The more known and popular one is derived from pato (duck), a waterfowl being raised in the community for its prized eggs to become balut (boiled fertilized duck fetus), penoy (unfertilized incubated eggs) and red eggs (ducks eggs that has no embryo) . The second but less known reason how it got its name is that before Marikina became the Shoe Capital of the Philippines after WW2, Pateros enjoyed that title first as they were quality shoemakers (Sapateros) and manufactured carpeted slippers called ‘Alfombra’.

But that is a different story worth telling for another time.

PATEROS

Pateros, a first class and the only municipality left in Metro Manila has always been known as the Balut Capital of the Philippines and it still is. But with a new twist.

During the 1950’s, the Chinese merchants arrived in Pateros and taught the locals balut-making and processing red eggs and along with it acquiring the appetite for balut. It was a time when duck-raising in Pateros was still possible due to the following reasons.

First, there was still land and space to raise ducks and allow them to waddle and walk around and hunt for their own food.

Second, the Pateros river then, along with Marikina and San Juan rivers were tributaries to the Pasig river which connected Laguna de Bay to Manila Bay. This was a time when water was still clean and abundant. There were still many rice-fields and watery areas in Pateros that contain fresh water snails called ‘paros’ that the ducks find so nutritious and was a vital part of the ducks diet.

But alas, Pateros had to face the reality of becoming urbanized through the years. Bordered by Pasig to the north, Makati to the west and Taguig to the south, becoming highly urbanized was inevitable. While Pateros was enjoying the perks of becoming an urbanized municipality, its two core livelihoods namely duck-raising and balut industry have been critically affected. This did not happen overnight. As early as the 1970’s a decline in the duck-raising industry has already been experienced.

People vs. Ducks

While urbanization is a good thing, it brought with it people that started to compete with the spaces that the ducks need for survival. When human compete with ducks for residential use, who do you think takes priority?

Polluted Rivers

As soon as a place becomes densely populated by people, eventually its waterways and rivers become polluted and a residual to human waste. In an interview, Pateros Mayor Miguel F. Ponce told BusinessWorld that what might have been an aquatic blessing in the past may have led to the demise of the duck industry in Pateros since ducks need water to survive.

Environmental Issue

Over the years, the face of Pateros has changed so much becoming more residential and ideal for businesses. So even if Pateros wanted to bring back their core business of duck- raising to be able to continue a sustainable balut industry on their own, it would still be next to impossible because acquiring environmental compliance certificates may prove to be very difficult nowadays due to the environmental concerns like smells, flies, safety and pollution it presents to the community.

Pateros Balut Outsourced to Survive

While duck-raising is now a dead industry in Pateros its balut industry is surviving mainly due to the fact that Pateros has adapted and innovated by having its supply of balut outsourced from neighbouring provinces like Bulacan, Tarlac, and Nueva Ecija that still has land/spaces and bodies of water critical to duck-raising.

These towns have now become the primary sources of balut, penoy, red eggs and raw ducks eggs because they were quick to jump at the opportunity to supply the shortage of balut eggs in Pateros. It was not a relationship without power struggles at first. At the beginning, the three provinces, seeing their advantage, wanted to directly supply the demands of the balut market in Metro Manila bypassing Pateros. But Pateros has an edge: It has the trademark of being The Balut Capital of the Philippines and people would still go to Pateros to enjoy their balut.

So as soon as Bulacan, Tarlac and Nueva Ecija realized that it is better to work with Pateros as a partner with its formidable trademark, marketing and distribution network, and not against it, a win-win partnership was eventually established between Pateros and its out-of-town balut suppliers.

Today, there are many small egg-related stalls lining up P. Herrera St. in Pateros. Each one has developed their “sukis” through the years whether it be direct consumers from the community, neighbouring cities all over Metro Manila or the indispensable balut vendors who are the next in line in the balut distribution chain making sure your balut cravings gets satisfied tonight.

Sta. Martha’s Balut Industry is one of the many balut establishments that has weathered the many challenges that beset Pateros through the years but never gave up. Owner Jessie Mirambil related to me the ups and downs of their business as Pateros faced the challenges of becoming highly urbanized. Despite the challenges they faced, he cannot give up because there are many balut vendors who has families to support out there who rely on him to do his job. So he perseveres and continues to serve the balut needs of his community.

On my way home that day, I looked inside my bags of pasalubong. When I look at it, I dont just see an egg haul. I see symbols that exemplifies the resilience and perseverance of the people of Pateros who are passionate, courageous and just refuses to give up even when Life itself threatens to remove from them their very livelihood. Each balut embodies the Filipino trait of ‘bayanihan’ knowing that when people work together instead of against each other, they are stronger as a people and as a nation.

I do not know for sure what the future holds for Pateros as they race and face the challenges towards becoming a city. But one thing I’m sure is they are going to give it their best shot like they have been giving it for many years.

When I arrived home, Confucius’ wise words came to mind… “Our greatest glory is not in never falling, but in rising every time we fall “