Same Old and New Practices

As one of the Indigenous People in my country, I used to live with organic foods than processed one. If in a week I had a straight consumption of inorganic foods, my body and mind crave for organic nourishment. I don't know if any of you can relate what I am talking about. Maybe those who lived in a village-like me experience this. We use to be contended in plucking green vegetables in our backyards and from our good neighbours'.

Circumstances like overproduction of organic goods are overflowing in our community during the pandemic. Cases are, we can't consume everything we produce. Though we vend it to the market, prices become cheaper because most of the consumers or costumers have their product. Only those who work in offices can't propagate their own. "Law of price and demand " occur.

Fortunately, there are remedies regarding the problem. Someone acts as a bridge for farmers to contact consumers through messages and social media. This is to prevent the farmers' harvests and crops and effort to waste.

We also engage in bartering. One can barter any goods with another product or item. It was first introduced in the Philippines by the ancient ancestors of our country.

Before the Hispanic era in the Philippines. BARTER SYSTEM is already a normal practice of the Filipinos. No money involved.Filipinos bartered their goods like fruits and vegetables and spices for jewelries, weapons, linen from the foreigners who come to our country.

The people in the Philippines had been trading with the Chinese over a long period of time long before the Spanish arrived. Phil Greco, a Los-Angeles-based entrepreneur, has salvaged more than 10,000 pieces of Chinese porcelain—some of them 2,000 years old and others from the Song and Ming dynasties— from 16 ship wreck sites off the Philippine islands of Panay, Mindanao and the Calamian Group, and auctioned them off in New York. Many of the pieces are in surprisingly good condition.

I was a member of a certain FB group "Bontoc Barter" in our community. Farmers like us who have a lot of vegetables and can't sell it in the market will post and barter our goods in the community. You will just indicate what product you want to barter your goods with like 5 heads big Squash = 1 kg. Powdered Milk or 10 kilos sweet potato for a 2 kg. Detergent powder or 1-litres oil and members will just comment on the comment section" MINE". The first one to comment wins. The author of the post will reply "Yours". The direct message follows afterwards.

These days, aside from fruits vegetables, we also barter preloved clothes and items at home which are still in good condition, also with succulents and potted flowers for kitchen products, baking ingredients, bathroom necessities, and farm supplies. There are barter systems all over the country but engaging in a small group is better because I can get rid of the risk of issues like bogus transactions and defective items bartered.

Here are some of what we barter in our group:

Another practice I appreciate most is the donation of vegetables to people victimized with calamities and during the pandemic. There are "Oplan Sayote"(vegetable pear), or whatever extra vegetables and crops available during the calamity and crisis are donated to our fellow countrymen. Aside from the regular relief goods, our government is giving to the victims. People like us also provides from the bottom of our heart either in cash or in kind. The BAYANIHAN still reigns in our hearts.

I hope you also have a Bayanihan in your place. Share your similar story too.

>Xzeon<

#Photos credit from FB Groups and Pixabay