Migration Narratives of "Mananagat" from Calatrava, Negros Occidental to Miagao, Iloilo, 1961-1995

• Main Author: Neodama, Alfie Anthony
• Format: text
• Published: Archīum Ateneo 2019
• Online Access: https://archium.ateneo.edu/theses-dissertations/359
• Institution: Ateneo De Manila University

Migration has been a vigorous source of much of our nation’s history. Despite its meaning to history, organized attempt to study migration in the Philippines did not come until mid-20th century. Studies on internal migration especially its motivational aspect remain few albeit censuses reveal that Filipinos are highly mobile inside the country. In Western Visayas, there has been a long tradition of intra-regional migration that has been primarily interpreted from the lens of the ebb and flow of the sugar industry. This, however, cannot singularly explain the complexity of the phenomenon especially when one wishes to look into the motivational aspect of fishers’ migration who are considered the most mobile in the region and whose residence is presumed to be never permanent. Neither can the seasonality of fishing comprehensively explicate the uniqueness of their migration. This study investigates the motivations of fisher’s migration by undertaking a case study of the history of migration of “mananagat” from Calatrava, Negros Occidental to Miagao, Iloilo, from 1961 to 1995. A total of 33 informants including the 13 key informants were interviewed in this study, guided by Everett S. Lee’s A Theory of Migration as a frame, and complemented with archival and library research. The findings of the study confirm earlier studies that it is fishing that primarily motivates their migration. However, the seasonality of fishing in Miagao did not prevent the occurrence of permanent change of residence. The study presents a clear case of fisher’s migration that involves permanent change of residence within the Western Visayas whose motivations are multiple that neither can the sugar industry nor the seasonality of fishing exclusively explain. The stories of migration of fishers are essential part to widen the horizon of understanding of the history of internal migration in Western Visayas.