Fresh seafoods, fresh start

In the seafood capital of the Philippines, a humble woman thrives in the everyday hustle of selling seafood. This is Regina Alisas from Barangay Libas, Roxas City, Capiz.

The smell of sea salt lingers around their home, reflecting the unmistakable presence of the seafood they store and prepare for selling. In the early mornings, boxes of fresh catch pass through their hands, destined for restaurants and market stalls in nearby provinces.

The early journey

For Regina, the seafood trade is nothing new. She has been in the business for 38 years.

Long before establishing her current trading in Capiz, Regina first tried her luck selling live prawns and shrimp in Manila. The work was tough but rewarding. It allows her to build a livelihood for their family.

But her journey was not without setbacks. Life also brought personal hardships. Regina and her family once owned fishing boats, which helped support their shrimp trade. But in 2014, her husband was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, forcing them to sell these properties. He passed away soon after.

It was difficult for the family to carry on after losing the pillar of their home. Yet they had to.

Still, life continued to test their patience. When the COVID-19 pandemic struck, their business collapsed. With markets affected and buyers becoming limited, Regina’s years of hard work suddenly came to a halt.

But she chose to begin again.

Fresh Start

In 2021, Regina decided to restart the business with the help of her daughter, who contributed initial capital. Around the same time, she also became a client of CARD, Inc. (A Microfinance NGO), receiving her first loan of PHP 3,000, which she added to their restarting capital. With these capitals and renewed determination, they slowly rebuilt the business.  Piece by piece, like restoring a boat after a storm.

This time, they expanded their product offerings. Aside from prawns and shrimps, they began selling a variety of seafood, including squid, crab, lobster, shellfish, scallops, boneless bangus, and grouper. Their products come in both frozen and live varieties. Frozen seafood is sourced from Masbate, while live seafood is purchased locally from Capiz.

From their home-based storage facility, Regina supplies restaurants and stall owners in Iloilo and Boracay with fresh, high-quality seafood. Today, Regina’s operation is equipped with up to eight large freezers for storing seafood products, along with holding tanks for live fish. It has now become a stable and thriving enterprise.

Yet even as the business grows, challenges remain. One of the difficulties Regina faces is the delayed payments from buyers. But she remains patient and persistent. After all, there was a time during the pandemic when they had no buyers. Compared to that experience, waiting and encouraging customers to settle their payments has simply become part of the journey. For Regina, giving up on customers is never an option.

Their consistency and reliability have earned the trust of their suppliers, many of whom have remained loyal to their business.

A legacy of seafood

Today, as their business has grown and improved, Regina and her family have also been able to invest in personal vehicles, including a reliable utility vehicle and a pickup car, which they use to deliver their seafood products.

More importantly, the business has become a family legacy. Regina co-manages the seafood trade with her daughter and son-in-law. She ensures that the livelihood she built through decades of hard work will continue for the next generation.

For Regina, success in business does not come from shortcuts, but from persistence. “Sipag lang,” she advised. Not grand words, but a simple and genuine piece of advice.

After more than three decades in the seafood trade, Regina remains a CARD, Inc. client, which continues to support the growth of their seafood buy-and-sell business.

Regina’s story shows that, much like the fresh seafood she sells, life can always offer a fresh start, even after the roughest waters.