I was amused to find an article in Inquirer.net saying that ‘alien’ bangus (milkfish) from Laguna fishponds have started appearing in Dagupan, Pangasinan’s markets. For those who are not aware, Dagupan prides itself as being the “Bangus Capital” of the Philippines, selling the superior, better-tasting Bonuan type of bangus.
I can attest to this — whenever I have Bonuan bangus served it always had this distinctly better smell and taste that I cannot describe than the bangus that are available from markets in Manila. It was only while reading the article did I find out the way to distinguish Bonuan bangus — and the “aliens” have taken steps to counter that distinction:
To the untrained eye, an “alien” bangus looks exactly the same as a Dagupan bangus. But Perez said one just has to smell the gills to know the difference.
“An alien bangus has that distinctive, unpleasant, mud-like odor,” she said.
But some vendors have become creative, Perez said, by applying tawas (alum) to the fish to eliminate the odor.
“We have worked very hard in marketing our bangus as the best in the world and we should not allow these ‘aliens’ to destroy [our efforts] just like that,” Perez said.[Inquirer.net]
Likewise, the article published suggestions on how to differentiate genuine Bonuan bangus:
Molina said more than the warning signs, local producers should develop a branding process for their product.
“We also have to be creative,” Molina said.
She said she has met with bangus wholesalers here and they have agreed to draw up a process to protect Dagupan bangus.
For instance, she said, they could package bangus the way dressed chickens are sold in supermarkets.
“This way, we will be able to easily determine who among the wholesalers are dealing with a specific [variety of] bangus,” Molina said. [Inquirer.net]
While I am disappointed on how unscrupulous businessmen try to take unfair advantage of the Bonuan bangus’ reputation, I see this as a positive development to the local informal market. Local milkfish dealers suddenly found the need to brand and differentiate their beloved produce from others in the market.
If Dagupan milkfish dealers manage to properly brand their bangus as genuine, not only would Bunoan bangus be able to compete and differentiate from inferior local bangus, but it would also be able to distinguish itself from Vietnamese or Thai milkfish in the international market.
My only wish would be that they don’t go the way of the dried mango industry, with almost identical green-and-yellow branding and packages.
8 responses so far ↓
1 The Ca t // Aug 18, 2007 at 10:26 pm
When I was in San Francisco, I bought the bangus with Saranganni brand from the Philippines.
When I was a newbie in the States, I always bought the 10lb pack of Milagrosa rice thinking that it was from the Philippines.
It was a product of Thailand. Then in one of the forums where this issue was discussed, a lady informed me that the Phils. had sold this variety to Thais.
I do not know if I could believe that, I know IRRI Phils. trained agriculturists from Thailand back in the 70’s.
Branding is different from the variety. To be able to use a brand, one has to register it with a patent office.
Now what was the motive of the repackers in the US in using the brand, Milagrosa? They’re targeting the Filipinos whose staple food is still rice despite embracing some of the host country’s food culture.
2 The Unlawyer » Weekend Business Links // Aug 19, 2007 at 3:08 am
[...] the blogosphere, Ang Kape Ni LaTtEX urges producers of Pangasinan’s famous Bonuan bangus to band themselves and brand their [...]
3 Jon Limjap // Aug 19, 2007 at 7:44 am
The Ca t,
Yep, that’s true, and I’m hoping that through what happened above the locals would learn about branding, trademarks, patents, product differentiation, marketing, and a whole other plethora of topics that they slept on thinking that mere reputation borne out of the origin of their produce would keep them afloat.
Kelangan talaga i-educate ang mga local producers to face the onslaught of globalization. Eto nga hindi pa globalization kundi galing lang sa Laguna yung bangus eh. Pano kung made in China yan? LOL
4 Felisa // Aug 20, 2007 at 1:09 pm
Wow, I learned a few new things today
I’m not a big fan of bangus but I do like Saranggani daing =)
Well, I guess these people are just finally realizing that it’s not that easy to continually monopolize a certain product…
5 Jon Limjap // Aug 20, 2007 at 6:56 pm
Felisa,
Its not about monopoly. You have to taste Dagupan Bonuan bangus side by side with other varieties of bangus to find out what I’m talking about.
Yung Bonuan bangus with minimal spices and such ang bango bango pa rin. It’s this reputation that the Dagupan-based producers are trying to protect.
6 ems // Aug 20, 2007 at 9:25 pm
Are the alien bangus imported from other country? or is it still a local product (from Laguna right?)
7 Jon Limjap // Aug 21, 2007 at 12:34 am
It’s still sourced locally. Unfortunately, Laguna de Bay-bred bangus tastes bland and muddy, as compared to Bonuan bangus.
8 Eric // Oct 10, 2007 at 5:15 pm
Was scanning your blog out of sheer boredome and i’ve only one thing to say:
Send the alien bangus over here. The ones that are sold int he supermarket (on my lucky days) are ones i wouldn’t even bat an eyelash at when I was there. 3 pcs @ half kilo mean’s they’re really small. Ahh, to see another normal bangus again…
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