When Maribel Reroma was starting a family more than a decade ago, she and her husband only had meager savings from their low-paying jobs. Raising two children added financial pressure on Reroma, a high school dropout, who tried her luck at selling “bangsi” (flying fish), which is abundant in this coastal town of Maitum, Sarangani province. She sold marinated bangsi, and like others before her, she encountered failure several times. “I did not surrender until business began to pick up,” Reroma tells the Inquirer. Through sheer grit, she morphed from vendor to producer. Today, she supplies wet market stalls and grocery stores in the Soccsksargen (South Cotabato, Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani and General Santos) region. She has expanded her business to trading of bagoong (fermented fish sauce), vegetables and fruits.

Sarmiento, B. S. (2020, February 9). Town's fortune, future soar with flying fish. Philippine Daily Inquirer, p. A12.