Tabo-The Modern Barter Trade of Leyte and Samar

Barter was the form of exchange by our ancestors during the pre-historic times. Barter was usually done at the mouth of the river where people from different villagers converge to exchange their goods with something that they did not produce. An assortment of fish, salt and other products of the sea are being exchanged for rice, root crops, vegetables and other farm produce. There was no money involved in the exchange. The perceived amount of the bartered goods is considered when the products are exchanged. Because of this system, there was a symbiotic relationship by those living downstream with those from the communities upstream.

Barter was not confined within neighboring communities within the Philippine archipelago but even with other neighboring Asian countries and even Europe later on based on the history lessons taught to us in school. Even during the pre-historic times, our ancestors have traded with the other Asian countries as evidenced by the presence of porcelain and silk from China, silverwares from the Arabs and Indians and others. The perils of traditional communication and transportation that took months and even years of travel did not deter our ancestors from trading goods with foreign countries. Upon their return, they brought new products from their travels that they also offer for barter or sale (with gold) domestically.

Modern Trading in Leyte and Samar:

Tabo was the traditional market system of Leyte and Samar. It was usually done on weekend where farmers, fishermen, middlemen and other businessmen from neighboring towns or barangay converge in a riverbank, or public market to sell their goods for local consumption or businessmen on retail or wholesale basis. These two islands are interdependent with each other in terms of their exchange of goods, which they do during the tabo. In fact, there are food products like binagol where the yam used as raw material is grown in the hinterlands of Samar while the delicacy is produced in Leyte. On the other hand, the tikog, a kind of grass from which the popular embroidered mats painstakingly designed by the mat weavers of Basey, Samar comes from the marshlands of Leyte. These are just few products that the two islands share. To date, tabo is still practiced in almost all towns of Leyte and Samar.

Calbiga, Western Samar

The Calbiga River in Calbiga Western Samar has been the venue of the weekly tabo in this part on Sundays. Farmers from different barangays upstream travel by boat on Saturday midnight while those from other upland villages travel by foot on caravan with their work animals to bring their best produce to the tabo-an (market site). They converge at the town market, which is located by the bank of the river. The tabo starts at about two o’clock in the morning and ends at about lunchtime. The most popular items in this tabo are the different varieties of bananas, sweet potato, cassava, yam, vegetables and fruits such as pineapple. Most of those who participate in the tabo are the farmers themselves. However, “high-end” products such as yam are bought wholesale by the middlemen from the farmers to be marketed in Tacloban and other parts of Leyte and Samar.

Early in the morning, the market becomes a colorful mix of products, farmers, traders and buyers. The sellers erect makeshift tents with gas lamps for the buyers to take a closer look at their merchandise. The prices are very low with most items on “sale” because they are perishable so they must be sold immediately.

The farmers go back to their villages after they have bought their supply of salt, fish (fresh but usually dried), rice and condiments that they do not produce. They would also buy slippers, clothes from the ukay-ukay (used imported clothes) and bread for their small children left at home.

Traditional practices

I visited some of these barangays to see their farms and integrated with the locals to experience their life in the village. Just like any rural village, they still practice elaborate traditional farming rituals. The purpose of their rituals is to have a bountiful harvest and for their ancestors and other spirits dwelling in the place protect them and their families from natural catastrophe and sickness. They offer food and prayers and celebrate with the rest of the village. On tabo day, they set forth to the town at midnight with torch in tow. They travel in groups with their work animals bringing their products to the riverbank where the boat that will bring them to the tabo-an is anchored.

Ethereal experience

The boat ride downstream on a starlit night was an ethereal experience for me. I sat silently with the villagers on the boat with only the rhythmic thug of the engine breaking the stillness of the night. Bats and other nocturnal animals would be heard calling or seen from the riverbank. Flashlights guide the crew navigate the river and to avoid driftwoods and for rocky or shallow parts of the river. At the bank of the river are firefly-lit trees that looked like well-decorated Christmas trees. I looked at them with childlike awe as the fireflies transfer from branch to branch. Local lore said that these trees are enchanted because that is where the fairies live.

Several times, I went back to these villages to attend fiestas, weddings, baptisms and even wakes.

Borongan, Eastern Samar
On another occasion, I was able to experience another exciting tabo site. This one is on a majestic river that serves as the boundaries of Borongan and Maydolong Eastern Samar. The tabo site is an upstream village, which is now also the site of the cockpit arena. It had been held there on a Sunday morning for as long as the locals can remember. To reach the site, you have ride a motorized banca for almost an hour. On the way to the tabo-an, the sight of tiny waterfalls cascading on the cliff by the riverbank would entertain travelers. Residents on the villages along the river have to climb the steep rocky cliff with the aid of a rope tied on a tree at the top with heavy baggage at their backs.

Unlike in Calbiga, where the products are sold in dry land, some of the products sold in this tabo are placed in dugout canoes on the river direct from the farm. Buyers are also on boats much like the river markets in some parts of Asia. Local and commercial products are sold along with wild birds and even piglets. It was in this tabo-an where I encountered a purple banana variety with a sweet aroma. Later during the day, the men gather at the cockpit arena for the cockfight. The cockfight is one of the reasons for the men to attend this tabo.

Aside from these two sites, there are also several exciting tabo-an sites in Leyte and Samar where one could discover local products. It is always a joy to visit these tabo because they offer different products every week depending on the season.

Go visit Samar and experience tabo.