Whispered Bidding Practice (Bulungan) in the Mercedes Fish Port: Cultural Communication and Informal Economy in Philippine Fisheries
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.65141/tjeraff.v5i2.307Keywords:
whispered bidding, seafood trading, communication practice, cultural system, community-based economyAbstract
This study investigates bulungan (a whispered bidding practice) at the Mercedes Fish Port in Camarines Norte, Philippines, as both a cultural communication system and an informal economic mechanism. The fisheries sector is vital to the Philippine economy, yet many trade practices operate outside formal structures. Bulungan is one of these practices, sustained by trust, secrecy, and reciprocity among fisherfolk, brokers, and buyers. The study used a qualitative case study design. Data were collected through focus group discussions, observations, and audio-visual documentation of the process. Thematic analysis was guided by communication models, including Shannon and Weaver's linear model and Barnlund's transactional model, as well as theories of cultural communication and the informal economy. Findings show that bulungan works as a structured communication cycle where participants shift roles as senders, receivers, and feedback providers. It conveys cultural meanings such as fairness, discretion, and trust, and it performs communicative functions like regulating prices, avoiding conflict, and keeping order in a noisy marketplace. Economically, it provides a grassroots system of trade that supports livelihoods when formal regulations are limited. The practice faces challenges such as oversupply, price disputes, and cheating (dayaan), which create noise in the communication process. However, it adapts through trust-based relationships and alternative methods, as seen during the COVID-19 pandemic. The study concludes that bulungan is more than a trade practice. It is an intangible cultural heritage that expresses community values while ensuring economic resilience. Recommendations stress the role of development communication in documenting and preserving bulungan, while also integrating it into fisheries governance to create more inclusive and culturally grounded policies.
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