Home⇛Isabela State University Linker The Journal of Emerging Research in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry⇛vol. 5 no. 2 (2025)

Whispered Bidding Practice (Bulungan) in the Mercedes Fish Port: Cultural Communication and Informal Economy in Philippine Fisheries

Melanie D. Bacuno | Joan C. Aparilla | Ela Jane O. Alvarado | Kristine G. Pandeagua

Discipline: agricultural sciences

 

Abstract:

This study investigated a whispered bidding practice, termed as bulungan, 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, a form of whispered bidding, is one such practice commonly observed among fisherfolk, brokers, and buyers. The study used a qualitative case study design in which 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 showed that this whispered form of bidding (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. Also, this whispered bidding practice (bulungan) 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. The study concludes that this whispered bidding practice (bulungan) is a cultural heritage and a livelihood system, and recognizing this as part of local governance and integrating it into co-management frameworks to create more inclusive and culturally grounded policies is recommended.



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