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Western Visayas’ Novel Food Products Let MSMEs Taste Sweet Success

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Endowed with vast coastal waters across its provinces, Western Visayas serves as one the cradles of the fishing industry in the country as most of its people devote their lives to fishing as their main source of livelihood.

From once, a homemaker alone now a business owner, 53-year-old Ana May C. Gallardo shared her story of success while she carries big hats as a wife of a fisherman, a mother of five children, and an entrepreneur.

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Ana May C. Gallardo joins several trade fairs facilitated by various government institutions in the region. (File photo of Ana May's Food Product Manufacturing FB page)
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Gallardo imparted that the interventions and support of various government agencies together with other non-governmental organizations (NGOs) have helped the business she owns, Ana May's Food Product Manufacturing, to thrive despite the challenges that came along the way in the past years.

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Her signature product, the “Squid Chicaron,” was just among the most-sought featured products during the “Tienda sa FishCon,” a recently organized food exhibit of the Department of Agriculture- Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) 6 in line with the 60th National Fish Conservation (FishCon) Week this year.


A variety of aquatic, fish, and fishery products from the provinces across the region like seaweed crackers, bangus lumpia, bangus siomai, artisanal sea salt roasted with lemon grass, and mussel kropek, among others, were showcased during the trade fair.

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The "most-sought" Squid Chicharon of Ana May's Food Product Manufacturing. (Photo courtesy of DA- BFAR 6 Information Unit)
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Some mussel-based and oyster-based products displayed during the DA-BFAR's Tienda sa FishCon. (Photo courtesy of DA- BFAR 6 Information Unit)
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Unique milkfish-based products such as bangus lumpia and bangus siomai, among others. (Photo courtesy of DA- BFAR 6 Information Unit)
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Gallardo noted that she had drawn inspiration to start a food processing business from her family, taking advantage of the abundance of squid in the coastal town of Concepcion, Iloilo, particularly in Brgy. Lo-ong.

Furthermore, her husband Ronito Gallardo who is a fisherman had been primarily earning a living through his daily squid catch.

However, when Super Typhoon Yolanda struck the country in 2013, all the fishing boats and equipment were damaged.

Fortunately, World Renew, an NGO that provided them with new fishing boats and food processing training, allowed them to rebuild their livelihood.

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Customers check out various food displays at the DA-BFAR Regional Office, Muelle St., Iloilo City during the aquatic and fish-based products exhibit. (Photo courtesy of DA- BFAR 6 Information Unit)
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“With the learnings I’ve had, I also wanted to help my husband raise our income and provide for the needs of our five children so I started to venture into creating dried squid-based products,” said Gallardo.

In 2017, she began conceptualizing her food products such as dried squid adobo and glazed squid, among others, and officially launched them in 2018.

In pursuit of improving her goods produced, Gallardo further took up the Food Processing NC II Course of the Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA) 6 in Balasan, Iloilo, a nearby town where she resides, in the year 2018.

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Came 2019, she joined the Department of Trade and Industry’s (DTI) Kapatid Mentor ME (KMME) Program which is a 10-module mentorship program that allows Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) to scale up their businesses through coaching and mentoring by business owners and practitioners on the different functional areas of entrepreneurship, boosting their entrepreneurial capacity through improved access to mentorship, money, and market.

“Through the training sessions we have attended and trade fairs such as this Tienda sa FishCon exhibit, we were given the opportunity to enhance our skills in the production and marketing of our products,” shared Gallardo.

Due to several exposures in the activities organized by various government agencies, Gallardo revealed that she was able to secure more buyers and was currently contracted to become a regular supplier of dried squid-based products for some hotels and food chains in Iloilo City.

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The Seaweed Crackers is one of the prime products produced by the SILOSFA. (Photo courtesy of DA-BFAR 6 Information Unit)
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Meanwhile, the 63-year-old Regina A. Azuelo who is currently the president of Sitio Lo-oc Polopiña Small Fisherfolks Association (SILOSFA) based in the same town, also expressed her gratitude to various agencies for the provision of various support to their association.

Founded in 2006, all 31 members of the association at present are engaged in seaweed production and processing.

SILOSFA’s prime products displayed during the recent BFAR’s food exhibit were seaweed crackers and seaweed pickles.

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They are also producing seaweed noodles, spicy dilis, kalabasa (squash) chips, and malunggay chips.

Assisting them to further increase their seaweed production and sales, the DA-BFAR has as well provided the association with seaweed seedlings, materials, and cash assistance in seaweed planting.

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In the last two months, Azuelo shared that they were able to produce 200 kilograms of dried seaweed and gained a total of P16,000.00 from fresh seaweed.


In the processing of the commodity, the DTI has also given SILOSFA some equipment and machines like grinders, pasta machines, and frying pans.

Members of the association have also undergone packaging and labeling training and lectures in food safety and merchandising from the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).

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SILOSFA President Regina A. Azuelo (Photo courtesy of Epefania Azuelo)
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Likewise, several capacity-building activities and training programs on entrepreneurship were given by some NGOs like Iloilo CODE NGOs, Inc. and Adventist Development and Relief Agency International (ADRA) to the association.

“We are truly thankful for all the support that we have received from different institutions. All of these have enhanced our marketing skills and allowed us to widen our networks with the buyers,” Azuelo noted.

She further encouraged her fellow MSMEs to grab every opportunity presented by the government and other organizations to enhance and expand their respective businesses.

Indeed, the stories of the success of Ana May and the SILOSFA are just among the proof that the taste of success is sweet when dedication infused with innovativeness eventually comes to fruition. (AAL/AGP/PIA 6)

About the Author

April Grace Padilla

Information Officer II

Region 6

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