Who would have wondered that from her childhood dream of becoming an accountant or an engineer, she would be landing in a profession to which she never aspired before— a fisheries professional? On top of that, she is now the Chief Aquaculturist – leading the programs, projects and activities of the Fisheries Production and Support Services Division of the Department of Agriculture – Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (DA-BFAR) in Caraga Region.
Rizalinda T. Labang-Abing is a fifty year old woman and a former scholar of the DA-BFAR Fisheries Scholarship Program under the Fisheries Industry Leadership Grant (FILG) in the year 1990.
Agusan National High School, her alma mater, has been the instrument through which she learned about the FSP. Growing up in the previously quiet city of Butuan, she was very eager to wander in Cagayan de Oro, where the qualifying exam for the FSP took place. That was initially one of the reasons why she took the exam, yet beforehand, she took several scholarship qualifying exams with the aim of lessening the financial burden of her family. She is the daughter of Leandra C. Torralba and Salvador G. Labang. Her father met an accident in a business trip while working in the government. Although her father was receiving his pension during that time, however it could not fully sustain her studies in college. With that in mind, their family’s financial hardship pushed her to apply for different scholarships.
From all of the scholarships that she applied for, she qualified for not only one scholarship grant but three, including the Fisheries Scholarship Program of DA-BFAR. Yet, she chose to consider the FSP because of the greater benefits offered, such as a monthly living allowance, a thesis allowance, a book allowance, and many other benefits over the course of a four-year period while taking up a Bachelor of Science in Fisheries. But prior to that, she was uncertain about accepting the scholarship offer because BS Fisheries was new to her and she had never heard about the course back then. It was her uncle who urged her to accept the scholarship offer as her uncle advised her that only a few people often took the BSFi program, unlike her first chosen fields, and thus job opportunities after graduation will be much more plentiful. She also thought of her uncle’s advice and grabbed the scholarship opportunity.
Studying in UP and finding her niche
She went to the University of the Philippines Visayas in Ilo-Ilo City to pursue her degree in Fisheries, in which she majored in aquaculture. During her time, UP Visayas was the only university offered to FSP-FILG scholars. Although UP Visayas was miles away from her hometown, it did not stop her from carrying on with her newly found interest in the field of fisheries. Accordingly, the University became her second home because of the community of FSP scholars who lent a helping hand, especially their seniors, who offered tutorials and advice whenever they had upcoming exams or if they found difficulties in the topics of the subjects offered. With might in her words, she said that UP Visayas is truly a school for tough students. The standard in UP Visayas was so high that she stayed focused on her studies since she had a grade to maintain as an FSP scholar. During her time, she had to wake up early in the morning to accommodate the hectic schedules as some of her subjects were offered in Ilo-Ilo City and some were in Miag-Ao, thus, she had to travel back and forth. Apart from that, the courses offered under the BS Fisheries program were challenging as it deals with not only chemistry but also calculus, fish physiology, and various brain-cracking courses.
Despite the academic pressure, she was also active in the student organizations in UP Visayas, particularly in KATIG, a student organization of FSP scholars in UP Visayas, and the UP Fisheries Guild, a duly organized socio-academic, service, and political organization of the College of Fisheries and Ocean Science. Her experience in joining the outreach activities in these student organizations better paved her inclination towards serving the fisherfolk, which eventually empowered her interest in the field.
Apart from that, she emphasized how the strong faith of the Ilonggos made her feel a sense of belonging and comfort that helped her feel more at home. Together with her friends, with whom she shared a common belief system as Roman Catholic believers, they went to church every Sunday, which even fostered a sense of connection and friendship with one another, which helped them ease the transition of moving to a new place.
Earning the degree and entering the corporate world
After her four-year endeavor in UP Visayas, she graduated in 1990 and immediately applied for a job. According to her, she never experienced difficulty entering a job, and perhaps the FSP added an edge to her application other than being a UP graduate.
Before she landed a job in the government sector, she first worked for two private companies. Her first job was as a Farm Technician at MAG Prawn for a year and two months. She then applied as a Technical Sales Representative at Santeh Feeds and worked there for nine months. It was in the year 1996 when she entered in the government and worked as a job-order Technical Staff in the DA-BFAR Caraga. After a year, she worked as a Clerk II in the same workplace. In 2003, she got promoted to Aquaculturist I and was assigned at the Provincial Fisheries Office of Agusan del Norte. Not long after that, she was designated as the Planning Officer in the region for many years. In 2017, she finally received her well-deserved promotion as the Chief Aquaculturist to supervise the Fisheries Production and Support Services Division of DA-BFAR Caraga.
Sailing the rough seas
Her journey towards achieving her current position was as difficult as sailing the rough seas. To get into a commendable position, she said, one must have perseverance. She shared that “perseverance enables a person to keep moving forward despite obstacles or setbacks and to stay motivated and focused on achieving goals, even when the going gets tough”. Her perseverance was also tested when she took her Master’s Degree in Public Administration at Southwestern University in Cebu City. Fortunately, her school was offering distance learning at that time, where her professors traveled every Saturday from Cebu City to Butuan City. However, while she was pursuing her graduate studies, she juggled her responsibilities being a mother, a wife, and a government employee. In balancing her responsibilities, there were moments where she felt disappointed with her grades because of some incomplete marks. But with the encouragement of her family, colleagues and friends, especially her friend Inday Bahian, she continue to navigate her path towards reaching her academic goal – Master of Public Administration.
Lessons from the Odyssey
The story on how she successfully ride on the tides of challenges, bubbled hope for the young fisheries professionals to also dream and to persevere. Additionally, Abing stressed that pursuing advance studies or investing in professional development definitely provided her a deeper understanding, thereby enhancing her knowledge on public administration, and giving her the drive as well as the initiative to take on new challenges and foster an excellent public service.
Further, she also urged the scholars and the aspirants not to be afraid to venture and explore the fascinating world of fisheries. As for her, she was initially uncertain about the journey on which she chose to embark, but with gratitude, she smiled and said that she never regretted accepting the scholarship offer. Likewise, she also encourages those students who will soon be in college to consider the fisheries scholarship program and discover the opportunities that lies ahead.