Republic of the Philippines

CAVITE STATE UNIVERSITY

Don Severino de las Alas Campus
Indang, Cavite
Tel. (046) 415 0013 Telefax (046) 415 0012
e-mail: cvsu.op206@gmail .com

ATADO
An Ethnography of a Meat Vendor

Andres, Jessebel D.
Angcao, Abigail A.
Aure, Laarni Mae D.
Peji, Christian Racel R.

16 May 2019
 ATADO

An Ethnography of a Meat Vendor

INTRODUCTION

Pigs are considered indigenous to the Philippines, with the Tagalog word “baboy” also having

variations in the Indonesian “babi” and “bawi” in Malayan. The Philippines, before it was even called

the Philippines, has always favored pork. Pig meat was often raised as offerings to the gods to

curry their favor. The existence of pig in neighboring countries is important because they confirm

that this animal was a pre-colonial food source in Southeast Asia.

According to the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD), a

Filipino consumes about 14.2 kg of pork, two kg more than the world’s average pork consumption.

And have an annual average of 28.8 kg for every Filipino. This only shows that Filipino were used

in eating pork unlike other Asean people. Meanwhile, Cavite ranked three in CALABARZON

based on meat consumption. It has an estimated annual per capita consumption of 11.354

kilograms. It just showed that meat industry plays a big role in the economy of the province.

Meat will always be in demand and is consumed by almost everyone. It has also been

observed that as a family becomes more affluent, people tend to consume less rice and more meat.

Unlike simple buy-and-sell businesses, selling meat requires more care because meat can

easily be contaminated or spoiled if mishandled. This job is not only about weighing the meat,

giving change to customers, or computing for the price of the meat. Someone must be skilled

enough in handling this type of job.

Mendez – Nunez Market is one of the known public markets in the upland part of Cavite.

People from nearby municipalities travel just to avail the various products available here such as
fruits, vegetables, seafoods, chicken, beef, dry goods and many more. One of the most in demand

products is the pork which is considered as the main dish in every Filipino table.

One of the skills that is very important to every meat vendor and butchers to know is how

to atado a meat. Atado, as defined by Kuya Ambet, means to divide the meat into different parts.

A skill that is not that easy because it requires concentration, precision and good eye-hand

coordination.

OBSERVATION

ATADO: A Chop of His Personal Life: 29 April 2019, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

Travelling to Mendez- Nuñez Public

Market, we ended up in the front part of the

market where different types of meat and

vegetables were sold. We hesitantly walked

toward the meat section where a vast number of

flies were scattered all over the place, vendors

were trying to catch the attention of the potential

customers and butcher’s knife banging on the

chopping board. It was on this place where we

met a meat vendor named Ambet Villamor.

We smiled and in return he greeted us with a good morning. We hesitantly asked him if

we can observe his job and follow him all throughout the day. Without any reluctance, he replied

positively. While doing his usual work, we started asking him about his personal life.
 He is a father of six, all girls, and a grandfather of two. His wife is a plain housewife who

takes good care of their grandchildren. As the head of the family, he works hard to provide their

needs and specially the education of

his children. “Napakaswerte ko nga

sa kanila kasi ayaw nila

magtuloy…Ayaw talaga nila”, he

said. A sarcastic way of describing

how his children value education.

His dismay can easily be noticed

through the way he answered. Other

than this,

he was thinking of his youngest daughter who ran away from their home last Friday, April 26. He

scolded her because of some personal reason that he never mentioned in the interview. His

youngest daughter already committed a series of this kind of incident but afterwards she will

always return after a few days. While doing the interview, we noticed that Kuya Ambet was

somewhat close-mouthed about his personal life based on how he answered. He did not allow us

to go to their house but instead he described the place where they live. Kuya Ambet came from

Quezon City wherein he met a man whom he called “bossing”. Bossing allowed him and his family

to stay in their land in Mendez without rentals. Kuya Ambet built a house made up of woods and

sacks but through his hard work and dedication he was able to develop it into something better.

Right now, they are living in a decent and simple home made up of stone.

ATADO: A Chop of His Life as a Meat Vendor: 29 April 2019, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.:
30 April 2019, 2:30 a.m. – 7:00 a.m.
 Mendez public market is divided into two, the dry and wet markets. Each section

is further divided into areas grouping several vendors according to the goods they sell. The dry

market is where vendors of fruits, vegetables, eggs, dried salted fish, and rice cakes are located.

It’s called the dry market because the ground is dry. On the other hand, wet market is where

vendors of fresh seafood, meat/poultry are located. It’s called the wet market because the ground

is wet.

During the first day, filming and interview were done in the morning while Kuya Ambet

was selling meat. Much of Kuya Ambet’s interview was him talking about his past, the man he

once was and the man he has become today. In fact, when Kuya Ambet was 9 years old, he learned

how to be a “Matador”. At this early age, he also learned how to associate with other people until

his fortune brought him to Mendez.

Like the other dedicated fathers, Kuya Ambet is one of the devoted person in order to raise

his family. Every Tuesday and Friday, he came to the market as early as 3 o’ clock in the morning

to zealously deal with his meat because each day is intended for his job for his family. He waited

until the meat supplies were delivered to his place. He displayed his goods as he waited for the

day’s buyers. His meats were grouped together or stacked in small pyramids creating a beautiful

display. Picking up the goods for personal scrutiny were encouraged for his customers so they will

know the quality of the food they are buying.

 Aside from market days, he

preferred to work than to take a rest

just to earn a living. He once said in

his interview that his earning is “higit

sa sapat”. A decent way of describing

his incomes from selling meat.

According to Kuya Ambet, he paid

P7000.00 to the supplier for his meat

and earned at least P50, 000.00 a month. He also earned a lot during fiestas and holiday seasons.

“Kumikita po ako dito kapag fiesta, half day lang, P10, 000, P5,000”, he said. Part of his earnings

were allotted to the annual business permit, monthly rental and ticket. Some were given to the

church as tithes and offerings. He also enumerated the skills needed in doing the “pag-aatado” or

chopping of meat into pieces.

In addition to this, he also told us the struggles and circumstances he encountered in life as

a meat vendor and a father. He stated that one of his experience was customers don’t like meat if

its color is pale and they think that it is horrible without knowing that if it is pale, it was done

through bathing and fasting. Because of this, customers neglect his stall and look for another. He

also told us the struggles he encountered with his children. His youngest daughter ran away from

their home because of some personal reasons. In spite of these, he still chose to sell meat every

day to provide the needs of his family.

 From the life of Kuya Ambet as a meat

vendor, we believe that meat vendors offer a

wealth of life lessons. From devotion and determination to having a faith in God. Life contains a

number of ups and downs that is why we believe that people should take away every bad thing that

happens to them and learn to overcome it instead of sitting and crying about it. If it’s one thing we

believe as we have an interview with Kuya Ambet, it is also that people should learn to be

optimistic and see the bright side of things. In life, we may see ourselves facing many struggles

and obstacles put in our path but it doesn’t meant it will weigh us down. We believe that there’s a

positive side to everything, even to tragedies.

ATADO: A Chop of His Life as a God Servant: 29 April 2019, 8:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.:
3:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.
 Early in the morning, we went to the Mendez public market to interview kuya

Ambet. He shared to us his personal life and his life as a meat vendor. Later on his interview, we

found out that Kuya Ambet is not just a meat vendor, he is also a God’s servant.

He told us that every Monday at exactly three o’ clock in the afternoon, he always go to

their church. It’s his another way of resting from his work as a meat vendor. He is a faithful believer

of El Shaddai.

El Shaddai is the Hebrew for God Almighty, which is one of the names of God in Jewish

faith. It is the biggest Catholic charismatic movement in the Philippines. It is not a sect. Its core

theology and practices are essentially Catholic Christian; the Eucharist is celebrated in their

gatherings, their spiritual advisors are from the Catholic hierarchy, and 100% of its members

profess the Catholic faith. They believe in the one ever-living, eternal God: infinite in power, holy

in nature, attributes and purpose; and possessing absolute, indivisible deity. This one true God has

revealed Himself as Father; through His son, in redemption, and as the Holy Spirit, by emanation (I

Corinthians 8:6; Ephesians 4:6; II Corinthians 5:19; Joel 2:28).

 He is a faithful tither. Like some other

congregations, El Shaddai strongly en-courages

followers to tithe, or contribute 10% of their income.

In return they write down their "prayer requests" for

wealth, health and good fortune. Kuya Ambet told us

that ten percent (10%) of his income was allotted to

their church as his tithes. “Noong nakaraang next

year, ay next year, noong nakaraang unang buwan

nakapagbigay ako ng four thousand plus, ibig sabihin

kumita ako ng kwarenta mil”, he added. He told us

also that his tithes are ranging from four thousand to five thousand monthly. Being obedient to

God is a way of Kuya Ambet to show his gratitude to Almighty God. He always give the ten

percent of his income wholeheartedly. He believed that God will bless him more and his family

for being a faithful tither to Him. After the interview, we asked permission to him if we can go to

their church for the additional

documentation about his life as a God’s

servant. We were glad that he said yes.

 We arrived at exactly 3:00 in the afternoon. We simply watched and observed Kuya Ambet

while they were singing and praising inside the church.

We made sure that we will not

interrupt their worship service. We were very

quiet and cautious with our actions. One of

our members took pictures and recorded the

video silently. We smiled at Kuya Ambet

when he saw us outside the church. After

singing, they listened to the preaching of

someone who is assigned that day. While waiting

for the end of their worship service, we decided

to take pictures of the outside part of the church.

Also, we tried to get perfect angles of Kuya

Ambet worshipping inside the church.

Kuya Ambet showed us how faith works in his life. For all the hardships and successes that

he encountered in his life, he always remember to thank and pray to God. He wanted to remind us

that even if we are successful in any work or business that we have, we must not forget to bring

back the glory and praises to Almighty God. It is because God is the true source of blessings. The

life of Kuya Ambet as a God’s servant, showed that in any situation of your life, good or bad,

never ever forget God.

 CONCLUSION

Selling meat is not just a job that deals weighing of meat, giving change or computing for

the price of the meat; it is more than that. Before taking a deeper look, we knew that they earned

more than enough. What we did not realize is that they sacrifice their time for their family, their

personal health and even their own happiness. They wake up early in the morning to prepare

without the help of others, waited for a long time for the customers to buy their goods even if it

took them more than an hour to have one and smiled to different kind of people even if they were

tired and sleepy. Every vendor sells meat with their own purpose. They do it for themselves, for

their family and some even do it just to pay debts. Like other professionals, they are the masters

of their own jobs.

They work in an environment that others may find not suitable for work. It might be untidy

and noisy but for them this is a place that gives them hope and reason to continue fighting for their

lives.

Every meat vendor’s problem in life is like a meat that they are trying to sell. People ignore

it and choose to go away to buy to another seller. Instead of helping them with their problem, we

choose to leave them helpless.

All the chop or atado they make in the meat corresponds to the different aspects of their

lives. They use a weighing scale to know which one is more important and prioritizes the things

that need attention. Meanwhile, in chopping their lives, they might be hurt by the knife that they

use in decision making. But they have a guide. God, their customer, tells them what kind of chop

they need to make in their lives.

 “Ang pagtitinda ng karneng baboy, pananampalataya, pagsasakripisyo at pagmamahal sa

pamilya ay bahagi ng araw- araw na buhay ni Kuya Ambet. Kagaya ng pag- aatado ng karne ay

binabahabahagi din niya ang iba’t ibang pangyayari sa kanayang buhay. Lahat ng negatibo at hindi

magandang pangyayari sa kanyang buhay ay ipinagdarasal niya. Samantala lahat ng positibo at

magagandang pangyayari ay kanyang ipinapasalamat. Ang tanging sandigan niya ay ang kanyang

pananampalataya.” (Selling pork, faith in God, sacrifice and love for his family is part of Kuya

Ambet’s daily life. Like chopping of pork, he divides different events in his life. He prays for all

the negative experiences in his life and give thanks to the positive ones. The only thing he leans

on is his faith in God.)