Marketing

Marketing involves the distribution from the point of manufacturing to the final
consumer. Different points of distribution opens different channels for a product to enter the
market. A traditional flow of goods starts from the manufacturer to the wholesaler to retailer and
to the final consumer[96]. The marketing system provides the services necessary to transport
products from the producer to the consumer. The products are processed, packaged, and
transported as they move along different marketing channels. The extent of the products’
destination depends on its nature and location of consumers. Participants involved also increases
as more specialized services are provided by intermediaries between the seller and the buyer.
Few sellers and buyers are in direct contact with one another as a result of the complexity of the
marketing system[97]. Although, small percentage of the EBNs produced in El Nido are consumed
by local Chinese families, most of the EBNs are directly sold to Metro Manila and Ongpin Street
in Binondo, Manila, which is the home of the authentic and traditional Chinese cuisine[14].

Transportation

During harvest, all EBNs are sold the local concessionaire or trader, who are acting as the
middlemen. In an archipelagic town like El Nido, the time period between production and
consumption is particularly important for different commodities [87]. Water transport plays a key
role in transporting goods due to its geographical features, which is dominated by islands. While
road transport is still the most common and conveniently used which accounts for 98% of
passenger traffic and 58% of cargo traffic [95]. However, the large part of road infrastructure
remains in poor condition due to lack of adequate maintenance and sustainable financing. In the
Philippines, most commodities are usually transported from the southern part of the country to
the northern part, where trade is done at large [87]. EBNs collected in El Nido are either sold
directly to Chinese families in the City of Puerto Princesa or shipped through small boats in
neighboring provinces before transporting to Metro Manila[14]. Oftentimes, transportation can
also be in unrefrigerated trucks or jeepneys[87]. EBNs sold in Metro Manila are either delivered
by air or water transport.

Harvesting Methods on the Quality of EBN

Environmental and Cultural Factors

According to Ramjan and Ansari[98], environmental factors are essentially climactic

factors that strongly influence the nutritional quality of products. These include temperature,
intensity of light, rainfall, wind, and humidity. Consequently, the location and season which
products are grown or cultivate can also determine their nutrient contents. On the other hand,
cultural factors include soil fertility, moisture content, pest control, use of growth enhancers, and
other cultural practices that optimize yields and quality during production[99].

Swiftlets fulfill most of their nutritional requirements in sites that provide them abundant
food resources near their habitats. Swiftlets are insectivores and feed on arthropods, which are
dominant in the deepest recesses of limestone caves. Limestone caves are the natural nesting
habitat of swiftlets[100]. Swiftlets roost and nest in dark caves with a constant high humidity.
Alternatively, the proliferation of swiftlet houses that are especially designed to domesticate
swiftlets due to the high market demand. These buildings are not the natural habitats of swiftlets,
thus higher chances of differences in nest composition and dietary patterns [101]. Swiftlets in
human-made houses may not meet their nutritional requirements, which is a challenging
issue[102]. The creation of a cultured EBN is not yet established in El Nido as the industry has
become dependent on its natural cave environments to sustain the trade for EBN. The abundance
of karst formations in El Nido and vast forest land surrounding the island can give a favorable
foraging and nesting environment to attract the swiftlets.

Harvest Methods

Nests must be harvested in a systematic and sustainable method to ensure the continuous
breeding of swiftlets. Appropriate harvesting aims to keep the production of nests and to
maintain swiftlet population at a stable level. Harvesting the nests is done in various means
depending primarily on the cave’s location and ground elevation. The role of highly-skilled nest
gatherers are critical in harvesting as they are known to be most agile in climbing through the
walls of caves[94]. Nests are attached to the rocky crevices of humid limestone caves hundreds of
meters high making harvesting of nests an extremely risky profession. Many nest gatherers were
reported to have fallen to their death from inadequate and unsafe climbing apparatus used in
harvesting.

Nest collection has become a source of livelihood in El Nido, aside from fishing, agriculture,
and tourism. Nest collection is also closely intertwined with the Tagbanwa or Tagbanua people,
one of the oldest indigenous groups in the Palawan. Tagbanuas are typically brown-skinned and
are known to be exceptional cave climbers. Aside from Tagbanuas, local nest gatherers are
known as busyadors. The nest collection is entirely dependent on the skills of the Tagbanuas and
busyadors. Locally, the process of nest collection is referred as “suot”, where they manually
penetrate the darkest part of caves using only bamboo ladders, ropes, flashlights, and a stick or
fork to remove the nest attached from cave walls.

Maturity

Maturity is defined as having completed natural growth and development. It is at this stage
at which a commodity has reached a sufficient level of development giving a minimum
acceptable quality for the final consumer[103]. Maturity at harvest has a bearing on quality and
storage life of a produce. Similar to fruits and vegetables, harvesting of bird’s nest must be
carried out on appropriate schedules and methods. According to Hussen et al [104], the best quality
of any commodity can be achieved during harvest. Commodities should be harvested at optimal
maturity to preserve storage life.

Medway asserts that in some parts of Malaysia, nests are collected twice a year during the
months of November and February[105]. The first and second nests are collected during this
period, however the third one remains uncollected for birds to rear one brood. However, local
practices may vary as sometimes harvesting may occur in June and December. Nest owners may
not have the absolute knowledge of the breeding cycles, yet because of their similarities in
harvesting they could produce two distinct collection periods[105]. In Palawan, concessionaires
observe a seven-day collection period with a 15-day interval in between harvests. The first
harvest is completed between January 18 to 21, until the seventh collection with observance to
the 15-day interval after every harvest. After the seventh collection, nest gatherers observe a
breeding season known as “palipad”, when they are prohibited from any collection activities.
Nest gatherers will resume the nest collection on the last week of December also known as
“limpiada”, which means “limpio” or clean. The period between palipad and limpiada allows
the swiftlets to lay their eggs until fledging time[106].

Nowadays, the pressure on demand has increased harvesting and may have forced a
continuous cycle throughout the year[107]. Uncontrolled harvesting has been a major problem in
Palawan due to continuous harvesting of nest poachers despite the breeding season. Many
swiftlets are forced to rebuild the nests again, consuming all the energy for breeding and
foraging[14].

Tourism in El Nido

With its 90,000 hectare of protected land area of limestone riffs, pristine beaches,
mangroves, and coral reefs, El Nido has become a hub of tourist activities [108]. In a span of almost
a decade, El Nido has experienced constant demands coming from its booming tourism industry.
As illustrated in Figure ___, tourist arrivals has experienced an influx coming from local and
foreign visitors. From approximately 14,000 domestic tourists and 23,000 foreign tourists in
2010, it now caters to more than 100,000 visitors a year. El Nido has been attracting more
mainstream tourism, particularly the backpacker market[109].

However, the presence of tourism establishments surrounding the island of El Nido is

seen as a deterrent to the swift population. Many resorts conducted regular fogging activities in
an effort to minimize mosquito population. Others use fertilizers and pesticides on variety of
insects preyed by the swiftlets. Furthermore, some famous caves offered under “El Nido Tour for
Caves and Coves” have been frequented by tourists causing noise and disturbances forcing the
swiftlets to leave their nesting sites. With this practices, it was observed that swiftlet population
has been slowly decreasing[14].

Before El Nido was saturated with tourists, fishing and harvesting of swiftlet nests were
the main source of income. Nowadays, there is a significant trend towards tourism becoming the
municipality’s main source of revenue. This created a gradual shift in the interest of fishermen
and busyadors or nest gatherers to become tour guides, boatmen or work in hotel and restaurants
to serve the demand from tourists[14, 110]. Thus, the local nest trade has been on a rapid decline.
The quality and quantity have deteriorated, giving the busyadors and concessionaires much
lower income[110].

Year Domestic Foreign

2010 14,095 23,288
2011 15,326 21,907
2012 23,025 27,851
2013 27,167 37,729
2014 38,964 47,990
2015 49,366 57,132
2016 51,362 73,254
2017 56,667 87,590
2018 101,399 158,632
2019 128,956 161,896

2010 TO 2019 DOMESTIC AND FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVALS

180,000
160,000
140,000
120,000
100,000
80,000
60,000
40,000
20,000
0
2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019

Domestic Foreign