“Age doesn’t matter”. A phrase that is time and again has been proven in many aspects in life. Whether in relationships, work, or life’s struggles, where success and contentment are achieved in the young and old.
This has been demonstrated by Christian, who is up until now at 22 years old, still enjoys a stable source of living for him and his family. Christian B. Naman, the famous young hito producer/breeder in Lumbo, Valencia City Bukidnon, earning a net income of 200 thousand pesos at the age of 18.
Savoring Life in Style
“He is now at a stage where he is enjoying life to his heart’s content. As of now Christian is still in his childhood days”. This is what Mrs. Nieveyl Binauro Naman, the proud mother of Christian as she fondly talked about her son. Young and middle aged men nowadays are into adventure with bicycles or motorcycles, touring around areas of flourishing scenic beaches and mountain ranges of exploits as an alternative to the cut off exciting city lights and escapades due to the pandemic. And that’s one of the important moments of his life, enjoying the adventure. With his own motorcycle, he enjoys riding with his group traveling for adventure. His multicab is a powerful support for marketing and delivery services for his business, as well as the family’s needs. He may never had time to play cars and motorcycle toys in his young age, but Christian now is enjoying the real big toys he has bought out of his own income.
The Love of Partner and Pups
Another income generating venture which Christian is enjoying now is his love for dogs. Working with his partner/girlfriend, they are into dog breeding business which they market only through online. They offer deliveries, hence they reach as far as Lanao del Norte to deliver their puppies. This one business, he said is a very good source of income and a self-satisfying hobby, since he is fond of animals, much more dogs.
Strong and Tough Beginning
According to her mother, Christian grew up somewhat imprisoned to work for life. Without his father to support them, his grandfather made sure that he learns everything there is to learn in order to survive. He has no time to play around with other children his age. Instead, he spent his time with his grandfather learning agriculture and hito production. “Give a man a fish and you will feed him for a day. Teach a man how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime”. Though a clichéd biblical quote, this was handed down to Christian from his grandfather and served as his guiding mantra which he practices in the pursuit of his agricultural venture. Growing up with the right people around; his grandfather, his mother and an uncle, Christian learned the technology of hito production and breeding, and felt how the project run. But with the twist of fate, the death of his grandfather left the business and its facilities abandoned. The building up of interest and passion for agriculture since his younger age drove Christian to loop his studies, social activities, and farming and fish breeding in his daily routine.
A Tinkering Mind
After sometime of practice, he was able to perfect the craft and also became skillful in hito breeder selection. But Christian wasn’t satisfied with what he learned. Out of a swotting mind and curiosity, and trying to find something better for the business, he tried some innovations by using the pituitary gland of pangasius or cream dory in order to produce more fingerlings. With his tilapia and hito production coupled with hito breeding and fingerlings business, he is earning an average of 200 thousand pesos a year.
Faced by the effects of climate change and loss of water that provides for his hito production, Christian has to find ways to provide his customers with hito and fingerlings. He was able to mobilize his relatives and friends to make their own pond for hito growing. He provides them the fingerlings, the technology for growing, and buys the produce when it’s time for harvest and sell them to his customers. In such way that he was able to continue his business even with the lack of water and without the growing pond.
Honor and a Blessing
Such tinkering mind and curiosity pushed Christian to the top, bagging the 2018 National Gawad Saka Award for Young Farmer/Fisher Category at the age of 18. The monetary rewards he received as Regional and National came as a blessing when he met an accident with his motorcycle, and has to stop working with all the hospital bills. However, there was still enough left that he was able to augment his business, acquired a multicab, a new motorcycle and most of all, a parcel of land in an elevated area overlooking Valencia City, where he planned to build his own future.
The Quest for his Dreams
Christian is now earning enough for his education and contributing to his family’s needs. Although he did not pursue agriculture as planned, he is now taking up Business Administration at Central Mindanao University in Musuan, Bukidnon. “I will pursue my studies. I may not be in agriculture, but my heart is with it because my business is in agriculture and fishery. With my course, I can better manage my business and the people who are working with me.”
Christian is saving for his future house on top of a hill. This, as he dreams of having a place of his own where he can build his family. He may not be sure of who will be his future wife, but he is perfectly sure that he will make sure to work hard to provide for her and the family.