A local company's bayanihan helps push aquaculture industry forward

MANILA, Philippines - The iconic image of a bahay kubo being transported by a group of men on foot has easily become the most popular representation of bayanihan. Such has been captured on canvas by many renowned painters, further immortalizing this age-old tradition in Filipino culture.

Now while bayanihan is considered an old-fashioned custom, its core concepts of communal unity and cooperation are very much alive and in practice today in various endeavors. And one local company producing animal feeds has applied those concepts for 20 years, resulting in the success of their own business and more importantly, the growth of their industry as a whole.

Meet Santeh, a company specializing in the production of fish feeds. Beginning in 1985 with shrimp feeds under its Tateh brand name, Santeh grew its company by developing other feeds for different fish species like tilapia, lapu-lapu, pompano and more to become the premier marine fish feed provider in the country. Today, Santeh has branched out with other sub-brands like FeedPro, which produces feeds for pigs and chickens and Pet One, which makes pet food.

Research and development, excellent customer service, personnel training are just some of the key elements that earned Santeh 20 successful years. However, stringing all of it together into one cohesive strength is bayanihan or as their 20th anniversary theme goes, “Sama-sama Sa Santeh”.

Many of Santeh’s initiatives, whether it is R&D, recruitment or CSR are all rooted in unity and teamwork since it requires the participation of many stakeholders and partners. “Our initiatives, we are proud to say, helps push not only our objectives but the industry forward as well,” shares its president, Philip Ong.

The push helps advance various groups and institutions in the aquaculture industry from the government to the private sector to NGOs. One good example is research and development when Santeh partnered with the American Soybean Association (ASA) to develop lower cost plant proteins for the fishmeals fed to fish and shrimps. The partnership addressed the short supply of fishmeals and its high cost of production. (High cultured species require fishmeal from fish that is fit for human consumption).

Santeh provided the state-of-the-art testing equipment and its pompano farm as a testing facility while the ASA provided the expertise in nutrition to develop an organic soy-based feed. Santeh also tested the feeds in various sites including the Best Farming Practice Farm of Genomar in Central Luzon State University.

The teamwork and sharing of resources in this R&D project with ASA has proven effective in developing the low-cost feeds needed to make aquaculture a more sustainable venture for entrepreneurs and fish farmers alike. Moreover, with this project, Santeh has also opened the door to organic certification of farmed tilapia.

When it comes to learning and training, Santeh is heavily involved with various groups that collaborate to push aquaculture education forward. The Fishery School on the Air (FSA) is one program that Santeh has been a long-time supporter along with the Philippine Council for Aquatic & Marine Research and Development (PCMARD), ABS-CBN Foundation Inc. and Philippine Foundation for Rural Broadcasters.

The FSA is an interactive weekly radio program broadcasted nationwide over DZMM to disseminate the latest aquaculture technologies and information. At the end of each session, listeners are required to answer a test question on the topic covered. The FSA course culminates in a graduation and awarding ceremony where exemplary students are recognized for their test scores as well as their adoption of the technology.

As a prime example of bayanihan, the FSA program involves so many other institutions cooperating to educate listeners interested in aquaculture. Resource speakers represent the whole spectrum of the industry from government (e.g. Department of Science and Technology, Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources, Department of Agriculture, Trade and Industry) Universities (e.g. Central Luzon State University, University of the Philippines, Mindanao State University), Research Institutions (SEAFDEC, NFRDI) and Private Sector (e.g. Hatchery and Nursery Operators, Feed Supplier, Traders, Exporters).

Another initiative of Santeh in education is its Tateh Academic Study Grants done in partnership with various universities like Central Luzon State University, University of the Philippines Visayas, Mindanao State University and Cagayan State University. The program has produced many topnotch graduates who have pursued careers in research, breeding and farming, a number of which have joined Santeh and attained management positions.

Just like how the men in a bayanihan would come together to lift a house and march towards its intended destination, Santeh, along with many of its partners and stakeholders, also come together and carry its industry towards new heights.