Utang na Loób in Philippine Fishing Villages

My research examines how people navigate value frameworks in everyday relationships amidst economic and ecological crises. I focus on how debt and reciprocity can be both beneficial and harmful to those who participate in them. Central to the research is the kasa, a feminized village broker who helps subsistence fishers with supplies, food, and cash loans during hardship. Kasas enforce útang na loób—a Filipino cultural concept of “debt of goodwill” that guides reciprocity and moral obligations. Using ethnography and social network analysis, my dissertation will examine how these social relations affect vulnerability and poverty in the face of climate change, focusing on fishing communities in Batangas, Philippines. The study will highlight the role of embedded social practices in shaping human development, particularly in relation to global food and maritime governance. Support from the Kellogg Institute will fund early Phase 2 of fieldwork, allowing data collection during the open fishing season.