Tucked in the mouth of the Sarangani Bay on the southern edge of Mindanao, General Santos City used to be a backward fishing port before foreign buyers discovered the high quality and quantity of the tuna catch in the 1970s. A 20-year boom followed, with major canneries and export markets to Europe and the United States established.

“What makes General Santos unique is that the city is near tuna-rich fishing grounds like Moro Gulf, Sulu Sea, Mindanao Sea, and adjacent Celebes Sea,” explains Rienje B. Andrada, a fish port staff member.  “We have fair weather zone which is not normally visited by devastating typhoons or seasonal adverse weather patterns.”