PARTNER COMMUNITIES ARRIVED AT UST TO SHOWCASE THEIR PRODUCTS

            Last February 12-15, 2018, the University of Santo Tomas (UST) Simbahayan Office, along with the different colleges and faculties from our university, organized the annual Pistang Tomasino at the Quadricentennial Park with a theme of “Kultura’t Kabuhayan ng Pamayanan, Pagyamanin at Pangalagaan.”

            As the feast approaches to its 16^th year, UST Simbahayan’s partner communities showcased their organic products from Rizal, Nueva Ecija, Kalinga, Bataan, South Cotobato, Tarlac, and handmade products from the National Capital Region (NCR). From their subtle quality of linen clothes of the south, to the luscious taste of their finest and most popular products from their own region, each product was made with love. As the feast comes to an end, many students enjoyed the event and many products stood out among the buyers. For me, here are the top three (3) products that stood out all throughout the event:

           

            Each product will be judge with the following criteria:

-          Quality of the Product

-          Appeal to the Eyes

-          Packaging

-          Affordability

-          Student’s Satisfactory

 

Grace’s Original Cassava Chips from Nagcarlan, Laguna

Quality of the Product: 9/10

Appeal to the Eyes: 8/10

Packaging: 8/10

Affordability: 10/10

Student’s Satisfactory: 10/10

            Perhaps one of the most “blockbuster” products that were present during the Pistang Tomasino was this Cassava Chips from Laguna because at a price of 15pesos, a pack can surely satisfy your taste buds!

            Ever heard of a potato chip before? A cassava chip is almost similar to how potato chips are made- except it’s healthier because of the vitamins and proteins cassava roots can give, and the way how it’s cooked. Cassava roots can be found anywhere in the Philippines and according to the Philippine Statistics Authority, the Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM) is the highest producer of Cassava roots in 2017 having 269.95 metric tons or 43.6 percent of the production in our country. Cassava alone has a lot of benefits that can contribute to our body:

1.      Provide energy to support your activities

2.      Protect and repair body tissue

3.      Lowering Blood Cholesterol

4.      Reducing Risk of Heart Disease

5.      Building strong bones and teeth

6.      Keeping Normal Metabolism

7.      Help regulate heart rate and Blood Pressure

8.      Prevent Constipation and Weight Loss

9.      Serving Gluten-free and nutrients for Celiac Disease patients

10.  Lowering Blood Level Sugar

11.  Prevent from cancer

12.  Promote Probiotics growing and boost immune system

13.  Limiting neural damage in brain and Prevent Alzheimer

Source:      https://drhealthbenefits.com/food-bevarages/staple-food/benefits-of-cassava

            How can a product like this be a trend in our modern world? First of all, people nowadays are fond of eating junk foods and chips such as Piattos, Tortillos, Doritos, Pringles, and many more. Cassava chips can be a good and healthier substitute for all those junk foods we cannot live without. At a very affordable price, these cassava chips will surely fill what your stomach needs!

Deli Cane

Quality of the Product: 8/10

Appeal to the Eyes: 9/10

Packaging: 7/10

Affordability: 8/10

Student’s Satisfactory: 8/10

            Another attention-seeker among the product during the Pistang Tomasino was this Deli Cane. Although it is already expected that these product will be quite pricey- because of the limited stocks of canes, it will surely refresh your thirst away!

            If we go to malls, to stalls, and in food expos, there will always be this stall that will be selling organic foods, and for sure, a freshly juiced sugar cane would always be there. A sugar cane is a group of tall, stemmed, grasses that grows in the rich soils of the South East Asia. From the stems of the canes, sugars are extracted. If you see the actual stall, you can see that they have a machine in where a cane is placed then later squeezed to extract the juices. According to the Sugar Regulatory Administration of the Department of Agriculture, 65 percent of the supplies of sugar canes in our country are coming from the Visayas Region. Because of its limited supplies, there are only 7 sugar mills in Luzon and 4 sugar mills in Mindanao where white sugars are extracted from the canes produced. Sugar canes have a lot of health benefits especially to those who are having problems in their digestive system.

1.      It gives you a shot of instant energy

2.      It enhances liver function

3.      It can help the body fight cancer

4.      It eases the digestive system

5.      It is helpful for people with diabetes

6.      It maintains kidney health

7.      It alleviates pain associated with STDs & UTIs

8.      It aids in development of bones and teeth

9.      It keeps bad breath & tooth decay at bay

10.  It can help cure acne

Source: http://healthifyme.com/blog/10-benefits-sugarcane-juice-health-skin/

Due to the continuous rising number of people who are suffering from diabetes people convert their sugar needs to this sweet treat. This is already a trend to many people, but the only problem is that not all the people can afford it. Not all people can appreciate the taste of sugar canes, but for me, it’s a healthy substitute if we want desserts and sugary drinks after a meal.

 

Kalinga Food Treat’s Organic Unoy Champorado from Agbannawag, Tabuk City

Quality of the Product: 9/10

Appeal to the Eyes: 9/10

Packaging: 9/10

Affordability: 9/10

Student’s Satisfactory: 9/10

Who doesn’t like champorados right? I think that’s as Pinoy as it can get. This product will surely make you think how a champorado like this can be produce. The sellers will play with your curiosity as they offer a “champorado without a chocolate in it”.

Unoy, or know as Chong-ak to their native language, is a kind of rice/grain which produces a natural taste of a chocolate which is really suitable for a champorado. It is a red rice that can be found mostly on Kalinga- which describes why it’s the product they brought here in our university! For the people of Kalinga, they consider this rice as something sacred. According to them, it is a grain that can be a source of strength and which can prevent illnesses. They have a tradition in which they serve this kind of rice in important events in order to “please” the Kalingan god, Kabunyan. According to the Agri Business Week, Unoy rice is organic and is not sprayed by pesticides or inorganic fertilizers. The way how these grains are harvested are environmental friendly as farming conditions are manmade. Unoy rice is harvested and sun-dried manually. The villagers producing Unoy rice follow the Bayanihan tradition of working.

In 2007, it has already become a huge trend not only in our country, but even in the United States. Many Americans had become interested in trying a healthier kind of rice that is why they chose this Unoy rice. But in 2016, due to unfortunate calamities, Unoy became temporarily unavailable due to the destruction of the crops a storm caused.

SOURCES:

https://psa.gov.ph/vegetable-root-crops-main/cassava

https://drhealthbenefits.com/food-bevarages/staple-food/benefits-of-cassava

https://www.sra.gov.ph/the-philippine-sugarcane-industry-challenges-and-opportunities/

http://healthifyme.com/blog/10-benefits-sugarcane-juice-health-skin/

http://www.keyapa.com/pinas_info_ku.htm

http://www.heirloomrice.com/pdfs/Rice_Organic_Renaissance.pdf