Summer zest

The hot summer sun is surely heating this part of the equator where temperatures are mostly above 18 degrees Celsius (or 64.4 degrees Fahrenheit). This is the time of the year when most Filipino students are taking a break from school and are enjoying the outdoors.

Our country has the best outdoor life with all our pristine beaches, virgin forests, and luscious mountains with natural spring waters. Our flora and fauna including the marine life is so rich and abundant – truly God has blessed this country. The problem is that our government officials do not know how to appreciate it. They do not know how to protect it. They do not know how to save it. In fact, they seem to be giving it away just like that. Sanamagan!

I am so happy to note, however, that many private entities have contributed to the development of our islands and to the local scene which includes the regional delicacies, handmade crafts and the preservation of culture and heritage.

Clearly in the recent years, tourist arrivals in the country from all parts of the world have increased. According to a report prepared by the Tourism Research and Statistics Division of the Department of Tourism, visitor arrivals in January 2015 yielded 479,149 which is 3.85% higher than the January 2014 arrivals of 461,383. The expansion in visitor volume for January can be attributed to the increases in tourist arrivals from the main markets such as Korea which grew by 23.39%, Australia which grew by 12.21%, Japan with growth of 8.62%, USA with growth of 8.24% and Canada with a 9.19% growth.

DOT Secretary Ramon Jimenez has shown good results. He has kept his promise to put the Philippines back in the map. Indeed, he has made an effort but we need it to push it more because we have very poor infrastructure. Our airports and toilets are an embarassment. We need to think big in order to complement the splendour of our country. Calling all local government officials please educate yourselves, explore, expand, experiment on new products/services in order to go beyond your boundaries. Think progress! Don’t be too narrow-minded, feeble-minded or in short – parochial.

The top travel destinations in Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao are: (1) Batanes where the Pacific Ocean merges with the China Sea; (2) El Nido, Palawan, a marine sanctuary; (3) Siargao Island, the surfing capital of the Philippines; (4) Coron Island, Palawan where Kayangan Lake is the cleanest in the country; (5) Boracay Island; (6) Bohol known for the Chocolate Hills; (7) Sagada, Mountain Province known for its hanging coffins; (8) Siquijor, the smallest province in the country and home to many traditional healers; (9) Caramoan, Camarines Sur where the television show Survivor was filmed because of its natural wilderness; (10) Davao; (11) Cebu; (12) Vigan; (13) Baguio City; (14) Dumaguete City; and (15) Banaue, Ifugao. There are many more untapped and yet to be discovered places in our 7,107 islands and islets.

Apart from the magnificence of these scenic spots are the local products unique to the region. Of course, every traveller will want to take home a memory of the place they visit. Unfortunately, in most of the places I’ve visited more than half of the items being sold in the stores are from Korea, Thailand or China. Susmariosep! Our local industry needs help. They need more funding and support in order to develop their products into marketable and profitable standards. We must boast our “made in the Philippines” products and show the world our excellent creations and craftsmanship.

I wonder how the One Town, One Product (OTOP) program is going. The OTOP was conceived in 2004 as one of the priority projects of then president GMA under the Anti-Poverty Programs and Projects.

The One Town, One Product (OTOP-Philippines) aims to promote entrepreneurship and create jobs. Through OTOP, local chief executives of each city and municipality take the lead in identifying, developing, and promoting a specific product or service, which has a competitive advantage.

OTOP-Philippines supports micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to manufacture, offer, and market distinctive products or services through the use of indigenous raw materials and local skills and talents.

In 2012, The Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) said that they intend to upscale the One Town One Product (OTOP) program of the government not as a product but as a brand, and explore the possibilities of making some of the OTOP entrepreneurs as franchisers.

In 2013, at the 16th Congress, Representative Cinchona Cruz-Gonzales authored House Bill 219. It is an act institutionalizing industry cluster-based programs and projects through inter-local cooperation and people’s participation.

In order to help boost our local industry, I think we need to control imported goods. Since we are still striving to develop good products, our government should find a way to support it and stengthen this program. Not to mention protect our products from a wave of foreign ‘invasion.’

* * * Speaking of local products, I am happy to see how some Filipinos have given value to the coconut trees and the possibilites this tree can do for the economy. One of the products recently launched is Lakan Lambanog.

Philippine Craft Distillers, Inc. (PCDI) is elevating a traditional Filipino liquor into LAKAN extra premium Philippine lambanog. Using the age-old method of extracting nectar from the spadix of a coconut palm, PCDI employs its modern multiple-distillation technology to craft an extraordinary natural white spirit with a brand name LAKAN to honor the warrior chiefs of the distant past.

LAKAN is a 90-proof (45%ABV) distilled spirit that can be taken neat or “on the rocks” or in cocktails whose variety is limited only by the creativity of bartenders and mixologists.

LAKAN’s market entry is timely. The world is rediscovering “the tree of life” as health and nutrition research declares the coconut as superfood. New uses have been found for other parts of the nut and tree, thereby increasing global demand for coconut raw materials and finished products. TIME Magazine noted a planet-wide coconut craze citing virgin coconut oil (VCO), coconut water (or juice) and geotextile products (from coir) as promising new products. PCDI would include LAKAN lambanog in this product list.

But PCDI is facing obstacles: supply challenges within the industry brought about by the recent lost of 2,000,000 trees due to a cocolisap infestation in Calabarzon and another 3,000,000 trees destroyed by typhoon Yolanda in Samar and Leyte. According to the last count of the Philippine Coconut Authority in 2014, these reduced the number of Philippine coconut trees to 300,000,000. There are also 120,000,000 trees that need to be replaced with new ones. No one has done replanting yet. There is also a need to raise the annual nut yield of Philippine trees from 43 while other countries are producing 150-200 nuts/tree/year.

By the way, LAKAN Extra Premium Lambanog was awarded a Gold Medal during the 53rd World Selection of Spirits and Liqueurs 2015 by the Monde Selection International Quality Institute. Way to go!