Legazpi City, June 10 — Crizalde Quiapos of Ligao City, Albay and Nestor Franz Fortuno of Iriga City, Camarines Sur both bagged the first place in the Pataramisan sagkud Padarakulaan Contest for gumihan and baligang, respectively. This was held last June 6, 2011 at the Pacific Mall Activity Center here.
The second and third prizes in the gumihan category were received by Orestes Sta. Clara of Sto. Domingo, Albay and Salve Bondad of Tabaco City, Albay, respectively. Likewise, the entries of Clarita Repatacodo, Iriga City, Camarines Sur and Marissa Francisco, Legazpi City, Albay got the second and third places for baligang. Ten other participants with entries in the gumihan category and 9 other for baligang received consolation prizes as well.
The winners received cash prizes of PhP5,000 for the 1st prize, PhP3,000 for the 2nd prize, PhP2,000 for the 3rd prize, and PhP500 for each consolation prize. Likewise, fruit entries were bought for PhP30 per piece for gumihan and PhP300 per 3-kilo basket of baligang.
The winning entries were selected based on the fruits’ size (30%), taste/sweetness (30%), color (15%), smell (15%) and physical condition (10%) and were selected by the panel of judges consisting of the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) Provincial Director Rodrigo Aguilar, Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Regional Director Eduardo de Leon, Amelia Detera of the Department of Tourism (DOT), Jason Gonzales of the Department of Agriculture (DA), Regional Trial Court (RTC) Legazpi Judge Edgar Armes, Efren Operio Jr. of the Ecosystem Research and Development Service (DENR-ERDS), and Ma. Theresa Alcantara of the Department of Science and Technology (DOST).
After the final judging of the fruit entries, participants and spectators during the contest proper were encouraged to taste and eat the fruits. The seedlings gathered during the contest proper were then turned over to the Energy Development Corporation - Bacon-Manito (EDC-BacMan), Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and other industries for their greening and adopt-a-river/mountain programs.
The Pataramisan sagkud Padarakulaan Contest was spearheaded by the Environmental Management Bureau V (EMB V) and was concocted in the mind of the agency’s Regional Director Fernando Quililan, who hoped that the contest generated awareness as well as encouragement among Bicolanos to preserve and propagate two of the region’s endemic fruits.
“With this contest, I suppose that the familiarity with the two fruits, particularly the gumihan which is unknown to many, have already begun” RD Quililan said. “And hopefully, these fruits will be another reason for people from other parts of the country to visit our region.” (DENR-EMB/PIA)
This is a laudable project intended to bring into consciousness Bicol's endemic and now-getting-rare fruits. When I was a young boy growing up in Oas, Albay, baligang was a common fruit sold in the public market. Even rarer, gumihan appears only by chance. These fruits are not produced commercially, but from trees that grow accidentally in one's backyard.
ReplyDeleteNothing beats the sweetness of baligang and gumihan grown in Bicol. I planted a few baligang trees in my farm in San Pablo, Laguna but their fruit lack the sweetness of homegrown baligang. For the gumihan, well, I'd be ecstatic if I can find a seedling.