ALBAY, Philippines – When someone visits Albay and happens to pass by the City of Ligao, tourists cannot miss visiting the lined stalls selling classic rice puto treats with a twist: a rich, velvety, and sweet makapuno as its filling.
Often sold for P25 per pack, these rice cakes are more than just a local delicacy; they’ve sustained generations of farming and vendor families.
Hilda Napire, a 66-year-old vendor selling rice puto makapuno for 17 years, shared that they can sell over hundreds of puto every day despite the tough competition in the area.
For her, selling rice cakes is more than just work, but a vocation of supporting the cultural heritage of Ligao City through its remarkable cuisine.
“I was able to send my children to school by selling rice puto makapuno for over 17 years already. More than just work, selling our products means a lot of vendors like us who continue to cook and sell along the road for regular customers and tourists to taste the rich cultural and innovative cuisine of Ligao and the entire Albay,” Napire proudly shared.
Similar to Napire’s experience, Richard Mirabete, a jeepney driver for over a decade whose route is from Legazpi to Polagui passing daily through the rice puto stalls, shared that because of the soaring inflation and the high cost of his boundary, rice puto makapuno became his go-to pasalubong to his children waiting for him after a long day’s work.
“Rice puto makapuno is the only treat I can afford as a pasalubong to my son, especially since boundary costs over P700 a day and with the high cost of fuel making it harder to provide for our family’s daily needs,” Mirabete shared.
Typically earning P300-P500 daily after expenses, for him and his son, Ligao’s iconic puto makapuno is a reward for an entire day of working and battling scorching heat and sudden downpours to meet their family’s needs.
Lack of government aid
Despite soaring prices of the raw ingredients used for puto making, most vendors are forced to carry the burden of inflation on top of the decline of their sales caused by the road constructions in Barangay Paulog in Ligao.
Vendors said they haven’t received any financial aid from the government since road construction started last year, heavily affecting their sales.
“Sadly, we haven’t received any aid from the government even when the road construction gravely affected our sales; there are days that we are only able to sell half of our usual sales. Vehicles cannot have stopovers anymore to give customers a chance to purchase from our stalls,” Napire explained.
Even the Department of Labor and Employment’s (DOLE) promised nego-karts (business carts) for them are yet to be awarded.
Nego-karts, or negosyo sa kariton (business in carts), according to DOLE, can supposedly capacitate ambulant vendors to increase their sales and profits through sustainable business.
Maria Jeil Rillo Martinez, owner of Alda’s rice puto makapuno, wishes that the government can also provide other vendors with resource assistance and training in proper food handling that can significantly improve the livelihood of the vendors and the products they offer, which is regarded as one of the province’s culinary trademarks.
“I wish that more vendors will receive support and training in proper handling and production of food products. It’s the only way that more and more improvements in the quality of our pride foods can be made through the support and assistance that the local vendors receive,” Martinez said.
Makapuno innovation
Martinez’s shop is the pioneer store that started using makapuno as their filling instead of the usual sweetened coconut meat owing to her mother’s research innovation project that led not only to the product’s development but also to the makapuno tissue culture, helping hundreds of farmers across Albay and the entire Bicol.
“Before, only 10% of the harvested fruit from rare coconut trees produced makapuno, but with the research innovation of our mother and her research partner when she was still with the Philippine Coconut Authority research division, the production increased significantly to 90% to 100% production using the cultured seedlings,” Martinez shared.
Dr. Erlinda P. Rillo, a scientist-researcher at the Philippine Coconut Authority (PCA) Albay Research Station in Guinobatan, played a key role in the region’s rise to become the world’s leading makapuno producer in 2010. Her improved basal medium for coconut embryo culture, developed and tested at the PCA since 1992 and further refined in 2003, significantly boosted the national makapuno industry.
Martinez recalled that her mother’s early 1990s breakthrough innovation led to the creation of rice puto with makapuno filling, an effort to integrate the prized makapuno into local cuisine. Now, over 30 years later, it represents Bicol at national food exhibits.
“It all started in 1994, when we first tried to use makapuno as our puto’s filling. Back then, makapunos were only used for jam, and because we wanted to introduce more use of makapuno, we incorporated it into traditional kakanins that are already staples in the area. After over 30 years, rice puto makapuno is one of the most featured delicacies of Bicol in national food expos and fares,” she added.
Alda’s rice puto makapuno’s affiliate brand, Jeryk, also sells bottled makapuno preserve and other packaged Bicol delicacies, ideal for pasalubong or enjoying at home. Martinez and her team are developing additional food innovations to represent Bicol at national food festivals.
Martinez acknowledges that despite the decades since the invention, program implementation for makapuno farmers remains insufficient, particularly in providing adequate training and support. This has resulted in a lack of public awareness regarding the long-term benefits of makapuno cultivation for Bicolano farmers.
Martinez said, “Most local farmers are only used to farming regular coconut; they are not familiar with makapuno culture technology that will only need five years into maturing and harvesting a lot for only 30 days of production before harvesting when it matures already, meaning there’s more profit with it for the farmers.”
According to her, simply providing seedlings is insufficient. Continuous support for makapuno farmers is crucial, benefiting both the agricultural sector and vendors like those selling rice puto makapuno, who are now struggling with doubled makapuno prices due to scarcity.
“Giving them seedlings will not suffice,” she explained. “Opportunities for farmers must be clearly explained and well supported to maximize their potential.” – Rappler.com