Lanao del Sur

IN PHOTOS: Lanao del Sur’s ‘mananggiti’ and his tubâ

Rappler.com

This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.

IN PHOTOS: Lanao del Sur’s ‘mananggiti’ and his tubâ

ROUTINE. Omaga, a 'mananggiti' collects 'tuba' during sunrise and before sundown.

All photos by Omar Juanday/PonD News Asia

The coconut sap undergoes fermentation, with the aging process taking anywhere from three days to a month to produce the kind of tubâ that is richer in alcohol content and with a smoother and more floral taste

Twenty-two-year-old Judelo Omaga of the village of Lorenzo in Balabagan, Lanao del Sur, attends to his daily routine to collect sap from more than 20 coconut trees that he maintains. 

The coconut sap is what is turned into tubâ, an alcoholic beverage.

Judelo has been working as a mananggiti (coconut wine tapper) for 10 years now, climbing coconut trees since he was 12 years old, and mastering the art of tubâ-making which his father trained him to do. He does everything from the sap-tapping to the fermenting. 

COLLECTING. Cutting a piece of coconut shoot to collect sap.

According to Judelo, he can collect an average of 10 gallons daily, process, and then sells it once it becomes a fine tubâ at P50 per gallon to his regular buyers.

After collecting, the coconut sap undergoes fermentation. The aging process can take anywhere from three days to a month to produce the kind of tubâ that is richer in alcohol content and with a smoother and more floral taste.

FROM SCRATCH. A sharp curved knife cuts the coconut shoot to where the sap would flow.

He said that if properly aged, the slightly astringent-tasting tubâ would be a perfect blend with cola or if mixed with condensed milk and raw egg as many prefer it.

According to a published article in Wine Enthusiast on April 8, 2021, Arturo Pancho, a retired administrator of the City of Los Angeles, California wrote a 2015 book titled Discovering Tubâ “to raise awareness for the beverage and encourage broader production. 

‘INDIGENOUS’. Tranferring collected coconut sap into a large plastic container using an improvised funnel.

“Scaling bottling and standardizing quality is no easy task,” he stated, “but it would ultimately bring more profits for farmers and sap gatherers.” 

Pancho added, “Coconut wine is important for our own history, it’s a part of who we are. We need to recognize that.”

WINE OF CHOICE. ‘Tuba’ is the preferred alcoholic beverage that Filipinos in the provinces have been consuming for ages.

Omar Juanday/PonD News Asia

Add a comment

Sort by

There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.

Summarize this article with AI

How does this make you feel?

Loading
Download the Rappler App!