00:00It's sour, but as time goes by, there's a hint of sweetness.
00:28This is how they describe the taste of the original Sukang Paumbong or Sukang Sasa from Paumbong, Bulacan.
00:35Aside from the fact that it's sour compared to other vinegars, it's chosen as an ingredient in various dishes.
00:44To get the right sourness, it takes almost 3 weeks of soaking in fruits or tapayan to reach the right consistency,
00:53for the taste to be fine, and for the vinegar to be tasty.
00:58This is the 3 weeks that has been fermented. It already has a layer on top.
01:04We'll remove it to clean it.
01:23Back in the 1970s, every street in Paumbong has a vineyard that sells vinegar.
01:40But as time goes by, the number of genuine Sasa farmers who continue to do this has decreased.
01:47There are a few Sasa farmers who have sold their farms and found a new source of income.
01:57But despite the trials they've gone through, there are some who still believe that their vinegar can make up for it.
02:08Like Kuya Percival. He's been farming for more than 20 years.
02:137 days a week, and 2 times a day, he goes to the vineyard to harvest Sasa trees and collect his harvest.
02:27This is the vinegar that is extracted from the Sasa fruit.
02:31It's harvested every week after the harvest.
02:36Kuya Percy, how far do you have to walk every day to get to the Sasa vineyard?
02:44More than 2 kilometers to get there.
02:49How long does it take to get there?
02:52More than half an hour.
02:54Half an hour?
02:56Do you choose the Sasa tree that you're going to harvest?
03:00Yes, just like this Sasa fruit, which is ready to be harvested.
03:07We clean it, and then we have a process that we call sikad.
03:12What we do in the office is to chop the stem.
03:17The process takes up to a month because the process is every 3 days.
03:24So you have to chop it?
03:26Yes.
03:28Why do we have to do that?
03:31So that the stem will grow.
03:35Because if not, the stem will not grow.
03:40During the cold season, the Sasa tree produces more stems because the water in the vineyard is shallow.
03:57How many stems do you collect in a day?
04:01It reaches up to 80 liters.
04:05It's four containers, but it can hold up to 20 gallons.
04:0920 gallons in a day, and you're the only one who does that?
04:12How many hours do you take to collect all those stems?
04:18I also take 3 to 4 hours.
04:27This is how I chop the stem.
04:31Some people chop it with a hammer, but I just hit it like this.
04:42Then we will cut it.
04:45It's a bit hard.
04:57There, it fell.
05:04It's not easy.
05:06You really need strength to chop it.
05:12And to find out where the stem came from.
05:21I'm out of breath.
05:23I'm out of breath.
05:31We found a good time to come here.
05:37Every high tide, the water in their vineyard reaches up to Bewang.
05:42That's why Percival still needs to use cows to feed his herd.
05:46It's hard for the water to come down.
05:50We don't have anything to feed our herd.
05:53Our vines are drowning.
05:55We can't get anything.
05:57It just falls.
05:59Percival admitted that he is able as a farmer,
06:03where he studied and did not grow up.
06:07And if you have a chance to farm in that place in Pocombong,
06:11this is the 83-year-old vineyard where Percival grew up.
06:16This is where Tatay Simeon grew up.
06:18Tatay Simeon's family temporarily entrusted Percival with the 2-hectare vineyard.
06:25Aside from his old age, Tatay Simeon also has a problem with hearing and sight.
06:31Back then, it was expensive.
06:33I was able to earn P2,000 to P5,000.
06:37Is that okay now?
06:39First, I planted the fruit.
06:42Then, the vineyard.
06:44It just so happened that Tatay Simeon couldn't do it anymore because of his old age.
06:50And he continued the cultivation of his vineyard.
06:55If Brother Percival learned anything from Tatay Simeon,
06:59it is his steadfastness and dedication to the work they do for a living.
07:04Just three.
07:06That's the main thing.
07:08Did you finish all of that because of your hard work?
07:10Yes, I have a lot of work to do.
07:17Tatay Simeon used to plant rice in his land.
07:21But as time went by, the water level in their land kept rising.
07:26That's why they planted more rice.
07:29But now, noticeably, a large part of their land has been turned into a fishpond,
07:36an alternative source of income.
07:38I planted rice from October to February.
07:44But when the water level rose, I couldn't plant rice anymore.
07:48So, I turned it into a fishpond.
07:51Despite the trials and tribulations of their business,
07:55Tatay Simeon believes that it will continue to thrive because of the unique taste of their vinegar.
08:00I have a customer who asked me for a can of vinegar.
08:04The vinegar is sour.
08:06It's better than Acetone.
08:08It's really delicious.
08:10If you're used to the taste of vinegar, you'll know what it tastes like.
08:23Now, we're here at what we call tapayan.
08:26What are we going to do with the rice we got?
08:29We put it here in the tapayan to be stocked and seasoned.
08:34Once it's seasoned, it can be marketed.
08:39How long does it take for the rice to be fermented?
08:472 to 3 weeks.
08:492 to 3 weeks.
08:51So, it's different, it's not the same.
08:53It can be fermented for 2 weeks, but we actually ferment it for 3 weeks to make it better.
08:59How do you know if it can be sold?
09:03As long as it's 2 weeks, we can taste it.
09:08But it's already sour if it's fermented for 15 to 21 days.
09:14But did you know that the fermentation of vinegar can take up to a year?
09:19At the moment, we have here a 1-year-old vinegar that has been stocked for a long time.
09:27We can taste it.
09:29A 1-year-old vinegar that has been stocked for a long time?
09:31What's the difference between just soaking it for a week or fermenting it?
09:38As for the color, we can see that if it's not reddish, the color will be darker.
09:44It will be cloudy, unlike the 2 to 3 weeks when it was still white.
09:58We will discuss about vinegar.
10:01For me, the use of vinegar is not only for sauces.
10:04I am Konstantin Vergonia.
10:07I am better known as Koby here in Bulacan.
10:10I am now teaching at TESDA.
10:14We teach vinegar based on how it was made, how many weeks it was fermented,
10:22and what is the vinegar that is delicious if it lasts longer.
10:27I teach it by inlining or adding the ingredients of vinegar to the recipe.
10:34Just like when we talk about vinegar, for him, sourness is not enough.
10:39The vinegar should be tasty, just like the Paombong vinegar that he usually teaches to his students.
10:46It should taste like vinegar.
10:49You know, it's suitable for cooking dishes.
10:53Its sourness is not too sour that it hurts your teeth.
10:59It's really delicious.
11:00That's how it tastes.
11:02And the Paombong vinegar is tasty.
11:06Actually, even its texture, compared to other vinegars, it's smooth.
11:13Koby works at Kawayan, Bulacan.
11:16But he will never forget the times when he was still studying at Paombong, Bulacan.
11:21When I was in high school, you can see street vendors everywhere.
11:27But their businesses are mixed with the taste of their sauce.
11:32That's why it's better to use Paombong vinegar.
11:36Because Bulacan people are really looking for it.
11:40The Paombong vinegar has no comparison.
11:42It's true, it has no comparison.
11:44Because whatever I use in other dishes, that's what others use.
11:50From his own Adobo recipe, using Paombong vinegar, we invited Chef to cook Adobo again.
11:57This time, he will use the same Paombong vinegar that we brought under a year of fermentation.
12:18We brought the dishes to a taste test challenge.
12:22Which of the two Adobos tasted better with Paombong vinegar?
12:27The first original Adobo recipe of Chef Koby,
12:31or the second Adobo using Paombong vinegar that was fermented for a year?
12:36I like the second one more.
12:39Because it blends the sourness inside the meat.
12:46The second one is more delicious.
12:48The second one, the taste of the vinegar really has a strong sour taste.
12:58And the taste is more delicious.
13:01Oh, that's great.
13:03It's more delicious if it's fermented for a longer time.
13:05You can really taste the vinegar.
13:19This is really the sourness that you should taste in a vinegar, right?
13:26The sourness is different.
13:28It's left in the mouth.
13:30But the good thing about this is that as time goes by, it's different.
13:35It's sweet when I feel it, especially when I chew it in my mouth.
13:40But the taste is not over yet.
13:42But the taste is not over yet.
13:44Because Kuya Percy asked me to try the vinegar that he's been fermenting for two years.
13:56There.
13:58The sourness is like a trick.
14:01The vinegar is really sour.
14:05The one before was a bit sweet.
14:08This one is painful.
14:09That's the difference.
14:14The town of Pombong is really known for our product, vinegar.
14:19And now, we are making it a priority to make it stronger because it really has a big impact on our tourism.
14:31Recognize our tradition and culture in vinegar so that we can continue the legacy of our ancestors,
14:40which we will continue to grow in different places.
14:43I think as long as the body can do it, I will continue to look for my body.
14:48It's like a love, it can't be lost.
14:51As long as our passion is there, we will continue.
14:55What I think is that it's also a way for the family to prosper.
15:00We patronize our product here, which is vinegar for Pombong.
15:04Because of course, if this is used by every Bulacan, not only Bulacan, but also Filipinos,
15:10the progress will be helped.
15:14When we use local products, we preserve the culture and the identity of the land.
15:22The town of Pombong is not recognized by the whole country, but because of their vinegar.
15:28And its flavor is obtained through the right process and perseverance.
15:32The cultivation and use of local vinegar, I hope it will not only be passed down, but will continue to thrive.
15:41I am JM Encinas of DigiDocu for GMA Integrated News.
15:52www.gma.org
16:22www.gma.org
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