CAGAYAN DE ORO CITY–The production of a local food condiment, “Palapa,” is this year’s highlight for a non-government organization (NGO) engaged in peace and rehabilitation effort in Mindanao.
The “Palapa sa Lumba” is a livelihood enterprise of 30 out-of-school youth and mothers of Barangay Bacolod II in Lumba-Bayabao, Lanao del Sur.
The project is just one of the 31 livelihood initiatives selected by the Naawan Helps Inc., a local NGO, in partnership with the United States Embassy in Manila, under the #ForMindanao initiative.
The “Super Lumba” group was equipped with the knowledge on backyard farming and build a business around the production of “Palapa,” a condiment popular among the Maranaos made from white scallion, ginger, and chili.
According to Jalilah Hadji Sapiin, 27, the Palapa sa Lumba project head, they were given PHP80,000 by the organizers as a grant to kickstart the project. From that amount, the group bought equipment such as grinder and grater. Another PHP20,000 was awarded to the group during the first pitching of its product.
Sapiin, a community development officer in the Autonomous Region in Muslim Mindanao, said they envision Lanao del Sur to be known for spices production and plantation, prompting the group to go into Palapa-making.
Since the palapa is a product of the Meranaw ethnic group, she said it should be owned by the Meranaw. Promoting it is one way of getting that recognition, she added.
“At first, we were laughed at. Nobody believed that Palapa could be sold,” the young Maranao said.
Through the social media, Sapiin said their Palapa brand slowly became popular that they could not cope with the demand during the recent Ramadan and Hajj, two major Muslim events.
One of the team’s innovations, she said, was to make a variety of Palapa flavors ranging from beef to chicken to smoked fish. They even made a “dodol”-flavored palapa. Dodol, whose main ingredients are rice flour, coconut milk, and palm sugar, is a Maranao delicacy.
Sapiin said they also came up with the idea of adjusting the level of their Palapa’s spiciness so that those who don’t like a chili-laden Palapa can still enjoy it.
U.S. Embassy Public Affairs Counselor Philip Roskamp said the American government gave out PHP8.5 million to bankroll the locally-initiated #ForMindanao projects in response to the request of the Filipino alumni of the various United States-sponsored exchange programs.
Roskamp said the U.S. government merely provided the funding but it was the communities that conceptualized the projects.
“These were all self-generated projects, like, the US Embassy didn’t say, “you need to do X or you need to do Y.” It was the best kind of project, where you have an idea and if we could provide a few means and make it happen, then it’s a pretty good partnership,” the Embassy official told reporters during the #ForMindanao summit held at a resort in Opol, Misamis Oriental over the weekend.
He admitted the amount the American government has granted to the #ForMindanao initiative wasn’t even “not enough.”
“This is only PHP18.5 million and there are only 31 projects. The needs are pretty profound. That’s why the partnership doesn’t end with this particular program–it’s going to continue,” he added.
The #ForMindanao initiative has gathered groups representing mostly the women and youth sectors involved in promoting peace through various endeavors were given recognition as they continue to impact their communities in a positive way, especially in the war-torn Marawi City and some areas in Lanao del Sur and Lanao del Norte.
The initiative was launched last year as a form of assistance to mostly the internally displaced persons (IDPs) and those who have been helping them since the war in Marawi erupted on May 23, 2017. The second wave took off in February and focused mostly on Marawi and its surrounding towns.
The program provided funding and technical support to locally-led projects that mobilize communities in Mindanao. (Jigger Jerusalem/PNA)
