Team Insights

Being a "Mang-unaway"
by Vinca Rose D. Chen

            

            August, 2010 – we went to Barangay Banza, Butuan City to start our first taping for our video blog entry. We started harvesting the unaw, the main ingredient of our featured delicacy, palagsing.

Vinca Chen collecting pulp from the lumbia

           Manong Romeo, an expert mangunaway (unaw-maker) went ahead and started to cut the tree in its bottom part, close to the roots. It was the first step in harvesting the “unaw”. Then he split the trunk into two. He then began to pound on it with the hapos until he got the pulp of the trunk of the lumbia tree and then transferred it to the baoto. I was there every step of the way, attempting to repeat what Manong Romeo had done. I never expected the hapos and all the other materials to be really heavy at all! I must say that experiencing it at first hand was a job i can barely handle. 

using the "hapos"

            I was so astonished by how they preserved their native ways of harvesting unaw. From the customs, down to the tools and equipments. They only used basic and almost primitive technology, yet it is as effective and efficient as our modern tools nowadays. It was an eye opening experience that somehow brought our conficence back to simple folk farmers like Manong Romeo.
            
            I had a simple realization of what Palagsing meant to these farmers. It was not just a dish, but a source of livelihood. And gave us an authentic respect for them. Palagsing truly is a manifestation of how a dedicated farmer perseveres to harvest what he perceives as the best. 

A Trip Back to History

by Jokshan Joy Alquizar

           Unaw. A word that is probably not that popular nationwide, even in Butuan, its place of origin. To think, that even us do not have a clue on what this “thing” looks like’ until we had this study about Palagsing, whose main ingredient is this unaw.

            Saturday morning, August 14, 2010, we were scheduled to go to Banza for our video shoot for the blog. We are to witness the making of the unaw – a flour like substance that is the starch of the lumbia tree. The skilled unaw makers: Manong Romeo and Manong Bobby instructed by Ms. Aida Zita Ariola, the moderator of our team, beforehand to start about 7:00 am, so that we will be able to finish earlier. Thus, we should arrive early and begin.

Whole team inside the Church Ruins

         Next stop: Banza! We were all curious, excited and nervous before we rode on an extraordinary vehicle called “center car” to get there. It’s not that it’s the first time I rode one, but for sure, this time it’ll be fun with my friends and teachers.

            At first, I thought, “Why don’t we just make unaw ourselves?” And answered for myself: “we can’t, it’s simply impossible. I know your wondering why its impossible, its because what I saw in Banza was beyond what I expected of it. The cutting of the lumbia palm’s trunk, the raw strength needed to divide it, the scraping of the trunk, the straining, the extracting; they seem very easy to do, but I tell you, everything should be done with expertise.

taken in the Banza Church Ruins

          We knew that Manong Romeo have been doing this for the past 30 to 40 years or so. According to his stories, he used to join his father harvesting unaw; and now he is the one bringing his children with him. Manong Romeo Pastor is now 68 years old while Manong Bobby Muñoz is 48 years old; and they both started being “mang-unaways” (a person who makes the unaw) when they were still 14 years old. Watching them perform the process, was amazing!

            I am so happy that we conducted this study. We were all amazed seeing the cool tools they used and their cool names. And the lumbia palm is such a wonder. It just grows and 20 years for it be able to be made into unaw It looks like a coconut tree, the only difference is that the lumbia is shorter and has bigger trunk. From the tip of the highest leaves to the roots underground, every little part of the lumbia may be utilized. The fruits may not be edible, but it can be made into palm oil.

            When the unaw is transferred to a bakid (container made from the lumbia palm) where it dries into fine powdered flour, we left it with the Manongs to go to a Historical place in Banza, the Banza church ruins. It is just along Agusan River. The air is fresh there, and we had great fun taking pictures of ourselves.

Our Happy Moments Together

by Sharmaine Joy I. Arbis

          August 14, 2010. It was the team’s 1st time stepping into the land of the oldest and most historical barangay of Butuan City-- Brgy. Banza. We rode on a green center car and stopped near a Basketball Court where there are lots of banana trees planted. But then we realized that it was not really a banana tree but a palm tree named Lumbia; a main ingredient for ‘unaw’. That’s what the team exactly needs to start their topic for the blog.

A walk to the harvesting venue

          Manong Romeo, an expert of making ‘unaw’ started cutting down the palm tree together with his co-workers who were also experts. While they were working, one member of the team will report or relate what Manong is doing while someone also is taking the video of it. The trunk was then cut vertically and the inside part of the Lumbia was gathered using the hapos (tool for unaw harvesting). Two members of our team – Vinca and Imi; even tried how to gather it. Then they put the unaw in a strainer on the top of a ‘baroto’ (used as basin for unaw) where the water and the unaw would directly go down and stay there. Manong Romeo poured a pail of water in order to separate the big and small particles of pulp from the raw flesh of the trunk. He let other members of the team squeeze the pulp. We were enjoying it so much!

Moments later, when the unaw settled in the  “baroto”, the team helped in gathering the smooth and moist unaw into a cone-shaped container made from the soft trunk of the Lumbia tree called bakid, to let it dry for one or two days. It was pretty obvious that the team were so happy for this wonderful and extraordinary thing they have experienced that day. We could hardly believe that we did such interesting things.

We also visited one historical place in Banza. it was  Banza’s  Church Ruins. We we able to see the beautiful view on top of the church ruins as we climbed the unnailed ladder and take lots of pictures as our remembrance.

 It was definitely an unforgettable experience for all of us, because we learned so many things from what we did and shared happy moments together.