Pomposity of colors - Nature's tool for survival

Pomposity of colors - 

Nature's tool for survival

San Vicente Botanical Garden

                                           Dr Abe V Rotor

Butterfly plant, what a coincidence

     in form and structure, and color;

I'd rather say, a case of mimicry,

    for mutual protection and favor.

Angel's trumpet, flimsy sinister, heralding

     not of victory but defeat;

Narcotics its essence, abuse its courtship,

     to the unwary on a dark street.

Balibago - white in the morning pink after;

     your secret of a short lived;

you must court the sun and bee without delay,

     in the act of make believe.

Mickey mouse the male, Minnie mouse the female,

     both flowers born on one plant;

If ever Disney got the idea from this plant, he's right,

     mystery is what people want.

Begonia, frail and dainty, and easy to wilt

     must shout its color to the butterfly and bee;

Else its flowers like spinsters just fade away

     sad and lonely though colorful and free.

 

Caladium - but you are far from being a flower,

     yet you're an apple to the eye of the beholder;

Whatever perception you create to your pollinator,

     count me as one, your ardent gardener. ~

Autumn at Your Doorsteps

Autumn at Your Doorsteps

The Beginning of Autumn

"How beautifully leaves grow old. How full of light and color are their last days."

- John Burrows

Dr Abe V Rotor

Onset of Autumn in acrylic by A V Rotor

The leaves are still green but autumn is here,

litter on the forest floor turns red and yellow,

and cracks and tickles under my feet bare.

Oh, how seasons change pure and mellow!

Talisay (Terminalia catappa) - autumn tree in the tropics. ~

 

Integrated Production of Basi and Sukang Iloko

  Integrated Production of Basi and Sukang Iloko 

(In celebration of the  215th  Anniversary of the Basi Revolt (September 29, 1807- September 29, 2022) 

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature - School on Blog

Article edited and enlarged from earlier post in celebration of the  215th Anniversary of the Basi Revolt (September 29, 1807- September 29, 2022) 

 18th Century Baroque church of San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, the town where Bantaoay River runs through. The historic river is the site of the 1807 Basi Revolt led by illustrious local wine brewers against the imposition of Wine Monopoly by the Spanish government. 

Historic Vigan, UNESCO Heritage city, a main tourists' attraction 400 kilometers north of Manila, northern seaport of the Galleon Trade which carried basi among the local products exported to Europe via Acapulco in Mexico.   

Basi in earthen jars hermetically capped with clay for the duration of aging which lasts one to five years, or  more.  The earthen jars, called burnay, are made of special earth mined at the hilly outskirt of Vigan.  It is glazed to last for many years, in fact generations.  The centuries-old process has not changed. Pagburnayan, the seat of jar making, is a main tourists' attraction.

  Burnay making, centuries-old process

Basi and Sukang Iloko are displayed in tourists shops in Vigan. The labels of Rotor Basi carry the synopsis of the Basi Revolt of 1807. The front label of every bottle depicts a historical place and event of the Ilocos Region, There are dozens of such historic labels, that make a fine collection of the product. Another set of labels depicts the Basi Revolt paintings by Don Esteban Villanueva.

Part 1 - Historical Background

The manufacture of Ilocos wine (Basi) and vinegar (Sukang Iloko) is traced long before Spain colonized the Philippines. Although the two products were already part of a flourishing trade between the Philippines and its neighboring countries, basi in particular reached prominence when it became an export via the Galleon Trade to Europe by way of Acapulco, which lasted for nearly two centuries. (4)

The significance of the industry during the Spanish period can be attested by the fact that the Spanish government declared monopoly on the industry in the same way the Tobacco Monopoly was imposed. This move stirred an uprising by the brewers and natives in the Ilocos region which became known as the Basi Revolt of 1807. (1) See the synopsis of the Basi Revolt.

The Commonwealth era further saw the decline in the production of basi and sukang Iloko displaced by imported products. This was exacerbated by the outbreak of the World War II. The industry has never recovered since then. Today’s generation has a vague idea of this fine, traditional industry, which was once the pride of our ancestors, particularly the Ilocanos.

The idea of reviving this sunset industry holds potentials in creating livelihood opportunities, and in integrating agriculture and industry in the classical concept of agribusiness that is rural- and people-based. The industry offers natural products that protect people’s health, and are friendly to the environment. Lastly it revives the spirit of nationalism, culture and tradition.(3))

The Products

Basi is table wine made from upland sugarcane (Saccharum officinarum), glutinous rice (Oryza sativa), and local botanical ingredients: duhat (Syzygium cumini), kamachile (Pithecolobium dulce) and samat (Macaranga tenarius) kariskis (Albizzia lebbecoides), and kupkupyies (Desmodium gangiticum). Bubud, a yeast complex preparation is used as the fermenting agent. It is locally prepared using simple techniques developed at the St. Paul University QC biological laboratory with the assistance of Dr. Anselmo S. Cabigan. (6,7,9 & 13)

Basically basi is a product of ethanol fermentation, with 12 proof which is equivalent to 6 % alcohol (Ref: DOST-ITDI Report of Analysis 01-00-0CL-0017). The bio-chemical equation in basi fermentation is shown in this general formula:

                        Zymase
C6 H 12 O6 ------------- 2 C2H5OH + 2CO2
Sugarcane        Yeast           Basi

This equation shows that basi is the direct product of anaerobic fermentation by a variety of yeast, principally by the genus Saccharomyces of which two species are involved: ellipsoides and cerevisiae. Two other genera make up the locally produced bubud or yeast complex, namely Brettanomyces and Debaryomyces. (11, 12)

Sukang Iloko, on the other hand is basi “gone sour”. Vin egar means sour wine. This means that basi, like any table wine, spontaneously turns into vinegar when oxidized with the aid of microorganism-fermenters. A single continuing process then produces both products – wine and vinegar. Thus, the following equation shows oxidation or acetification (vinegar formation).

                         Acetobacter aceti
C2H5OH + O2 -------------------- CH3COOH + 2H2O
Basi (Ethanol) to Sukang Iloko (Acetic acid)

As shown by the two equations, the two products – wine and vinegar - are integrated. The dual process can be extended to the production of Nata de Coco, and various kinds of fruit wine and fruit vinegar. This means that the formula is applicable in the production of other products, a key to increased productivity of an enterprise. In this paper however, only basi and vinegar production is described. Nata de coco making may be treated as a separate enterprise. (12)

                       Part 2 -  General Features of a Basi-Vinegar Industry

1. It revives a once flourishing industry, making use of indigenous tools and materials. Thus, it also relives a rich history of a people and culture.

2. As a cottage- and rural-based family business, it is dependent on family and local manpower, but nonetheless requires innovations in both technology and management.

3. Its products are made from natural materials and by a natural process, hence safe to health and environment-friendly.

4. It makes use of local researches and indigenous skills, thus it is important to both research institutions and industry. It therefore, links the research system and enterprise system on one hand, and the field with the laboratory on the other.

5. It is viable as a short- or medium-scale enterprise, and can be expanded on long-term basis, which makes it compatible with business organizations, especially family enterprises and cooperatives.

6. It supports the philosophy on which NACIDA and KALAKALAN 20 were founded. It is in line with the government’s program on small and medium enterprises, led by DTI, UP Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises, and Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council, and the Philippine Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

7. As a dollar earner (and saver), it takes pride in a modest sense in propagating an indigenous and truly Filipino product that meets international standard for European table wines, in the likes of sherry and mass wine. (Ref: PFDCS 2498 and 9429, Food Development Center, National Food Authority)

8. The universal formula in the production of the two products lends to expansion of product lines within the same framework of technology and business organization. Table wine can be produced from local fruits such as chico (Achras sapota), pineapple (Ananas comosus), mango (Mangifera indica), guava (Psidium guajava), cashew (Anacardium occidentale) and the like, using the same production formula. This is true in making vinegar out of these fruits particularly during their peak season.

The Process

1. Cleaning and Sterilization of Jar Containers
The jars are thoroughly cleaned. This takes three weeks, with the water changed three times, once every week. The author introduced a technique of improving and hastening the cleaning process by culturing the tiny kataba fish in the jar (Poecilia) feeding on mosquito wrigglers, algae, other plankton organisms, and decomposing matter. With this innovation, cleaning is more thorough and the time required is reduced to a period of one week instead of two. Sterilization of the jars after they are clean is by direct sunlight exposure for at least 6 hours.

2. Brewing
Cooked sugarcane juice is poured into the sterilized jars. The botanical ingredients, bubud (yeast complex) and glutinous rice are then added and the jars are loosely capped with banana leaves and cheesecloth cloth. Fermentation soon takes place and increases in rate until the twentieth day. Thereafter brewing declines. The sediments are removed and the jars are closed, and are ready for ageing.

3. Ageing
The jars are hermetically sealed with termite earth, another innovation by the entrepreneur. Termite earth is dug from a anthill or punso. There are two advantages of using this sealing material: it is clay-hard, and it is termite-proof – because it is waste of the termites. The jars are kept in a dark cool place away from the elements of nature, insects and other forms of disturbance. The idea of ageing is to allow the wine to mellow in order to attain a desired aroma, bouquet or body, color, taste, and other qualities. The wine matures in 10 to 12 months. There is a saying that prolonged ageing improves a “good” wine, but not a “poor” wine. The author can attest to the exceptional quality of basi aged for two up to five years. Other than capital being tied up in long storage, shrinkage is also a problem due to jar leaching and seepage.

4. Bottling and Packaging
Long-necked glass bottles with 750 ml content are obtained from suppliers of new or recycled bottles. The bottles are thoroughly cleaned and sterilized. The bottles are directly filled up with the harvested wine after passing laboratory test (percent alcohol and acidity) and organoleptic test (taste, color, bouquet, etc.). They are capped, sealed, and labeled. They are covered with yellow to orange cellophane to reduce ultraviolet radiation, and placed in individual brown bags and in carton boxes of 12 bottles per box.

Materials

1. Sugarcane – Saccharum officinarum Linn, or unas in Iloko, provides the main ingredient, the source of sucrose extracted by wooden cane crusher or dadapilan. The extracted juice is cooked and evaporated in large kettle until 10 percent sucrose is attained.

2. Kamachili – Pithecolobium dulce (Roxb) Benth. The bark is used for its tannin and crimson red dye.

3. Samat - Macaranga tanarius (Linn) Muell-Arg. Its leaves and fruits are concocted and added to the must during fermentation. Its tannin and dye impart body and bouquet to the wine.

4. Rice – Oryza zativa Linn. Rice increases supply of sugar. Hydrolysis converts polysaccharide into simple sugar, which is ultimately acted upon by yeast. Rice is the main substrate of bubud.

5. Peanut – Archis hypogea Linn. It contains arachis oil and albuminoids, impart special taste and aroma preferred by women drinkers.

6. Kariskis – Albizzia lebbekoides (DC) Benth. Its leaves and pods impart acrid and bitter taste. Moderate amounts enhance body and bouquet of the wine.

7. Cacao – Theobroma cacao Linn. Basi makers add cacao for its chocolaty aroma.

8. Kupkupies – Desmodium gangiticum (Linn) DC. The whole plant is used as filter while the sugarcane juice is being cooked. It imparts a pleasant aroma to the cooked juice.

9. Ginger – Zingiber officinale Rosc. Antibacterial, it is used as an ingredient in the preparation of bubud

10. Duhat – Syzygium cumini (Linn) Skeels. Bark and ripe fruits impart dark color, acrid and bitter taste that contribute to the body and bouquet of the wine.

Quality Control

The ground floor of an old brick house in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur, serves as cellar, office and working area. It houses a small office and laboratory. It is readily accessible to the sources of raw materials, buyers and transport facilities. Burnay or earthen jars (15-liter capacity) are made in Vigan. The net content of each jar can fill up 50 long necked bottles of 750 ml, the standard packaging of both products. The principal tools are light microscope, sugar meter, hydrometer, refractometer, pH meter, and accessories such as weighing scale, beakers and test tubes. Analyses and experiments involving sophisticated equipment like chromatograph and distilling apparatus are conducted in cooperation with research institutions like DOST and FDC.

The main ingredient is cooked pure sugarcane juice. Hydrometer reading is around 20 degrees Baume depending on the sucrose content and variety of the cane. Glutinous rice increases concentration since starch is a polysaccharide. Through hydrolysis, starch is broken down into simple sugars. Bubod is a yeast complex prepared from pure culture in the laboratory consisting of several strains of yeast. Four of the strains were isolated at the SPCQ botanical Garden by the faculty and students in biology led by Dr. Anselmo S. Cabigan. Results of the discovery was confirmed by FDC and DOST and published in the St. Paul University Faculty Journal. Five local plants are used in making basi and vinegar. These are kamachile, duhat, samat, kariskis and kupkupyes. Distilled water is ideal to prevent contamination and unwanted materials..

Quality control starts with the choice of sugarcane variety, its cultivation, stage of maturity and crop stand. Too much nitrogen fertilizer is not advisable. Upland crop is preferred over lowland crop. The cultivation of the cane follows local practices with innovations recommended by PCARRD (Philippines Recommends for Sugarcane.) Only premium canes are assigned for basi while inferior canes, such as those affected by drought or typhoons are used for vinegar making.

The key to product quality is in the three stages of manufacture: formulation, brewing and ageing. The skill is acquired through training and experience augmented with basic knowledge in chemistry and microbiology. It is in this stage that laboratory analysis is regularly conducted to monitor percent sugar, acidity of must (fermenting material), cell count of the yeast complex, and fermentation rate.

The last phase of quality control is in bottling, capping and sealing, labeling and packing. Consistency of product quality is of utmost consideration, not only for the whole shipment, but also in all sales, bearing in mind market demand and international standards. Food Development Center, which is authorized by the United States Food and Drug Administration and USDA, determines the quality of products exported to the US and its territories. Basi has been determined by the Food Development Center of the National Food Authority for having passed the standard for Sherry, Port and Champagne. (Ref: PFDCS 2498/9429)

Organoleptic Analysis

A taste test was conducted on two occasions among basi drinkers in San Vicente, Ilocos Sur in 1999. Using the Likert scale of 1 to 5, the average rating was 4.05, which proved that the product is of high quality. Earlier a similar test was conducted among the participants of ASEAN-New Zealand Symposium on ethnobotany. Basi was presented as an indigenous product using native herbals. The overall rating obtained was Very Good (4.21).

The criteria of a good wine were defined in another organoleptic test in a seminar sponsored by the Biotechnology Society of UST and the UST Graduate School in 1999. These are aroma, color, clarity, strength, sweetness, general taste, aftertaste, acrid taste, and body or fullness. Actual taste test revealed that basi topped the overall rating with 3.26, closely followed by Local Brand S (3.17). The imported brands garnered the following scores: SanIs (2.54), PerG (2.26), RosSi (1.74), and FlorLon (1.72) NOTE: Brands mentioned are not their true names.

Part 3 - Technology Innovation and Industry Development

These are innovations in reviving basi and vinegar making as a viable enterprise.

1. Standardization of quality refers to both the attainment of high quality wine compared with local and foreign brands, and the consistency in product quality that through time becomes associated with a distinct brand. The key is in the standardization of formula, from brewing to ageing period.

2. Yeast Complex preparation holds the key to quality. Of the yeast isolates, Saccharomyces, Brettanomyces and Debaryomyces contribute greatly to the improvement of quality.

3. The earthen jar is imprimatur of the product. The use of bigger vats specially designed for large-scale production is in its pilot stage. Product development has succeeded in reducing wastage, increased brewing success, and improvement of color and clarity using indigenous  technology.

4. Control of the “brewing disease” which plagued the industry in the fifties and sixties. A bacterial contamination caused scouring of the jars in the first days of fermentation. The must or substrate becomes sticky and frothy, spilling all over, and attracting flies and other vermin. The disease can cause total loss in a brewing season. Strict sanitation is important in wine making, and quarantine at the source of the cane juice of possible contamination is likewise necessary. (11)

5. Product presentation is linked with history and culture. The labels speak highly of the tradition and heritage of the Ilocos Region. The regional and nationalistic fervor became an important factor in developing the market. There are around sixty different photograph labels of important scenes and events about the Ilocos region, each on every bottle.

6. Organization and management of an enterprise in making basi-vinegar making as a viable cottage industry. Under the Rotor Enterprise, the Return on Investment is comparable with other businesses of the same category.

Outlook

How a fledgling industry survives and rises from the ashes of a colonial past is beyond imagination of a scientist-businessman to be able to see any bright prospect. But research and business have many challenges, beyond time, money and perhaps opportunities to become rich. (5)

Would not a business venture consider values beyond economic parameters, such as reviving a rich culture, reliving history, touching fervors of faith and pride in a people? To be practical however, one should first consider the viability of a business before aiming at any higher consideration or “cause.” (3 & 10)

With the current research and business climate in the Philippines there are many risks a scientist-entrepreneur faces, from the crunching effect of currency devaluation to open competition brought about by the world's order on trade liberalization as a result of the passage of GATT and the inequitable workings of WTO which is often to the disadvantage of Third World countries. On the part of science and technology capitalism has taken over many of the indigenous technologies. Fortunately basi and sukang Iloko have been spared so far from such capitalistic techno-piracy. By putting back into the path of trade and commerce, how humble it may be, the first to benefit from the Basi-Sukang Iloko industry thousands of farmers and hundreds of households by way of crop diversification and cottage processing, the prototype of agro-industrialization and agribusiness.

The second advantage is based on the fact that the products derived from the industry are natural, and therefore favorable to the health of the consumer and the conservation of the environment.

Thirdly, the indigenous nature of the technology involved and materials used puts to maximum advantage the utilization local resources thus lessening if not eliminating our dependence of imported raw materials – and imported wine.

Lastly, the technology can be transferred and replicated on the cottage level, a social component to spur rural development and advance cooperativism. I believe in the future of the industry as a heritage of the Ilocanos and the Filipino people as a whole.

References

1. Azurin, AM (1991) Beddeng, UP Diliman QC
2. Brown, WH (1937)- Useful Plants of the Philippines 3 volumes, Bureau of Printing, Manila
3. Conti RM and Malicsi AS (1990) - Decision Making Tools for Small Business. Small Economic Enterprises Development Incorporated (SEED), 119 pp
4. Gironiere, P (1935) Twenty Years in the Philippines
5. Jocano, F.L. (1990) Management by Culture (Fine-Tuning Management to Filipino Culture, 100 pp
6. Lacap, DC (1995) – Alcohol Fermentation of Yeast Isolates from Flowers and Leaves of Syzygium cumini BS Biology theis SPCQ
7. Muega N (1994) Isolation of Wild Yeasts from Flowers of Ocimum basillicum, Justicia genderussa, and Murraya paniculata (BS Biology thesis, St. Paul College QC)
8. Narvas-Quiason, SD and J.O. And (1994) Indigenous Fermentation; Theory and Practice Phoenix Publishing QC 278 pp.
9. Ngo, ML (1998) Yeast Screening in Flowers of Cocos nucifera BS Biology thesis. SPCQ
10. Roque, RS (1990) - Management Advisory Services, Manila 709 pp.
11. Rotor AV (1984) - Ethnic Practices in Basi Wine Making in the Ilocos Region, Proceedings ASEAN-NZ Conference.
12. Rotor AV (1986) – Basi Wine Making in the Ilocos Region: Ethnic Practices and Innovations St. Paul College QC Journal of Research , ppl-15
13. Valdez, MJM (1994) – Isolation of Wild Yeasts from Flowers of Psidium guajava, Calliandra cergenila, and Muntingia calabura BS Biology thesis SPCQ.

Author’s Note: Integrated Production of Basi and Sukang Iloko was adjudged a recipient of the 2002 Business Incentive Development and Achievement Award (BIDA Awards). The award was sponsored by CHED, DTI, DOST, Small and Medium Enterprise Development Council and Planters Bank). The integrated enterprise was featured Business of the Month in Agribusiness Magazine of the Department of Agriculture, The Women’s Journal (Revival of Basi, 2000), Bannaoag Magazine (2002) and Greenfields (2002). A scientific paper on the manufacture of the two indigenous products was read by the author at the ASEAN-New Zealand Conference on Ethnobotany in 1995. Basi is a distinct product of the Ilocos region consistently exhibited in agro-industrial fairs here and abroad, which include agro-industrial fairs at SM Mega Mall and the Philippine International Trade Center,  the Basi Revolt exhibit at the National Museum (2008), and UP Diliman Basi Revolt anniversary (c. 2012).

 Basi for shipment to tourists shops and wine shops.

 

 Harvesting two-year old basi. 

Finished product for labeling

* Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738KHz DZRB AM, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday

Waterfall Forever

                                                       Waterfall Forever 

“A waterfall happily and cheerfully flows in the nature; there is happiness only if there is freedom!” - Mehmet Murat Ildan

Dr  Abe V Rotor

       Waterfall in acrylic on glass by AVRotor 

Flow from the hills,

play on the rivulets,

laugh with the brook,

feed the river,

make it full and strong and swell,

mirror the land and sky

before you bursts into waterfall.

Delight many a wide-eyed child,

make him afraid that he will be brave,

awed to gain respect,

mystified to explore and learn,

subdued to be determined.

Flow, flow forever in his mind;

throb, throb in his heart

with the thunder of love,

the whisper of humility,

and into his soul

fill the font of eternity. ~

 “There’s no better place to find yourself than sitting by a waterfall and listening to its music” -― Roland R Kemler

“There is a waterfall in every dream. Cool and crystal clear, it falls gently on the sleeper, cleansing the mind and soothing the soul.” ― Virginia Alison

Global Warming is accelerating!

Global Warming is accelerating!

Ninety-seven percent of climate scientists agree that climate-warming trends over the past century are very likely due to human activity since the mid-20th century.

Dr Abe V Rotor

Former Professor, UST, DLSU-D Lesson in Advanced Ecology UST and DLSU(D) Graduate Schools. How can an ordinary citizen help in cushioning global warming.

 

Sign of the Times: Smog, acid rain and ozone depletion rolled altogether.

Photo by AVR Fairview, QC 2010

 

Acknowledgment: Time Magazine

Here are scientific evidences released by the

Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change

It is a fact that the Earth's climate has been changing throughout history. In the last 650,000 years there have been seven cycles of glacial advance and retreat, with the abrupt end of the last ice age about 7,000 years ago marking the beginning of the modern climate era — and of human civilization.

The planet's average surface temperature has risen about 1.62 degrees Fahrenheit (0.9 degrees Celsius) since the late 19th century, with most of the warming occurring in the past 35 years with the five warmest years on record taking place since 2010. The warmest year on record was 2016. The IPCC report continues with these alarming developments:

The oceans are getting warmer.

Ice sheets are shrinking, especially Greenland and Antarctic. The Arctic sea ice is declining.

Glaciers are retreating almost everywhere around the world — including in the Alps, Himalayas, Andes, Rockies, Alaska and Africa (Mount Kilimanjaro),.

The snow cover in the Northern Hemisphere is melting at an earlier rate. .

Sea level is rising. Global sea level rose about 8 inches in the last century. The rate in the last two decades, however, is nearly double that of the last century and is accelerating slightly every year.

Extreme events such as extreme temperature, intense rainfall, and other force majeure
The acidity of surface ocean waters has increased by about 30 percent since the beginning of the Industrial Revolution

This global scenario calls for an urgent collective action. It is a plea addressed to governments, organizations, individuals all over the world> It is a plea beyond message of an Internationally famous broadcaster, natural historian and author, David Attenborough. To wit:

"When we look at the rising ocean temperatures, rising carbon dioxide in the atmosphere and so on, we know that they are climbing far more steeply than can be accounted for by the natural oscillation of the weather … What people (must) do is to change their behavior and their attitudes … for our upcoming generation we have to do something, and we have to demand for government support

"Right now we are facing a man-made disaster of global scale, our greatest threat in thousands of years: climate change. If we don’t take action, the collapse of our civilizations and the extinction of much of the natural world is on the horizon". 
- David Attenborough, 2018.~

White doves, emissaries of love and peace

                   Dedicated to World Peace amidst Russia-Ukraine War

White doves, emissaries of love and peace 

Dr Abe V Rotor

White doves, emissaries of love and peace (AVRotor 2022)

1. Gem

Unless cut and polished, a stone is stone,

Like a gene lying deep, unknown, alone.

2. Crisis

The greatest crisis ambitious men and women face

Is loss of privacy trying to win a nameless game.

3. Kindness

Kindness, however small

Is never wasted at all.

4. Tradition

The past may leave remnants to the future ,

New to the young while dying bit bu bit.

5. My Life to Give

If a little in me dies if only someone must live,

Here then Lord, here is my whole life to give.

6. Justice

Justice, if not in your favor,

likely favors others more.

7. Happiness

He who makes sad people happy

is the happiest person.

8. Amorality

Will one who hasn't done

anything commit error?

9. Character

Without looking you know the character

of a person the way he talks.

10. Peace 

Peace is peace, there is no other choice. 

“Nobody can bring you peace but yourself.” —Ralph Waldo Emerson

“If you are depressed you are living in the past if you are anxious you are living in the future, if you are at peace, you are living in the present.” —Lao Tzu

“When things change inside you, things change around you.” —Unknown

Have you been kissed by a black goat?

Have you been kissed by a black goat?

Dr Abe V Rotor

Rather, has a black goat tasted you? Carlo at home, 

                                                San Vicente, Ilocos Sur*

The goat eats everything - almost:

     leaf or skin, fabric or paper;

by gene and birth, unscrupulous

     this creature eats anything - almost.

And it tastes everything, too - almost:

     the sweetest, bitterest, saltiest,

intoxicating, lapping to the end,

     until it topples dead - almost.

And if it has kissed and bitten you - almost,

     you must be vegetarian, carnivore,

cuisine lover combined; this creature

     sees you a friend perfect - almost. ~

* Note; Carlo's favorite ringtone is a goat's crispy call.

10 Verses for Meditation: "Tranquility reigns on her face, rage in her breast..."

  10 Verses for meditation

"Tranquility reigns on her face,

  rage in her breast..." avr

   Dr Abe V. Rotor



Waterhole, AVRotor 2009

1. I walked the bridge to its far end and beyond,
And down the river to the sea I cast my pole.
It was a fight I fought, it was no longer game,
And it was neither fish nor dream I caught.

2. Tranquility reigns on her face, rage in her breast,
If beauty exudes best from a spring of force,
I do not wonder at the shyness of a crest,
And the power of a single rose.

3. I touched the towering figure and I was touched,
Transported to Gulliver’s land for a moment;
To meet the maker, a simple man from the hills,
Unschooled, yet his burin sings the glory of Ancient Greece.

4. Pygmies make giants, for the little man dreams of what he misses.
Humble is he, painstakingly working on his stead,
Until a Genie rises from his hands, mirror of a great soul.
Lo, a pupil I am, doubting my skill, my goal.

5. Many years ago you had another name -
Gleaners, and work was also game.
Now it’s all work and the art of the vulture,
And those with fangs and ugly mane.
But if none is waste and waste is useful -
Would your breed thrive just the same? 

6. For just once the world is mine
With rowdy friends and I,
Happily with a jug of wine,
Words come easy, ‘Aye, Aye!’ ”

7. Through time, humanity has changed through use
Of its environment for man’s needs through abuse,
From adaptation to modernization,
All in the name of civilization.

8. Pleasance to you youth, bright as the sun;
The world be at war or be at peace.
Ask not where have all the flowers gone;
Seasons come, and seasons go at ease.

9. Rage and break, rage and break,
On the cold wall and be free;
Make the sky and the river meet
Under a rainbow by the sea.

 

 10. Who cares about the broken bridge in summer?
When fishing poles bend to the weight of catch,
Young and old wait for the pot to shimmer.
Everything’s silent save the breeze and chime,

And river flowing in the idleness of time. (INTERNET PHOTOS)~

Re-discovering the Old Camachile (Pithecolobium dulce)

 Re-discovering the Old Camachile (Pithecolobium dulce)  

Dr Abe V Rotor

Living with Nature School on Blog

Camachile (Pithecolobium dulce) is a medium to a fairly large tree. It is also called Manila tamaind. Its pods are eaten raw and loved by children in the province. The pods that fall to the ground are eaten by goats, fowls, and other animals. 

To the rural bred, camachile is virtually a password in summer, its fruiting season. We kids in our time, armed with bamboo pole, would eye at the dangling bright red or golden, and dehiscent pods, and under the shade of the tree feast on them to our delight.

The flesh surrounding the seeds is sweet and somewhat acrid (mapakla) because of high tannin, which is good to those suffering of diabetes and high blood, so our old folks believed. I do not know of any other way of eating camachile other than raw, help split the pod to separate the seed. Seldom is it served on the dining table. There's no recipe I am  aware of. Simply enjoy eating, no soft drinks, no sugar or salt. 

The tree is resistant to drought and grows in poor soil because it makes its own fertilizer, so to speak. It has a spreading root system that harbors nitrogen-bacteria (Rhizobium).  It is also resistant to saline condition (halophyte) and is found growing in estuaries, and in fact along the seashore with coconut trees venturing into the breakwater.

I remember old camachile trees, some perhaps fifty years old, lining the Bantaoay River in our town San Vicente, site of the historic Basi Revolt of 1807. There under their adventicious roots were the burrows of big river eels or palos (igat Ilk), while under their  overhanging branches over the river, mullets (banak Tag., purong Ilk ) would idly group in summer. Adventurous as we were then, we would hook for both igat and purong, and in Ilocano, brag of our catch, fair or big. We did not starve waiting for our fish the whole day, thanks to the benevolent camachile. What tree can beat camachile?  We got shelter, fish, fruit, firewood to broil our catch, and birdsong in its top.      

 

Trees growing along the riverbank serve as natural riprap, and those along borders make a natural fence what with its spiny stems and branches. And when planted close in a row or two bcome a windbreak against typhoon. Thus Camachile is recommended for reforestation and rehabilitation of wasteland.

On the farm the leaves serve as feeds for goat and other ruminant animals. The leaves make a good compost and is often mixed with hay or rice hull to serve as bedding of farm animals. The spent litter is then cleaned off and sent to the garden or field for fertilizer and mulch.

Table Wine made from ripe pods of camachile developed by the author 

Living with Nature Center, San Vicente, Ilocos Sur 

Nothing is wasted of the tree. Old branches are pruned for fence and firewood. Old trees make good house materials and furniture. Camachile wood is durable and make fine furniture. It can be mistaken for narra. I remember a Manila visitor who came to town to buy a sala set. All the time he was thnking of it was made of narra. "It it camachile wood, " revealed the artisan, and got a premio (token) for his honesty.

In my research in college I came to know that the bark and pulp are astringent and hemostatic, true to the claims of our folks at home. So with the natives of the tree's origin - Central America - who use the pulp and bark against gum ailments, toothache and hemorrhages. Medical science has advanced such remedies. A bark extract is used against dysentery, chronic diarrhea and tuberculosis. An extract of the leaves is used for gall ailments and to prevent miscarriage. The ground seed is used to clean ulcers, among  other uses, many of which remain to be discovered.

I shall never outgrow camachile.  It's a classic tree of childhood. It draws a curtain open for our troubled earth of returning the balance and pristine nature of our environment. ~ 

Lesson on former Paaralang Bayan sa Himpapawid with Ms Melly C Tenorio
738 DZRB AM Band, 8 to 9 evening class, Monday to Friday