DOLE assists group to preserve ‘binongey’ culinary heritage
A GROUP of 10 vendors in the island municipality of Anda helps preserve local culinary heritage of binongey making.
In April 2021, the 10 vendors from Barangay Sablig won in a binongey-cooking competition in the 16th Binongey Festival. They took home cash prizes and other incentives but these could not sustain their endeavor.
With the endorsement of Anda Mayor Joganie Rarang and Public Employment Service Office Manager Emely Calaor, the 10 workers were enrolled in the DOLE’s Integrated Livelihood Program.
On April 29, DOLE RO1 granted them P200,560 livelihood aid, channeled through the local government unit of Anda.
Rarang received the check from DOLE Western Pangasinan Field Office Chief Rhoda Dingle.
The vendors went through series of training on business ethics, planning and development, simple bookkeeping, values formation, safety and health measures and food handling.
The DOLE aid will be used to procure raw materials aimed to intensify the production of the 10 vendor-beneficiaries. They will also be enrolled in a micro-insurance. The DOLE and LGU shall work hand-in-hand to closely monitor the progress and sustainability of the livelihood.
This is the second group of binongey vendors assisted by DOLE. In 2018, the DOLE granted P154,200 assistance to vendors in Bolinao, an adjacent town, where the delicacy is similarly popular. Compared to Anda’s binongey, however, Bolinao’s “binongey” is cooked in thinner bamboo tubes and covered with banana leaves.
DOLE Regional Director Atty. Evelyn R. Ramos said, as the nation celebrates the National Heritage Month this May, this Binongey Livelihood Project is a testament that DOLE programs can also help in preserving local culture and heritage.
Binongey is a delicacy made of glutinous rice soaked in coconut milk and steamed in bamboo tubes. Guava leaves are used to cover the tubes, for added flavor and aroma. The tubes are then placed upright in low fire, and cooked to a delightful perfection. (Eva Visperas)
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