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The campaign to encourage Cebuanos to eat Sinanduloy, a mixture of rice and kamote (sweet potato), in response to the spiraling prices of rice has drawn mixed reactions.
“I think it is a very practical way of addressing the rice crisis. Knowing that rice itself is our staple food and kamote is grown locally, then I think it is adaptable. Filipinos should also adjust to how the situation is going,” said Ashley Mondigo, a nursing student.
Memcie Rodas, an employee of a private company, shared the same sentiment.
She said that when she was younger, her mother cooked sinanduloy for her and her siblings. She described it as delicious.
“It is not bad to go back to the olden days.”
But to “Kuya Danny” (not his real name), a taxi driver, who has never tasted sinanduloy, may never try the concoction.
Danny said he would have to work harder to be able to buy rice for his family.
A graduating student, Therese Paradian, acknowledges that “this Saksak (Sinanduloy Alang sa Kahimsug, Sinanduloy Alang sa Kabusog) program of Gov. Gwen Garcia would not be easily implemented.
“We are used to eating rice. Adding kamote to our regular meal is a very hard thing to do since it entails a change of our daily lifestyle. Though the program is for the common good, it can’t be easily accepted by the society.”
But to Dianne Villamero, a quick talk with her mother made her realized that the idea of eating sinanduloy was also launched when her mother was young, before the price of rice starting going up.
“So this is not a problem, after all. We are discussing how to help the (economic) problem we’re facing now. Crops are abundant; they cost cheap and they do play a good role in keeping our bodies in good physical condition. Adding them would mean reproducing more ‘rice’ in the process,” Dianne added.
Nanay Mameng, 80, recalls her childhood experience during World War II.
“It (was) hard to live during the war days. Families were forced to evacuate to the mountains and hide.
For days, finding food is difficult, especially meat. Sometimes we only eat fruits or vegetables. Our viand is either salt or soy sauce just to add a little flavor to the rice. And I think this resulted to our mixing of sweet potato with rice. Sweet potato or kamote adds flavor to the rice. It is sweet and makes rice more delicious. I even carried the practice with my children. And they loved it with any viand.”
Nanay Mameng said other families also loved eating sinanduloy with dried fish.
The Cebu provincial government recently launched the Saksak Program to promote the use of kamote with rice and address the problem on rice supply.
The program is aimed at increasing the volume and feeding capacity of rice in the province and encourage the value of sweet potato, which has always been considered a lowly crop.
Garcia, to address the negative image of the kamote, also called on the Department of Education (DepEd), Department of Agriculture (DA) and the media to educate the people about the kamote.
To motivate the municipalities to actively participate in the program, Garcia announced a contest among local government units.
The contests include the search for the Best Saksak Recipe which will be held during Nutrition month, the Sweet Potato Backyard Gardening and Production Competition and the Best Performing Local Government Unit (LGU) in Supporting the Saksak Program, which runs from May to November. The winners will be awarded during the provincial government’s Christmas party.
Nutrition facts of Kamote
Based on Nutritiondata.com, sweet potatoes are low in sodium and low in saturated fat and cholesterol. It is also a good source of dietary fiber, Vitamin B6 and Potassium.
A research conducted by South Korea’s Rural Development Administration also shows that sweet potato contains antioxidants.
