Suman sa Clarin, Featured Food Item at Madrid Fusion 2017

April 6-8, 2017 was a busy day for all foodies and food entrepreneur as Madrid Fusion 2017 took place at the SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.  The whole place was like a hive, buzzing with activities and people.

Part of the Region 10 contingent was the product from Clarin, Misamis Occidental – the various sticky rice cakes or suman sa Clarin.  Nearly all 17 flavors were displayed for tasting and sold in the 3-day event.  ASEC Fredrick Alegre, along with some visitors, was wowed with the number of flavors that Clarin was able to showcase during Madrid Fusion, knowing that this is the first time that the said municipality has joined in this kind of event.  The flavors of Clarin’s suman were as follow:

Mango – sticky rice with ripe mango slices, cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Pinya – sticky rice with ripe pineapple slices, cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Durian – sticky rice with durian slivers, cooked in coconut milk and sugar.  The durian’s strong scent is not present, making this a delightful way of enjoying the fruit.

Tsokalate – sticky rice with tablea made into a spread, cooked with coconut milk and sugar; making this rich in local flavors.

Tsokolate with Mani – similar to tsokolate with added with peanut flavor coming from processed peanut spread.  Also cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Moron – a classic suman in the Visayan region. 

Balintawak – created in honor of a place where it was made, this sticky rice goodness is with coconut meat made sweet by cooked coconut milk/oil (latik).

Classic – this is your standard sticky rice, wrapped in leaves and cooked using coconut milk and sugar.

Carrot – with shredded carrots made into a slightly sweet paste, this is mixed into the sticky rice and then wrapped in leaves before being cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Ube – another root crop common in the area, the purple yam is made into a semi-sweet paste that is mixed with the sticky rice before being wrapped in leaves.  Cooked with coconut milk and sugar.

Keso/Queso – slices of cheese are added into the sticky rice mix and then cooked with coconut milk and sugar.  The cheese melts into the sticky rice making it more creamier in each bite.

Choco Moron – the classic suman of the Visayas region with chocolate jame added into it.  Cooked in coconut milk and sugar mixture.

Buko –  sticky rice with strings of young coconut meat added into the mixture.  It is also cooked with coconut milk and sugar, making it slightly sweet and delicate.

Peanut – this is your locally processed peanuts, finely grounded and made into a near paste in texture then added into the sticky rice mixture before being wrapped in fresh banana leaves.  Cooked with coconut milk and sugar, this suman creation is both delicate and with a crunch.

Latik -  the sweetened form of the coconut milk, cooked till dark in color and then added into the sticky rice mixture before being cooked in coconut milk and sugar.

Adlai – two types of rice mixture was used in this suman.  One is your standard sticky rice and another is one that is high in fiber.  This suman creation can be considered  healthy because of the high fiber content that helps in the digestion of food.

Langka/Nangka – slivers of ripe langka (visayan: nangka), is place into the sticky rice and then wrapped in fresh banana leaves before being cook in their standard coconut milk-sugar mixture. 

People can’t have enough of this sticky rice mixture that some even came back to buy more of it.  They can’t believe that you can have that many variations of sticky rice creations and still be delicious and true to the nature of suman.   Such were the feedback given especially during the 3^rd-day Regional Lunch, which was attended by all the delegates present in the event.

As of the moment, this sticky rice cake creation can be bought in the House of Suman in Clarin, Misamis Occidental.  For further inquiries regarding the product, you can reach the PR/Social Media team of TBDC thru 09778400606 (Kezia Noblia – Account Director).

Key Construction Players Gather at 2nd CIAP Dialogue

The Department of Trade and Industry-Construction Industry Authority of the Philippines (DTI-CIAP) held its 2nd dialogue with the key players in the industry to keep up with the latest in the Philippine construction scene.

The dialogue also served as a venue for the participants to identify matters that arise and resolve these issues as one unit.

According to Atty. Ruth B. Castelo, Undersecretary for Competitiveness and Ease of Doing Business Group (CEODBG), the dialogue aimed to seek updates on the first CIAP dialogue held last February 16, 2017, had there been changes and new pronouncements on the provisions for tax clearance as part of bidding requirements, DPWH issuance of Civil Works Registry, hotline for contractor complaints, simplified procurement process in infrastructure building, 2017 investment priority plans, and flagship projects.

The dialogue was also geared to encourage more local and smaller contractors to participate in future government projects.

Atty. Ruth B. Castelo (seated 5th from Left), Undersecretary for CIAP and Presiding Chairperson, with major industry players in a round table discussion.

Participating in the 2nd dialogue at the BOI Boardroom, Makati City on April 5, 2017 were representatives from Department of Transportation (DOTr), Bureau of Internal Revenue (BIR), Board of Investments (BOI), Bases Conversion Development Authority (BCDA), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), Philippine Overseas Employment Authority (POEA), Government Procurement Policy Board (GPPB), Technical Education and Skills Development Authority (TESDA), Clark Development Corporation (CDC), Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), Philippine Government Electronic Procurement System (PHILGEPS), Philippine Contractors Association (PCA), and the Chairmen of the different Implementing Boards of CIAP.

To strengthen Public-Private Partnerships (P3), DTI-CIAP provided the platform for all industry sectors to exchange notes and express intent to ramp up the Infrastructure agenda in the Golden Age of Infrastructure.

On the issue of timely and complete payment of taxes prior to joining the bidding, Ms. Grace Lacerna of BIR suggested that to avoid difficulties in entering a bid, contractors must duly accomplish a tax clearance. She also clarified that the effectivity of the clearance is now extended to one year.

DPWH stated that there are 6,000 contractors enrolled in the registry but only 2,000 were participating in P3 projects. Ms. Nimfa Potante of DPWH wants to capacitate smaller contractors and encourage them to participate in the biddings. Contractors who will secure projects with the government may opt to upgrade their category in the registry.

DPWH has also emphasized the dedicated hotline for contractor’s complaints. The information can be viewed in the DPWH website and is currently being disseminated through e-mail and SMS.

To simplify the procurement process, GPPB advised implementing agencies to get training every 6 months for knowledge updates. They also consolidated alternative methods of procurement to allow for faster and more convenient acquiring of infra services.

According to Assistant Secretary Bernardo of DPWH, there are projects rolled out by the department that are currently out on bidding. He also encourages contractors to participate and submit documents through PhilGeps.

“Despite the hurdles, there is no doubt that the construction industry is more than ready, and excited to build, build, build.” said Undersecretary Castelo in confidence.

Also according to the Undersecretary, now that the issues have been pointed out and the implementing agencies are actively taking part in bringing resolutions, the industry is evidently entrusting the local contractors to handle major infrastructure projects.

The CIAP is the central authority of the construction industry mandated to promote, accelerate, and regulate growth and development of the construction industry in conformity with the national goals.  

A flying start to the 2017 FIA WEC for MICHELIN’s endurance racing tires at Silverstone

MICHELIN’s new range of endurance racing tires took today’s changeable weather in stride to secure a positive start to the 2017 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) at Silverstone, Great Britain.

Michelin Chief Representative in the Philippines, Michael Nunag, said the performance and consistency of the tires was a particular source of satisfaction, as was their ability to climb swiftly to their working temperature – an especially appreciable feature on the British venue’s cold asphalt.

Interesting battles in both the LM P1 and LM GTE Pro classes provided the big turnout of spectators who braved the wind and rain to witness the excitement at the 2017 FIA WEC’s opening clash.

In the blue ribband prototype class, Toyota Gazoo Racing dominated both the qualifying and early stages of the race, chased by two Porsche LMP Team cars which gradually eased back into contention. After the second round of refuelling stops at around the 90-minute mark, the two German machines succeeded in moving up to second and third places after successively passing the N°7 Toyota TS050 – Hybrid (Conway, Kobayashi, Lopez) which was in the hands of Kamui Kobayashi at the time.

The Porsches continued to close the gap to the front-running N°8 Toyota (Buemi, Davidson, Nakajima) as dark clouds gathered over the circuit, and rain finally started to fall in the last 30 minutes before the halfway mark as the N°1 Porsche 919 Hybrid n°1 (Jani, Lotterer, Tandy) took command in the slippery conditions.

The change in weather forced the teams to reconsider their initial strategies and the two Porsches pitted to switch to MICHELIN’s Hybrid ‘intermediate’, on which they were several seconds a lap faster than the Toyotas, which were still on slicks. The storm soon blew over, however, and Porsche failed to reap any real benefit from its tactic.

With the track now dry once more, the two Porsches stopped again to take fuel and revert to slicks as Antony Davidson, who had stayed out in the N°8 Toyota, recovered top spot in the course of his long stint. The N°7 Toyota was still fourth at this point.

This was the order midway into the six-hour race when another storm broke out. Argentine FIA WEC rookie José-Maria Lopez was caught out in the slippery conditions in the N°7 TS050 – Hybrid. He crashed heavily but managed to nurse his badly-damaged car back to the pits in a bid to make repairs.

While his car was being extracted from the gravel trap, Race Control deployed Full Course Yellows and ultimately the safety car to permit the marshals to clean up the debris.

The interruption lasted almost an hour, which meant there were only two hours remaining before action resumed. 

Japan’s Kazuki Nakajima gradually extended the N°8 Toyota’s lead until its final pit stop with half-an-hour remaining. 

After taking on fuel and fitting fresh rubber, Sébastien Buemi took over for the race’s final phase as Nick Tandy also pitted for the N°1 Porsche 919 Hybrid’s last stop. Meanwhile, Brendon Hartley (N°2 Porsche) did not change tires during his last stop and re-emerged in front, forcing Buemi to pull out all the stops in his attempt to catch and pass the New Zealander despite the traffic and more heavy rain. The Swiss driver’s efforts were rewarded when he swept past in a spectacular late move before powering to a well-earned victory.

Toyota’s winning trio was joined on the podium by the crews of the N°2 and N°1 Porsche 919 Hybrids.

LM GTE Pro honors for Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK

The LM GTE Pro battle saw Ford Chip Ganassi Team UK take the spoils with the class’s pole-winning Ford GT of Priaulx, Tincknell, Derani. The N°67 car got away well and was soon joined by the N°66 sister car of Mücke, Pla, Johnson. During the opening hour, however, the two American cars found themselves under pressure from Frédéric Makowiecki’s N°91 Porsche 911 RSR which performed a thrilling fightback from the penultimate spot on the class’s grid. The Frenchman’s hopes of victory ended by a lengthy pit stop, however.

The ensuing scrap for the podium between the Porsche 911 RSRs and the N°71 (Rigon, Bird) and N°51 (Calado, Pier Guidi) Ferrari 488 GTEs kept the crowd entertained all the way to the chequered flag which James Calado, Alessandro Pier Guidi passed in second placed, chased by Porsche’s Lietz, Makowiecki.

Jérôme Mondain (manager of Michelin’s endurance racing programme): “We were very pleased with the way our tires performed in today’s cold, unsettled weather. They succeeded in reaching their working temperature particularly quickly and their consistency exceeded our expectations. We will have a debrief with pour partners in the next few days but everyone reported how happy they were with our solutions. Our focus is now on preparing for the 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps in less than two weeks’ time.”

Sébastien Buemi (winner, with Anthony Davidson and Kazuki Nakajima): “We couldn’t have wished for a better start to the season. It was a fully deserved win for us and Toyota, and payback for a strong performance, our perseverance, and the reliability of our car and its Michelin tires. Michelin’s new range unsurprisingly lived up every bit to its promise!”

The tires used during the 2017 6 Hours of Silverstone

Michelin’s LM P1 partners opted for MICHELIN’s MEDIUM slick, while the majority of the LM GTE Pro runners fitted the MEDIUM tire, occasionally combining it with the HARD alternative.