BY: JOSE ROBERT INVENTOR
While Bacnotan is well known as the Honey Capital of the North, there’s another sweet local product the town proudly claims, pulitipot, a thick, dark sugar syrup made from sugarcane juice.
Every May, Bacnotan celebrates the Diro or Honey Festival.
But aside from honey, the town also preserves the art of making pulitipot, a traditional sweetener boiled from sugarcane juice for several hours.
This heritage craft has been passed down through generations by local makers like Bibiano Narceda and Noel Cariaso.
“I was only 15 years old when my grandfather started teaching me how to make sam-it,” shared Narceda.
Cariaso, who began making pulitipot in 1989, added, “It’s been more than 30 years now. This has been a steady source of income for me. You just need patience to invest in it.”
In an effort to keep this tradition alive, the Provincial Government of La Union launched the School of Living Traditions: Pulitipot ti Puli, a cultural preservation program where 60 young participants were taught how to harvest and extract juice from sugarcane.
“As they say, we, the youth, are the hope of the nation. So we have a big role in preserving our culture,” said participant Ayla Fae Medriano.
Another youth, Jenelle Fabros, expressed her surprise at the effort required. “You have to pour your blood, sweat, and tears into making pulitipot. It’s not easy at all, you really need to endure to produce it.”
Beyond preserving heritage, the project fosters unity in the community.
“Our cultural bearers, the elders who still practice this heritage, serve as mentors to our youth so this tradition doesn’t disappear,” said Julius Manabat from the Provincial Tourism Office.
The youth also learned how to make other sugarcane-based products like patupat.
The provincial government hopes to sustain the program for future generations.
