By Leilanie G. Adriano
Staff reporter
Adams
Ilocos Norte—Some students of the Adams
National High School (ANHS) are going into wine-making business.
As a growing eco-tourism
destination for local and foreign tourists, this town is known as the “fruit
bowl capital” of Ilocos Norte and became famous for its bugnay fruit wine and other local spirit wines such as tapuey (rice wine), roselle, dragon
fruit, pineapple, lemongrass and turmeric among others.
Inspired by the thriving wine
industry here, Jessie Bayeng, Teacher 1 of the ANHS said Grade 11 and Grade 12
students are taking up entrepreneurship subject. The subject teaches the
student how to process fruit wines and how to sell it in the market.
“Our students learn how to
ferment local fruits into wine and they are also required to make a business
plan out of it,” said Mr. Bayeng.
During the fruit season,
these students gather whatever fruits available and ferment it for at least six
months. After that, they put it in a clean bottle with proper label ready for
selling.
According to Mr. Bayeng, bugnay wine is among the best seller fruit
wines in this small town. The fruit is known to contain phytochemicals with
potent antioxidants, which functions to protect the body from free radical
damage.
Some of the tribal
communities here with roots from Cordillera perfected the fermentation of rice
wine and then other fruit wines followed suit.
Aside from the wine-making,
the school is also teaching its students how to make soft brooms.
To further strengthen the
entrepreneurial spirit of students, Nobleza Hidalgo, principal of the Adams school
said she is planning to open technical vocational learning for the senior high
students so that they can become more productive should they opt to pursue a
business later on.
After finishing high school,
some students living in far-flung areas fail to pursue a college degree because
their parents cannot afford to send them to the tertiary level.
But with the opening of TVL
courses for senior high students, more students will have the opportunity to
gain more skills for better livelihood.
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