I finally bought and tasted the malunggay-flavored ice cream (mentioned in previous post) made in Bungro, San Ildefonso, Ilocos Sur and I must say, it is, indeed, an innovation. It tastes like any other sorbetes but, if you really savour it, you will notice the added flavor of malunggay, and I can actually see bits of malunggay leaves. At least when they say it’s malunggay-flavored, it really has malunggay, unlike highly commercialized products that use artificial, chemically-produced flavors.

San Ildefonso is quickly catching up with other neighboring towns in northern Ilocos Sur. For some time now, the town has been marketing itself under the brand image of the Basi Revolt. The Basi Revolt, sometimes referred to in history documents as Ambaristo Revolt, broke out when Spanish authorities declared a monopoly in the manufacture and sale of basi and prohibited the people, particularly the natives, from buying the wine except from government stores. The basi revolt was started by two men named Salarogo Ambaristo and Pedro Mateo, although some texts refer to the leader as only Pedro Ambaristo, in Piddig, Ilocos Norte and spread throughout Ilocandia. It reached its climax sometime in September 1807 at the banks of the Bantaoay River in San Ildefonso where basi revolutionaries fought the Spaniards. I have heard local history enthusiasts comment that the river was said to have turned red due to the bloodshed.

There are three products that the LGU is actively marketing: basi, squash-flavored noodles (squash-enriched pancit canton) and the Bungro ice cream. There are stalls along the road, selling basi and vinegar, made from the abundant sugarcane in the municipality. Another initiative of Mayor Christian Purisima, the Bungro ice cream also includes such flavors as kalabasa, munggo, red bell pepper and cheese, and many more. A portion of sales goes to finance the supplemental feeding program in public schools in the municipality.

According to their advertising banner, there are even therapeutic flavors of roasted garlic, ampalaya (Bitter ice cream? Gotta try that one, too.), ginger and honey, among others. However, it also says “all therapeutic ice cream are sweetened with Splenda.” Now there’s the catch, what with all the bad press about Splenda’s potential adverse effects on health, which maybe found here, here, here and many more sites on the Internet. I know that muscovado (tagapulot) is produced in the municipality. Why don’t they use that instead, so their products will have more local content (better for the local economy), and healthier sugar, too?

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