Batanes Pine Wine

The Batanes Pine or Batanes Tree is an ubiquitous sight in that province. It grows anywhere and people there are fond of it. What we did not know was that the fruits of the Batanes Pine or Arius can be made into wine. Dr. Roger G. Baltazar of the Batanes State College and his research team have been developing products such as wine, jam, jellies and pastilles from the fruit. Prior to this discovery the fruits were left to drop and litter the ground.

I certainly hope the research yields considerable returns to the people involved. I've long suspected that we have a wealth of untapped resources that remain ignored or underutilized. The reason is that we simply don't know what they can be used for.

It's ironic that unemployment and malnutrition are a problem when we can alleviate both by doing agricultural research and then commercializing the discoveries. It's also equally important that such information be available. As an aside, maybe we should enhance the research skills of our populace so they know how to look for said information. Get all the ingredients together and you can make a dish, otherwise it's just odds and ends on the kitchen table.