IN PUROK Molave 1, a quiet, interior portion of Barangay Tayud, Liloan in northern Cebu, the rhythmic pounding of buri bark echoes through humble homes. Some residents in this village start their day as early as 2 a.m. to produce what locals call as “landang.”
Landang, made from buri (buli in Cebuano) palm starch, is a key ingredient for “binignit,” a staple dish during Holy Week in Cebu and other areas in the Philippines. It is also known as native tapioca, commonly sold in markets. Locals use landang to enhance the flavor of binignit, as it gives the dish a slightly sticky consistency.
For some residents of Tayud, Liloan, however, landang is more than just an ingredient -- it’s a livelihood, a lifeline, and a legacy that has been passed down for generations -- from grandfathers to sons, from mothers to daughters.
“Pagkawala ni papa, usik man sad kaayo iyang negosyo kung akong biyaan, so akoy nisunod kay kamao man ko. Mao man ni akong namat-an og kahayag… Gikan pa ni sa akong apohan,” said Garry Ano-os, owner of “Edita’s Landangan” in Tayud, Liloan.
(When my father died, it would have been a waste to abandon his business, so I took over because I knew how to run it. This is what I grew up with… I inherited this from my grandparents.)
Ano-os’ business has been around for more than five decades, and as the owner of Edita’s Landangan, he is bent on passing down the craft to his children.
“Kahibaw man sad akong mga anak. Daghan ming kahibaw ba, ug mao ni ang nagsuporta sa amoa,” he added.
(My children know how to make landang. Many of us here know how, and this is what has been supporting us.)
Aside from his children, helping Ano-os in running the business is his partner, Edita Cacanog.
Though not originally from Purok Molave 1, Cacanog considers the area her home for the past 34 years. She has been working side-by-side with Ano-os and over 15 workers, who mostly rely on landang-making to make a living.
“Landang ra gyud ang among negosyo, ug dili gyud lalim ang paghimo gyud aning landang… Kasagaran diri way mga grado, mao ra nay buhat,” she said.
(Landang is our only livelihood, and making landang is no easy task... Most people here don’t have formal education, so this is the only work they know.)
“Mao man sad niy gihatag sa Ginoo nila...so para nako, importante kaayo ni. Akong ipadayon sad para sa akong mga anak,” she added.
(This is also what God has given them… so for me, this is very important. I’ll continue it for the sake of my children.)
For Cacanog and Ano-os, what makes landang special is its long, labor intensive, and meticulous production process. They said it takes strength and patience to produce the perfect batch.
The process is done by hand and it takes days to complete it. It starts in the mountains, where Ano-os and his workers harvest the buri trunk. The buri palm tree is cut, the trunk chopped into slabs, and transported back to their house in Purok Molave 1.
From there, the slabs are peeled, sliced, and left to dry for four days under the sun. Once dried, the bark is packed into barrels for steaming, and then the pounding begins using a wooden mortar and pestle. Pounding the bark will leave it pulverized. The pulverized material will be sieved to separate the fibrous matter, which they use to feed the livestock. The powder produced can be sold at this stage, but workers of Edita’s Landangan continue on to the next step -- the soaking, locally known as “pag-unaw.”
Landang in Tayud, Liloan“Ang pag-unaw importante kaayo na… Eight hours man gyud na sya,” said Cacanog.
(Soaking is a very important step in the process and it takes eight hours.)
She said they currently have nine workers who do the soaking, which is done twice. To start this step, the powder kept in sacks and barrels is poured into a rectangular wooden container (luwang) and water is added to soak it. The first “unaw” is done for four hours, and then repeated for another three to four hours until the powder turns white. The water is drained away. The soaked powder is sieved again. The starch produced at this stage is roasted in a large pan that is coated with oil. It is stirred until small lumps are formed. The product is landang.
“Grabe ang proseso gyud, kapoy kaayo gyud. Kanang pagtaktak, mag-agas gyud ang kasingot ba. Salisi. Pagbuwad, magbuwad ka sa init. Grabe gyud. Dili gyud lalim ang paghimo gyud aning landang,” said Cacanog.
(The process is really intense, truly exhausting. During the pounding, sweat just pours out. Then the sifting. When drying, you’re out under the heat. It’s really tough. Making landang is no easy task.)
Edita’s Landangan produces around 540 gantang (bushels) of landang per day. During Holy Week, when there’s a spike in demand, they produce around 60 to 70 luwang.
Cacanog said, however, that the profit remains small, with much of the earnings used to pay the workers and purchase raw materials like buri.
“Kung dili Semana Santa, hinay gyud ang kita. Lahi ra gyud sa usa ka semana, muproduce ra mi’g usa ka luwang, or 60 ka gantang,” she said.
(If it’s not Holy Week, sales are really slow. It’s very different — in an entire week, we only produce one luwang, or about 60 gantang.)
“Gamay ra kaayo mig ganansya diri kay ang dakog ganansya ang kadto mang mamalitay nga tua sa Carbon. Among itumod man ni didto sa Carbon. Mas dako-dako ilang ganansya kay ginantang ug kinilo na man ilang baligya,” she added.
(We only earn a small profit here because it’s the buyers at Carbon Market who make the bigger earnings. We just deliver our products there. They earn more because they sell it by the bushel or by the kilo.)
Cacanog also admitted that while the process has remained unchanged and her family is now one of the biggest producers of landang in Tayud, Liloan, the market has become more competitive.
“Sa una, upat ra mi kabuok nga landang makers diri. Karon, daghan na mi,” she said.
(There used to be just four landang makers in Liloan. Now, we’ve grown in number.)
She remains proud, though, of their product, saying they pay close attention to the quality of their landang.
“Tan-awon namo ang hinuwad ani (unaw). Kung puti na gani, okay na na sya. Kung lagom, among usbon na pud og 3 hours,” Cacanog said.
(We check the soaked powder. If they’ve turned white, that means they’re ready. If they’re still dark, we soak them again for another three hours.)
Landang, beyond binignit, is also used for other delicacies such as puto, budbod, maja, and kinugay. It is a cultural staple and at the same time represents the hardworking people of Liloan who keep the tradition of landang-making alive, one “luwang” at a time. (LMY)