By: Joe Sprite

Calamay is a delicacy, which the Jagnaanon claim to invent. Although other versions of calamay are found over the rest of the country, the Jagna calamay has already established itself in the taste of Southern Boholanos . It is a pasalubong item for those who had acquired a taste for it. Calamay is a thriving household industry that had financed the studies of most young Jagna professionals particularly seamen. Therefore the calamay industry s sought to be standardized by the Jagna LGU.

Calamay is a sweet, too bulky to be classified candy, too soft to be considered cake. It is made up of glutinous rice flour, cooked in coconut milk and sugar over a slow fire. Constant stirring until it is done assures its uniform consistency. It is then packed in a polished and sterilized coconut shell and a red crepe ribbon overlies the joint seal. It could be eaten as is or made into a sandwich filling. With improved shelf life, it could be transported to any part of the world.

Competition from Albur compelled the Jagna calamay makers to improve their quality. While other places sell their calamay only half full, Jagna vendors fill up every space in the coconut package. Some introduced coarse ground roasted peanuts as flavor enhancers. To keep the quality of their wares, those in the calamay industry formed an association called the Jagna Calamay Makers and Vendors Association. They set rigid product standards. The seal, which carries the name of the maker placed on the eye – the softest part of the coconut shell – is registered with the association.

Wardens of the association oftentimes conduct spot checks on the calamay sold. From time to time, they ask a vendor to open the calamay. Those who do not fit the standard are not allowed to use the seal, which was approved by the association. Furthermore, the violator is not allowed to display her wares along with those who had passed the test. She might conduct her business somewhere else but not on the choice spots claimed by the association.

Calamay vendors are either ambulant or stationary. There are those who chase buses or hawk their wares at bus or car windows. The swiftest and most alert catch the attention of the prospective e buyers. Boys and men compose this category. The stationary ones just display their goods on roadside tables. Those whose reputations had been established do not have to participate in the chase. They let the buyers come to them. One of the best examples is the Madera calamay of Canupao. Cars and busses stop to buy at the store.

Because to their reputation, the Jagna LGU tried to make the calamay acceptable worldwide not only by Southern Bohol expats. First, manufacturing is to be regulated. Calamay is to be made under sanitary conditions. If possible the product had to pass the Bureau of Food and Drug Administration standards. Then the calamay vendors are to stay in one place designated by the municipality. No more chasing of vehicles.

The association accepted the idea but most members resented the interference as they call it. In the first place, they were doing well under the previous conditions. Why rock the boat? They do not know that the municipal authorities are trying to help them. Let us say that because the industry promises lucrative returns, everybody would want to get into the act. Newcomers, unlike the established one, usually do not have the proprietary interest of their product. They are those who bring the hard earned reputation down. They are just only there during high demand.