MAPPLE JUICE

MALOLOS, Bulacan – The provincial government of Bulacan and the city government of Chungju in South Korea is "mapple" juice – a combination of mango and apple puree, a popular beverage in Korea.

In a meeting with Chungju City Mayor Lee Si Jong, Governor Josefina dela Cruz said Bulacan will produce mangoes while the Korean city will produce apples.

If the project pushes through in September, after Dela Cruz’s visit in Chungju for the World Martial Arts Festival, a processing plant may be established at the Bulacan Housing and Agro-Industrial Project (BUHAI) in Norzagaray town.

The town of Doña Remedios Trinidad, which covers one third of the entire province of Bulacan, produces one of the sweetest varieties of mangoes in the region.

The quality of Bulacan mangoes, which DRT Mayor Evelyn Paulino attributes to the high silica content of soil in the area, will make a perfect ingredient for "mapple" juice.

Lee said there is a big market potential for the product gauging its success in Korea. In the meeting, dela Cruz was chosen as the official endorser of the product in the country, at the same time being the Philippine ambassadress to the World Martial Arts Festival in Chungju City next month.

Chungju City officials, who were present during the meeting, said the "mapple" juice in Korea owes its success to its unique taste, which drinkers would surely like to have regularly, and to the health benefits that it offers.

Dela Cruz expressed optimism that the investment prospect would mean more income not only for the government but also for the people of Bulacan.