By Keith Bacongco DAVAO CITY – With the scarcity of commercially available disinfectants, the Rural Health Unit (RHU) of the sleepy coastal town of Lanuza in Surigao del Sur is looking into a locally-produced traditional wine as an alternative disinfectant against the coronavirus. (Photo courtesy of Alfredo Toring/MANILA BULLETIN) Dr. Christelle Mae Cuevas, officer-in-charge of Lanuza RHU, told Manila Bulletin that they were in the process of testing and developing locally-produced wine collected from the sap of Nipa palm. The raw wine, known among locals as “sughak”, is collected from the sap of nipa palm that commonly grows along Lanuza’s coastal areas. Unlike the popular tuba (coconut wine), which can be consumed immediately after collecting it from the sap, sughak has to undergo distillation using condenser and water before it could be drank. Cuevas, a Doctor to the Barrios, add that they started looking at the sughak as an alternative just last week, and they have already consulted chemical engineers, dermatologists and other experts as to how local wine can be made into an alternative disinfectant. “We were made aware by the chemical engineers of its flammability. The way of dispensing, we are still checking. I’m also consulting with some dermatologists regarding skin safety,” she explained. Currently, there are at least 70 liters of sughak being tested, the health official said, while admitting that she was even testing of the local wine on herself and several other persons. Because of its flammability, Cuevas added they were also considering the proper way of dispensing of the substance. “If it’s in the household, it’s quite dangerous. So maybe put it in a public place, like in the barangays with a proper dispensing method.” The health officer disclosed that initial tests of the sughak showed that its alcohol content could range from 70 to 80 percent. Alfredo Toring, a personnel of the local disaster office, told The Manila Bulletin that sughak has to undergo two to three distillation processes so that at least 80% alcohol content could be reached. Toring, who used to assist the sughak producers for at least three years while working for a non-government organization, said that based on their testing using an alchohol meter, the initial output of the distillation contains 40 to 50 percent alcohol content. The locals are mixing every liter of sughak with at least eight ounces of softdrinks before consumption, he added. But as the initial output would be redistilled, its alcohol content could reach up to 82 percent. “If you light this up, it produces blue flame and this is no longer good for consumption as a beverage,” explained Toring. With a population of a little over 12, 000 people, Lanuza is a fourth class municipality known for its surfing destinations. But it is a town mainly dependent on farming, fishing and eco-tourism. Meanwhile, Cuevas hopes that the local initiative would be successful as the sughak cold become a viable alternative to the dwindling commercially available disinfectants.