Wednesday, March 27, 2024

TRUTH IN PRODUCT PACKAGING AND LABELING

TRUTH IN PRODUCT PACKAGING AND LABELING There was a time in the recent past when the biggest challenge for marketing companies was to comply with the rules pertaining to “truth in advertising”. Nowadays however, the marketing companies a bigger challenge to comply with additional rules pertaining to “truth in packaging and labeling”. It now seems that since the new rules are perhaps too many, some marketing companies now find it easier to either ignore the rules, or to go around these instead. One of the more common violations are the failures to indicate the countries of origin and the names of the manufactures or distributors, together with their contact details. Other than that, there are also violations pertaining to the lack of nutrition information, the lack of ingredients information, and the lack of allergens information. The latter is a matter of life and death to those who have food allergies. I imagine that the FDA would not give license to operate (LTO) to these marketing companies if they are not compliant with the rules. Either that, or some of these marketing companies might have found ways to go around the rules. Perhaps the loophole here is that LTOs pertain to companies only, and do not pertain to individual products. So, what should we do in order to run after these violators? It seems very clear that the lead agency should be the DTI, but I think that the other agencies that should join the task forces should be the DILG and the DOH. IKE SENERES/03-28-2024

Tuesday, March 26, 2024

SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER

SOLVING THE PROBLEM OF HUNGER Sometimes we seem lost in the flurry of words, but it is clear enough to me that the term “involuntary hunger” is much more real than “perceived hunger”. It seems that the former is real “felt” hunger, whereas the latter could be “imagined” hunger to some extent. Knowing that, I felt sick in my stomach when I read that according to the SWS, the number of Filipino families that experienced “involuntary hunger” increased from 9.8 percent in September 2023 to 12.6 percent in December 2023. In layman terms, it could be explained that many Filipino families have no choice but to go hungry, because they could no longer afford to buy food. That could be because they are not earning enough to be able to buy food to eat, or the prices of food have risen for them to be able to afford it. One way or the other, that also means that many Filipino families have also fallen below the poverty line, because they could no longer afford the “imaginary basket of goods”. Although it might sound too simplistic, I believe that a practical solution is for Filipino families to grow their own food in their own backyards, or in community farms that are perhaps owned and operated by them through cooperative organizations. Towards that end, I am hoping that all LGUs everywhere will find good reason to help them with technology, financing and marketing. On my own, I have gathered enough contacts among agricultural technology providers, enough to be able to help those who will reach out to me. IKE SENERES/03-27-2024

Monday, March 25, 2024

WHY IMPORT COCONUT PRODUCTS?

WHY IMPORT COCONUT PRODUCTS? Have you heard the funny jokes about selling refrigerators to Eskimos? How about that other joke about selling camels to Arabs? Do not laugh now, but will it sound like a joke if foreigners will try to sell coconut products to Filipinos? Again, do not laugh, but about ten years ago, it would be funny if you tell stories about foreigners trying to sell rice to Filipinos! But look at what is happening now? Ever since I was a brand coordinator at San Miguel Corporation many years ago, it has become my habit to read the packaging of any consumer product that I could get my hands on, to find out who makes it or who sells it, or where it is coming from. Imagine my surprise when I found a can of imported coconut milk from Sri Lanka, already processed into condensed milk by mixing it with cane sugar! What is happening to our country? Are we unable to can pure and simple coconut milk? Or mix it with cane sugar to produce condensed milk? How hard is it to do that? What hurts the most is that both ingredients are bountiful in our country, and canning food is practically a cottage industry by now! What have we done wrong, or what are we not doing right? Where have we failed, and which government agency could have prevented this slap on our faces? Could it be the DTI? Or the DOST? Or the DA? Whichever it is, it is not too late to correct this missed opportunity! Who will act first, and what kind of help do they need from us? IKE SENERES/03-26-2024

Sunday, March 24, 2024

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PATRONIZE FILIPINO INVENTIONS

THE GOVERNMENT SHOULD PATRONIZE FILIPINO INVENTIONS Yes, the government should patronize Filipino inventions. And not only that, it should set the example by taking the lead in buying the products that are the results of these inventions, so that the private sector could follow suit. Somehow, the government should find a way to reconcile its own policy decisions with its own procurement actions. For example, the government issued a policy that mandated the consolidation of jeepney operations, but it did not make a policy that would require the buyers of new jeepneys to patronize the Philippine made vehicles. As a result, most of the sales probably went to the dealers of China made vehicles. Some might argue that the Chinese models are cheaper, but then, some Filipino makers like Francisco Motors are saying that their prices are even lower. I think that the government should come up with a policy that for as long as the Filipino inventions are approved or accredited by an authorized agency such as the DTI, the FDA or the DOST, then the entire government could already start buying it. As a matter of fact, all government agencies could dispense with public bidding if the Filipino products are unique and proprietary, meaning that it has no competitors in the local market. As an initial step, perhaps all local inventions should be vetted first by anyone of the local associations of inventors. It would also be good if these associations could unite, so that they can have one solid voice. IKE SENERES/03-25-2024

Saturday, March 23, 2024

ARE PHILIPPINE MONEY BILLS USING ABACA OR NOT?

ARE PHILIPPINE MONEY BILLS USING ABACA OR NOT? Gemini AI (formerly Bard AI) says that Philippine money bills (bank notes) are using abaca fabrics, but the Bangko Sentral ng Pilipinas (BSP) website does not say that it does. Either the BSP is not saying it directly, or the information might be hidden somewhere in the website that I could not find. What it says in the website is that the 1,000-peso bank notes are using a material called polymer. To be precise, Gemini AI says that “contrary to popular belief, Philippine peso bills are not made purely from synthetic materials”, and it further says that “in fact, they are primarily composed of abaca”. If that is so, why does the BSP not say so directly in their website? Why did they talk more about the features of polymer more than the features of abaca? Although I agree with the claim of the BSP that the bank notes made with polymer are cleaner and are more cost effective in the long run, I am very much concerned that the BSP might have set aside the objective of using and promoting our own native abaca fabrics. As a matter of fact, it would be ironic if other countries would continue to use abaca, and we are not. Although the BSP might have failed to elucidate on the real composition of the materials that they used, I am still hoping that Gemini AI would be correct in what it said, that the material used is primarily abaca, and therefore polymer is only a secondary material. Would someone from the BSP come forward to clarify this matter? IKE SENERES/03-24-2024

Friday, March 22, 2024

WILDLIFE RESCUE AND RETRIEVAL HOTLINES

WILDLIFE RESCUE AND RETRIEVAL HOTLINES How many people know that the Biodiversity Management Bureau (BMB) actually has a hotline for wildlife rescue and retrieval? It would be good for everyone to know this number (09129092310), so that they could call the BMB whenever wildlife needs to be rescued or retrieved. The same number could also be contacted via Viber. Other than the ordinary people like us, I think that the officers and staff of the LGUs should know this number, especially those in the uniformed services such as their policemen, firemen and barangay guards. To that, they should include the local disaster risk reduction management teams. And for those who have forgotten, BMB used to be known as the Protected Areas and Wildlife Bureau (PAWB), and it is still under the DENR like before. Most of us are aware of the need to protect the Philippine Eagle (monkey eating eagle) and the Tamaraw, but we should also know that there are hundreds of other native and endemic wildlife that also need our protection, even if they are not so popular. Native species are those that evolved within our country but could also be found elsewhere. Endemic species are those that could only be found in our country. For example, the Philippine Warty Pig is an endemic species that is still heavily hunted up to now. Some might argue that it is only a pig, but I will also argue that it is part of our patrimony, therefore we should protect it. IKE SENERES/03-23-2024

Thursday, March 21, 2024

UNRESPONSVE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES

UNRESPONSVE GOVERNMENT AGENCIES Before the internet and mobile phones came along, we could only contact the government agencies using landlines. The problem with using landlines is that almost always, the person “in-charge” is not always available, and even if he or she is available, we have to talk to so many people before we could talk to him or her. Almost always, the person on line will just tell us to go to their office instead, which defeats the purpose of using a communications device. Nowadays, it is ironic that despite the fact that very few people have access to landlines, many government agencies publish only their landline numbers, thus making it impossible for the public to contact them via mobile, email or social media. Believe it or not, there are many government agencies that do not even have a social media presence at all. The sad thing is, even if some government agencies would publish their mobile numbers, email addresses and social media accounts, they hardly ever answer at all, and if ever they do answer, all we get are auto-replies or some chatbots giving us robotic and impersonal messages. I wonder if our government officials realize that it is more expensive to call a landline from a mobile phone? That it is actually cheaper for our people to contact them via text, email and chat messages? Even Viber, WhatsApp and Telegram are cheaper to use than a text message. So why don’t they use these three platforms too? IKE SENERES/03-22-2024
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