Braga Blames Land Conversion, Imports For Scarcity Of Rice

Councilor Pilar Braga yesterday blamed land conversion from agriculture to housing and industrial use and the continued importation of rice as the culprits behind the present rice shortage in the country. However, she clarified that there is no rice shortage, only a rice-land shortage.

Braga also blamed the government's stance in discouraging people from becoming farmers by "discouraging agriculture as a way of life" leading to the closure of farming and agricultural schools in the country.

This reminded me of that time several years ago when the entry of the University of the Philippines in Mindanao is still being debated and protested by various universities here saying the state-financed university will only duplicate the existing courses being offered by the Mindanao institutions.

The defense of UP then was that they will offer different courses to differentiate itself to the other institutions. Several years later, UPMindanao is offering almost the same courses being offered by the other institutions like SocSci, Mathematics, Architecture, etc. Perhaps, introducing courses that are being offered by UP Los Baños will help in making sure that the country will produce better farmers in the years to come.

However, at the rate UPMindanao is going where politicking is a way of life and administrative officers are changed one after the other this may still be a long wait.

Davao City Council Approves Local Dev't. Plan For Children

The city government voted 18 to 4 to approve the Davao City Local Development Plan for Children despite a warning and an appeal from Archbishop Fernando Capalla. In a pastoral letter, Capalla warned the councilors that exerting moral pressure on their subordinates to adopt the LDPC "may create public scandal and thereby making themselves openly unworthy to receive the Sacraments."

The resolution to adopt the LDPC is authored by councilor Angela Librado who tried to combat the allegations made by the oppositors of the resolution led by religious groups. Capalla said LDPC is "dangerous and detrimental" because it is in the guise of reproductive health and safe pregnancy and it:

mocks parental authority

belittles the value of family

denigrates the virtue of chastity

makes available all contraceptives to children from 0 to 18 years old

promotes pre-marital sex and promiscuity

Librado however said she does not know where the Archbishop got his information because nowhere in the several pages of the resolution can she find the alleged matters. She said on the contrary, the resolution aims to promote better parental authority and guidance. The city council will by any means approve a resolution that promotes abortion and promiscuity.

Vice mayor Sara Duterte prevented all efforts to delay voting on the resolution saying Capalla was invited during the committee hearings but he did not come and instead sent a representative so it could not be said that the church was not part of the consultation process.

Duterte said the approval of the resolution just proved the separation of the church and state.

No Rice Shortage In RP

Is there a rice shortage in the Philippines? Answering this question can be tricky. Rice shortage means the supply of rice is not enough to feed the population. if this is your definition of rice shortage then there is no rice shortage in the Philippines because there is plenty of rice supply both local and imported. However, the answer should not stop there.

While sustainable agriculture should be looked into by the Arroyo government to avoid a rice shortage from really happening in the future, it should go deeper and look into the cause of the seemingly rice shortage in the country. There is no rice shortage. However, you can bet your breakfast that the price of rice is really skyrocketing and this is the problem.

The price of every commodity in the country is rising but the spending power of the Filipinos is running the opposite direction. Ideally, a directly proportional increase between the price of goods and the spending power of the people will not result to a rice shortage. The problem is, the rise in the price of rice is inversely proportional with wage.

Look at all the poor families lining up to get NFA rice. There is enough rice supply but not enough to lower the price of rice. Rule of Economics. If there is great demand with less supply, price will go up. If there is great demand but with ample supply then price will remain stable. If the Filipino have enough money to fill their pockets then there wouldn't be families lining up to get their day's supply of NFA rice. They would rather go to SM or wherever their pockets will lead them

In the end, it is still a problem of the Filipinos being too poor.

Writers' Strike

When America sneezes, the whole world catches a cold. This has been proven time and again with the changing economic status of the Philippines everytime the dollar moves. However, the influence wielded by the US of A has also been proven during the long writers' strike when Filipinos got lost lookign for their favorite imported TV shows.

McDonalds Now In Digos City

If McDonalds is an indicator of a promising economy (since a franchise costs millions and no one will invest in a place where he coudl not get his ROI) then Digos City has arrived. Passed by the city last weekend and there it was---the proverbial junkie outlet which is patronized by a lot of people--McDonald's.

Jollibee has been in Digos for years now so McDonald's will be a refreshing change for those who have gotten tired of seeing the busy bee.

This is a bad shot but I was rushing since I did not expect to see this one. Unfortunately it was already difficult to stop and get photos since we were in a hurry and we did not want to cause a traffic.

Sta. Cruz' Thriving Wood Industry: Buying A Sungka

If you had the chance to pass along Sta. Cruz highway going to Digos, Davao del Sur then you must have seen the various woodworking stalls located just beside the road. You may have noticed the intricate furniture being displayed in the bigger stores but what catches the eye, even of a local (much more foreigners) are the various wood works shaped that are left hanging in the stalls just several feet from the highway.

Check it out because most of the woodworks are very practical for home use especially the lechon server (that's the wood shaped like a pig). How many times have you ordered a lechon for a home party and then rushed to the nearby store to buy some boards? With the lechon wood server, you are assured of a regular container for your fare everytime there is a party or a gathering in your home or office where the starring role goes to what else, but a pig.

There are also fish-shaped wood servers which can be used for sinugbang isda and that is a common fare in every Filipino table. The wooden dikdikan or bayuhan is also useful in the kitchen.

However, what got my attention was the sungka. I played sungka as a kid and wondered why kids nowadays prefer the PS2 and other online games that can just turn them into morons and zombies. Sorry for those who play the PS2 and other online games but this is backed by research which shows that children who play computers all the time not only become obese and lazy but also stupid and unable to perform well in school

What is nice about sungka is the fact that it allows you to interact with another person. It can also teach you a thing or two about mathematics. We used shells or stones before but marbles will do. Each hole is filled with stones and the player who gets the most number of stones in his house (that's the bigger holes on both sides) wins.

Sungka, along with patintero, buwan-buwan and step-no and even siyatong are considered traditional Filipino games that every kid should try if only to get a feel of what it was like when there were no PS2, computer games, DVDs and whatever technology you have lording it over your homes right now.

Road To Gensan Now Better

The road to General Santos City is undergoing repair and maintenance but it is definitely better now. Motorists from Digos City will however have to take a detour because the bridge connecting Guihing and Digos City is totally unpassable and all vehicles have to take the long way by going right into Guihing proper.

If not for the damaged bridge I would have surmised that the government is just showing off the newly constructed bridge inside Guihing. Funny though because construction of the Guihing project has not yet started and there is as yet no sign that there are preliminary works being done except perhaps for the road signs.

Gensan and South Cotabato has come a long way from being just a dusty city somewhere in the south. Aside from its tuna, pineapple and asparagus exports, the city is starting to become a financial hub with its own share of malls like Gaisano Mall and KCC. However, unless mayor Pedro Acharon finds a way to solve the peace and order problem of the city, it may be relegated to the sidelines.