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PILIPINO Alyansa ng Instant Noodles (PAIN) warned Malacañang
yesterday that a rise in the price of commercial noodles will
provoke public outrage.
Mrs. Fancy Teria, president, made the threat as
the government and private businesses warned about escalations in
the price of bread, canned goods and meat arising from global
shortages and the costs of raw materials.
She told a press conference that instant noodles
have become the national food that are consumed by countless
families two or three times a day.
The reason, she explained, is the relative
cheapness of the product, portability, capacity to fill and ease of
preparation.
The food’s popularity has prompted the
creation of a consumers group that initially started in Tondo, but
has grown into a national organization with chapters in Luzon,
Visayas and Mindanao.
Ms. Teria said the group is lobbying
instant-noodle makers to bring down their cost. “The manufacturer
that offers the lowest price will get our support,” she said.
A government survey says Filipinos spend about
P13 billion each year on instant noodles. Studies expect total
household consumption of instant noodles to increase by about P1
billion annually.
Instant noodles are not very nutritious but they
make for a good meal. A person can enjoy them anytime, anywhere. All
one needs is very hot water. He enjoys something solid and a bowl of
soup at the same time. “With instant noodles, you’re one cup
away from starvation,” Mrs. Teria said.
Informed about the threat, President Arroyo
immediately created a task force with a mandate to lobby
manufacturers, hold prices down and assure consumers their rights
will be protected. She said she was a pancit fan herself.
“I assure our countrymen that they shall
continue to have affordable rice and that we shall impose price
controls on instant noodles,” the President said in a televised
speech.
Several senators eyeing the presidency in 2010
said the availability of inexpensive instant noodles will be the
centerpiece of their program.
Sen. Loren Legarda recalled that in 2007, she
challenged the country’s biggest producers to fortify their
noodles with nutritious malunggay leaves.
Sen. Mar Roxas said he has filed a bill that
would include pancit in the list of “basic necessities” under RA
7581, the Price Act, to protect the staple against price
manipulation during emergencies.
Commenting on the situation, the popular
columnist Larry Galit wrote: “After rice and beer, instant noodle
is the next most politically sensitive product. Anyone who can
guarantee cheap noodles that are also nutritious and delicious will
surely get the people’s vote,” he said.
The Marie Antoinette Awards
THE Department of Agriculture handed out awards
on Friday night to honor individuals and organizations that have
contributed useful ideas to rice conservation while the government
wrestles with rising cereal prices, rice lines and the spiraling
costs of other foods.
The honorees Friday night were:
The Arthur Yap Award to Jollibee for being the
first fast-food outlet to offer half-servings of rice, on the
suggestion of the agriculture secretary.
The Domingo Panganiban Prize to the National
Association of Senior Citizens who volunteered to share their
experience in World War II which, they said, they survived by
subsisting on deep-fried coconut meat (“kastanyog”), boiled corn
mixed with coconut shavings (“binatog”), Japanese land snail and
other culinary monstrosities that took their mind off “kanin”
(steamed rice).
The Outstanding Personal Prize to a beggar,
Pedro Pobre, stationed on Arroceros Street, for asking that he be
given rice instead of cash.
The Why Didn’t I Think of That Award to
Balikbayan Peter Pacis who suggested that Filipinos learn to chew
their food slowly (“Americans do it all the time”) and to drink
more water while eating. Pacis suggested that partygoers put just
enough food on their plate they could finish.
The Best Commencement Speaker Award to Sen. Lito
Lapid who devoted his address to rice and food conservation, with
emphasis on how to grow and enjoy “camaro” (a farm-grown beetle,
usually deep-fried or cooked adobo-style) “tugak,” (or “batute,”
a native frog), “duron” (a specie of grasshopper) and “dampalit,”
a weed that makes good salad.
The Holy Grail Medal to Fr. Steve Santos for
suggesting that hoarding rice be added to the Seven Traditional Sins
(that include gluttony) and the newly approved Seven “Sins”
(that include environmental pollution).
The Cucina Espanol Trophy to Don Pepe Rodriguez
for suggesting that housewives enrich their rice dishes with
plantains and eggs (as in Arroz a la Cubana), refried beans and
black beans.
The More the Merrier Medal to the San Lazaro
Housewives Association for recommending certain foods that
dramatically grow in mass when cooked, such as noodles, “mongo”
and other kinds of beans.
The Lugao Lovers Lei to the family of Mr. And
Mrs. Ben Bigasan for switching to “lugao” (congee or gruel) from
steamed rice since March 13.
The Fidel V. Ramos Award to Alfonso Dente for
his theory that bread grows in size when soaked in coffee, milk or
chocolate.
The winners received three sacks of prime rice
each and a year’s supply from the National Food Authority.
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