STRAIGHT FROM THE BIG CITY

Ike Señeres

Going bananas

Cotabato Rep. Emmylou Taliño-Mendoza says that RP should cash in on the “Morning Banana Diet” which is now a craze in Japan . Good idea, but is the DTI listening?
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Who is now leading the economic diplomacy program of the government, if it is still alive? Is the DFA doing its part? Why did we not hear about this banana craze from Ambassador Domingo Siazon who is now in Tokyo ?
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How many bananas does it take to make the same profits compared to a Japanese car that we import? Never mind, every centavo counts, as long as we are not on the losing end.
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Seriously though, is anyone in the government keeping track of our comparative advantage strategies? We can go bananas, yes, but it would be better if we could export products of greater values.
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It seems that the “One Town One Product” (OTOP) program of DTI has slowed down since Undersecretary Carissa Cruz-Evangelista left. Does the success of DTI programs depend on the influence of individual persons?
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What’s wrong with Manny Pacquiao wanting to win a congress seat? That’s how democracy works, anybody could run, and it’s up to the voters to judge whom to vote. Don’t vote for him if you don’t like him, but do not deny him his right to run.
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A warning sent via text message says that some elements who introduce themselves as members of the Presidential Anti-Smuggling Group (PASG) are raiding warehouses at random, allegedly looking for smuggled goods. Don’t they need warrants to do this?
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Since when are government agents allowed to disturb the conduct of businesses without the force of warrants? These groups allegedly carry with them blank mission orders that they could fill up at will, practically giving them a license to strike anywhere.
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Could a mission order really practically take the place of court orders? Who are supposed to sign these orders? Whoever it is, what is their accountability and how does the Palace keep track of what orders were signed and used?
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Without a transparent system of watching over the issuance of these orders, it is very easy for some corrupt elements of the PASG to abuse this power, to the point that they could “hold up” anybody as they wish.
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But how do we know that these random raids are not being done without the tacit approval of some powers in the Palace? The ease of making money this heavy handed way is making some people suspect that this could be a way of raising funds for the 2010 elections.
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Is the DOH telling the truth when it says that the Ebola Reston virus has no effect on humans? For our comfort, the Bureau of Food and Drugs (BFAD) should be asked to validate the DOH position on this issue, even if it is under the DOH.
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It seems that the National Meat Inspection Commission (NMIC) is very quiet on this issue. It is alright for them to contradict what the DOH says, even if they both belong to the government, as long as they are telling the truth.
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The local manufacturer of Atovi, an animal feeds additive says that it has the capability to neutralize the Ebola virus. The government should look into this claim, if only to save the business of hog growers.
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The local manufacturer of Milliwil, a food supplement says that it has the capability to neutralize all viral diseases, including the AIDS virus. If necessary, they say that Milliwil could also neutralize viruses in animals.
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The Congress should increase the budget of BFAD, so that it would have the capability to monitor infections that threaten the food that we eat. Isn’t this supposed to be part of our food security, to always have safe food to eat? We should not wait for the next food scare to strike. Let’s prepare now.
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