Councilor defends resolution urging the removal of sweets from counters

Councilor Philian Weygan-Allan answered some criticisms of netizens who were up in arms about her resolution urging supermarkets and other business establishments in the city to remove confectionery products at the checkout counters.
    In the resolution, supermarkets and other commercial establishments in the city are urged to remove confectioneries such as candy and gum at their checkout counters to keep toddlers from throwing a tantrum.
    The resolution was unanimously approved by the council.
    As of this writing, the write-up about the resolution posted on the official Facebook page of Sangguniang Panlungsod ng Baguio has been shared 180 times and garnered 254 comments. The story was picked up by a national media outlet, and the author herself was recently interviewed on a national television station.
    Weygan-Allan insisted that the resolution intends to support parents in teaching their children about the disadvantages of consuming too much sugar.
    While she acknowledged that sweets are not the only triggers of toddler tantrums, Weygan-Allan said removing them from places easily spotted by children somehow lessens the chance that these children may misbehave inside the establishment.

    She also pointed out that the presence of confectionery products at the checkout counters encourages impulsive buying, citing a research that states 70% of confectionery products purchased at the checkout counters are bought on impulse.

    Taking these products away from the checkout counter may spare parents from dealing with their children’s difficult behaviors at a time when they are supposed to be on their way out of the establishment and not causing delay to the queueing customers, she explained.

    The councilor asserted that the resolution will not place producers and sellers of confectioneries at a disadvantage as it only requests the removal of sweets from the checkout counter. They should be placed somewhere else to minimize impulsive behaviors of children, she added.

    An educator by profession and a volunteer teacher for a barangay day care center, she said she believes that passing legislations like the resolution in question is an extension of her goal to educate people and positively transform children, youth, and adults.

    She also warned netizens, especially those who hide behind fake social media accounts, to be more level-headed and objective in giving criticisms. She said she is saddened by the personal attacks aimed at her when she read some of the comments on social media.

    On August 2, 2021, Mayor Benjamin Magalong returned the resolution to the council unsigned accompanied by a letter stating the chief executive “does not agree with the rationale of the resolution.”

    “The matter of managing a child’s tantrums rests more on behavioral practices that should start at home, and within the family - otherwise, tantrums and other fits can be had anywhere or at any other time, not just while waiting near checkout counters,” Magalong stated.

    The mayor also pointed out that the resolution “does not appear to include in its contemplation sari-sari stores that are also accessible to children.”

    He likewise underscored that children are still not allowed inside groceries, supermarkets, and other similar establishments due to imposed restrictions in view of the COVID-19 pandemic. -Jordan G. Habbiling