Reduce Electric Consumption

The Naga Consumer Watch (NCW) is enjoining the consumers to be vigilant and to earnestly reduce their electric consumption. With the Php 6.64 per kWh power rate charged by CASURECO II, we cannot afford to be wasteful and complacent nowadays. We have written several electricity saving tips in the past issues. If you are interested, you can browse them at www.bicolmail.com archive.

As part of our continuing information campaign, we have researched on the average electric consumption of the commonly-used appliances, light, and other electrical gadgets and computed the average amount a residential member-consumer of CASURECO II pays. Please refer to the “ Electric Consumption of commonly-used appliances, light, etc.” for your guide. We hope you can give us some feedbacks, and more electricity saving tips for our readers.

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The Food Fortification Act or Republic Act 8976 of 2000 will now be implemented four years after it was passed into law, said Health Scretary Manuel Dayrit last week. (Philippine Star, November 14, 2004). He said the full implementation of the law will greatly contribute to the government’s effort to eliminate malnutrition in the Philippines as it will give essential micro-nutrients to everyday food like flour, rice, sugar, oil and salt.

R.A. 8976 was passed into law after the Food and Nutrition Research Institute released a study showing that many Filipino children (especially those who were six years below) and women of reproductive age suffered from micro-nutrient malnutrition. Sec Dayrit noted that the increasing malnutrition problem in the country can be attributed to the lack of micro-nutrient intake in the regular diet of most Filipinos.

Therefore, the law makes it mandatory for rice to be fortified with iron, wheat flour with vitamin A and iron, refined sugar and cooking oil with vitamin A, and other staple foods with nutrients as may be required later by the National Nutrition Council (NCC). Another law (R.A. 8172) requires that salt be fortified with iodine.

The law further stated that imported rice, wheat flour, refined sugar, cooking oil, and other processed food products that may be identified later by NCC shall comply with the requirements upon entry in the country, at the end of the manufacturing process, and/or at all points of sale or distribution.

By paying an additional amount Filipino consumers will be able to buy fortified food products in the market. Does it mean that the Filipino consumers are not getting sufficient nutrients from the food they consume? Or is it because they could no longer afford to purchase foods with the right amount of nutrients needed by the body?

Along this line, it would also mean the eventual phase-out of non-fortified food products in the market, although the government could not say when the phase-out process will start. Nevertheless, it would entail additional costs of production to the manufacturers which in turn would be ultimately passed on to consumers. Consequently, this would result to higher and possibly unaffordable prices of the said basic commodities. We therefore suggest that the government provide the necessary support and incentives to the manufacturers of food products as they undertake the process of fortification. For example, the government can subsidize the costs of vitamins and micro-nutrients, and provide duty-free importation of machines and equipment needed for food product fortification.