PHL food supply slightly higher in 2022–PSA

By Andrea E. San Juan @andreasanjuan

THE per capita food available for human consumption in the Philippines in terms of calories was recorded at 2,914 kilocalories in 2022, 0.4 percent higher than the level recorded in 2021, according to the Philippine Statistics Authority (PSA).

The PSA said in its latest report that cereals and products accounted for 63.4 percent of the total per capita supply of calories.

The agency’s Food Balance Sheets (FBS) showed that the annual per capita supply of cereals and products (excluding beer) available for food was recorded at 269 kilograms in 2022. This was an increase of 0.4 percent from the previous year’s level of 268 kilograms.

“This increase was attributed to the increase in imports. The increase in the supply of sweeteners at 4 percent from 25 kilograms in 2021 to 26 kilograms in 2022 was also attributed to imports,” PSA said.

Increments in per capita food supply were also noted in pulses and products at 100 percent, oilcrops (excluding products) at 11.1 percent, alcohol (including beer and wine) at 9.1 percent, and meat (slaughtered) and products at 6.1 percent.

In contrast, PSA said the per capita supply of food available for consumption recorded contractions in the following food groups: beverage crops by 50 percent; vegetable oils and products by 25 percent; fruits and products (excluding wine) by 4.7 percent; vegetables and products by 4.5 percent; and fish, seafood and products by 3.6 percent.

As for increases in calories, the PSA data showed that in 2022, the total per capita supply of calories available from all the food products was recorded at

2,914.3 kilocalories per day. This indicates a 0.4 percent increase compared with the 2,901.3 kilocalories per day in 2021.

The increases were contributed by the higher supply of calories from the commodity food groups as follows: pulses and products by 56.5 percent; beverage crops by 31.1 percent; oilcrops (excluding products) by 18.1 percent; milk and products by 13 percent; meat (slaughtered) and products by 8.8 percent; eggs and products by 6.3 percent; edible offals by 4.3 percent; sweeteners by 3.4 percent; alcohol (including beer and wine) by 1.5 percent; cereals and products (excluding beer) by 0.4 percent; vegetables and products by 0.3 percent and starchy roots and products by 0.1 percent.

In contrast, reductions in the supply of calories were noted in the following: spices at 36.3 percent; vegetable oils and products, 26.2 percent; treenuts and products, 23.6 percent; sugar crops (excluding products),

THE Maritime Industry Authority (Marina) said it will include international labor best practices in the training of Filipino seafarers as part of the European Maritime Safety Agency‘s (EMSA) €4-million technical assistance.

Marina Executive Director Samuel Batalla said the Philippines will discuss this with their European Commission (EC) counterparts in Brussels this week, including the presentation of how Marina will use the technical assistance effectively.

Batalla said the €4-million technical assistance, which will be fully financed by the EU-Member States and be supervised by the EC Directorate General for Mobility and Transport (DG-MOVE) and DG for International Partnerships (DG-INTPA), will cover the implementation of the Standards of Training, Certification and Watchkeeping for Seafarers (STCW) Convention.

The technical assistance will also include aspects of the Maritime Labour Convention (MLC) 2006, specifically in areas of recruitment and placement of Filipino seafarers, Batalla added.

The inclusion of MLC 2006, according to Batalla, aims to “expand the program, which aims not only to ensure compliance with the STCW Convention but also to share best practices relating to other international conventions concerning seafaring and the maritime industry in general.”

Batalla noted that the European Commission will evaluate the country’s “state of play” on the implementation of the corrective actions addressing the grievances noted by the commission before the start of the program of technical assistance in 2024, giving EC an opportunity to identify the specific assistance needed by the Philippines.

Earlier this year, the EC announced that it continues to recognize the Philippines to be generally compliant with the STCW System. However, the European Commission (EC) still found “issues to be addressed” in the country’s maritime industry.

This prompted the EC to extend a threeyear technical assistance to the Philippines to implement corrective actions.

Earlier, the Marina said it will establish a technical working group together with the Commission on Higher Education, the Overseas Workers Welfare Administration, and the Department of Migrant Workers to address pending issues, leveraging the EC’s funding aid. Lorenz S. Marasigan

By Ma. Stella F. Arnaldo @akosistellaBM Special to the BusinessMirror

AIRSWIFT Airlines Philippines canceled all its flights from June 30 until July 3 due to the limited number of aircraft that could fulfill its schedules to several destinations.

In a statement issued on Friday, Ayala Land Inc. (ALI) said, “Due to recent technical issues, we are currently implementing safety checks and preventive maintenance on the rest of our fleet. As a voluntary safety precaution, AirSWIFT Airlines’ flights scheduled from June 30-July 3, 2023 have been cancelled.” From its hub in Manila, the carrier flies to El Nido and Coron in Palawan, Sicogon Island, Tagbilaran, and Clark. (See, “Ayala-owned carrier to expand fleet,” in the B usiness M irror , May 23, 2023.)

questions or concerns.”

Complaints from passengers and tour operators about the flight cancellations reached fever pitch on Friday, forcing the Civil Aeronautics Board (CAB) to step in and discuss with AirSWIFT its options. CAB officials, however, did not say if any penalties were levied on the carrier, which was also the subject of passenger complaints earlier this year. (See, “CAB still vetting passenger complaints vs AirSWIFT,” in the B usiness M irror February 14, 2023.)

The carrier initially advised clients late Thursday that only its flights on July 1 were affected and informed passengers that it will arrange “alternative flights.” Those booked on flights to Manila from El Nido received notice that they could take an alternative flight from Puerto Princesa to Manila. This would entail a four-five hour land trip from El Nido.

11.9 percent; animal fats and products, 5.8 percent; fish, seafood and products, 4 percent and fruits and products (excluding wine) at 2.9 percent.

For protein, PSA noted the available per capita supply of proteins went up by 2.4 percent to 86 grams per day.

Higher supplies of proteins were recorded in the following food groups: alcohol (including beer and wine) by 83.3 percent; pulses and products, 56.7 percent; oilcrops (excluding products, 26.4 percent; beverage crops, 16 percent; milk and products, 8.8 percent; meat (slaughtered) and products, 8.2 percent; eggs and products, 6.4 percent; edible offals, 4.3 percent; animal fats and products, 4.3 percent; and cereals and products (excluding beer), 0.4 percent.

The FBS also showed that the total per capita supply of fats reached 40 grams per day in 2022, or 0.6 percent lower compared with the previous year’s level.

This developed as Rajah Tours Philippines president Jose C. Clemente III appealed to ALI to allow other carriers to fly into its Lio Airport in El Nido. “Perhaps it’s about time to consider opening Lio Airport to other carriers considering the situation of AirSWIFT and its repeated rescheduling and flight cancellations. It has been escalating as of late and has caused grief for a good number of our guests,” he told the B usiness M irror

He added, “If there is a problem of capacity, it’s either they add equipment or allow others to service the route. Otherwise the destination loses momentum along with the country as El Nido remains one of our sought-after places to visit.”

ALI, parent firm of AirSWIFT apologized to passengers for the inconvenience due to the flight cancellations, and encouraged them “to contact our reservations and ticketing hotlines at (02)53185940 or +639178168763 or email us at info@air-swift.com for any

Continued from A3 no elevators are working,” the lawmaker lamented in Filipino.

At the same time, Tulfo shared that the laboratory equipment of the Engineering Department are “difficult to operate while some already appear like junk.”

Some buildings need to be renovated and equipment need to be upgraded, he said.

To make matters worse, Tulfo said there are electrical cables dangling inside the gym which can cause accidents.

The senator cited the lack of electricity in some of the buildings due to construction, sharing that there is, in fact, another project of the DPWH that has been under construction for almost a year and only a portion of it has been finished. Also worrying, he lamented, are the scattered heaps of discarded items in various places

As for those guests booked at its El Nido Resorts, ALI told this paper, “Affected guests will be able to either rebook or refund, depending on booking specifics.” on campus that can host mosquitoes and cause dengue.

Shortly after the Department of Tourism launched its enhanced branding campaign anchored on a new slogan, netizens raised the frequent flight cancellations by the country’s carriers, passenger challenges with the Immigration department, along with planes in disrepair, among others, that can negate a tourist’s experience to “Love the Philippines.” El Nido continues to rate among the world’s most popular islands in international travel publications and web sites.

Global supply shortages for plane engines and other spare parts, according to Philippine carriers, have affected not just their fleet, but also those of airlines abroad. (See, “Carriers to cut flights, lease more planes to mitigate crisis,” in the B usiness M irror , June 22, 2023.)

According to University President Manuel M. Muhi and Vice President for Administration Adam V. Ramilo, whom Tulfo met, the university’s budget allotted by Congress yearly is being slashed by the Department of Budget Management (DBM), that is “why they don’t have enough funds to make necessary building improvement and buy modern equipment.”

Tulfo assured Muhi and Ramilo that he “will fight to ensure that PUP’s budget will not be slashed in the upcoming budget hearing at the Senate and improve the experience of students, most of whom are children of OFWs.”

Tulfo made other recommendations to improve the university, such as conducting structural integrity check and seismic retrofitting in old buildings considering that PUP is one of the highly populated universities in the country. Butch Fernandez

Editor: Jennifer A. Ng