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Wealth“Huwag ka ngang magsayang ng kanin, maraming bata ang palaboylaboy at hindi nakakakain”..... We usually hear this from our parents because they want us to value every grain of rice in our table as it is not cheap and it is our main staple food in the country.

In fact, we, Filipinos eat rice at least thrice a day and sometimes we even ask for more. However, as malnutrition and Vitamin A Deficiency (VAD) is a trend in the country affecting about 29% of Filipinos according to World Health Organization (WHO), rice is not enough to sustain the minerals and vitamins our body need.

Here’s a good news! Multiple agencies including the Philippine Rice Research İnstitute (PhilRice) and International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) are creating the so-called “Golden Rice” which aims to solve malnutrition. But what is this Golden Rice?

Golden Rice (Oryza sativa) is a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) which contain Beta-carotene, an important substance found in fruits and vegetables. This project was started way back 1990’s Syngenta Company and now paving its way for proposal consumption. And here are the benefits of Golden Rice : Good for the Eyes.According to World Health Organization, 350,000 children go blind as a result of VAD and since Golden Rice is rich with Beta-carotene which is eventually converted to Vitamin A, a nutrient vital for the eyesight, it will protect us from eye diseases such as astigmatism, near-sightedness and far-sightedness.

Rich in Beta-carotene. Golden Rice is engineered to be rich in Betacarotene, a food supplement usually found in green leafy vegetable. Once this food supplement has been taken into body it will be converted into Vitamin A when needed. This is essential for solving Vitamin A Deficiency in the country.

Good for the Skin. Vitamin A has also been proven as a good supplement for the skin. This Golden Rice which is high in this micronutrient, it will be a good source of protection against skin diseases and helps in repairing infected skin tissues.

These benefits of Golden Rice can be really helpful to fight against health concerns especially Vitamin A Deficiency, of our nation and the world. However, not all scientist and farmers are in favor for this research project but why?

The ‘Golden Rice’ is an ambitious project that aims to solve a major health concern to children though not everyone is into it as most of them are afraid for the aftermath that may happen and here are some of it :

Lack of Evidence. Even though this project began way back in the 90’s, evidences still seemed to be insufficient. Scientists ask for more evidences regarding the safety of planting and consumption of Golden Rice because they’re concluding that consequences might be unpredictable. Possible Contamination. Same is true with Filipino farmers, they are also unconvinced by the benefits of this Golden Rice because rice field and food contamination is their main concern. Due to this, they’re not yet open to plant this rice variety and some even protested that some even destroy the Golden Rice field in Nueva Ecija last August 2023.

Food Security. Since ‘Golden Rice’ is a Genetically Modified Organism (GMO) product, some don’t consider it safe to consume. Dr. Alfred Sommer of Johns Hopkins University said that “It’s better to eat natural foods or the organic ones” while some experts recommended to eat alternative foods like squash as a source of Vitamin A to prevent health risks.

These concerns and contrary side of the other members of the society are valid and needed to be considered ‘cause deeper clinical and laboratory studies are required to provide factual evidences to prove the efficacy of Golden Rice.

So, let us just be open for innovations like ‘Golden Rice’ because it might be the solution for the existing concerns and issues of our community like Malnutrition and Vitamin A Deficiency. But along that, we must be analytics and objective regarding these studies to ensure our sake especially the youth, the legitimate golden treasure.

Mc Xy-READ

MC XYRENE DIEGO

Support to PLAY SPORT

Games are everywhere around us. They can be played inside your house, beside the road or in the field even outside the country.

Athletes from different countries are proudly representing their own nation in the field of sports. It’s in our tradition to support our athletes in their contested event. But how can we still do the same tradition if everything is now expensive?

As of January 2023, the inflation in the Philippines rose to 8.7%. As a local citizen of Peñablanca, the inflation in our country is alarming and has big impact to our municipality; especially most of the athletes that are being sent to compete in the higher meets are students.

Student-athletes are still students. They don’t have the ability to provide for their needs in the competition. Nowadays some of the expenses in competing to other places to represent the school or town are being shouldered by the players.

Not only the expenses of the athletes are not budget-friendly, even the ticket price and the gas used on the vehicles of the athletes went up. And these things are far different way back 2019.

For me, this inflation changed everything in the field of sports, although games are still continuing amidst of the changes caused by the inflation. And as a citizen and also a former athlete, the government should give assistance to the athletes especially if they are competing in the higher levels.