Monday, August 10, 2009

Tale of Two Tables


While President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo was delivering her (hopefully!) last State of the Nation Address (SONA) in July 27, 2009, I,- together with participants from other parts of the country were at the St. Michael Retreat House in Antipolo City for a Hapag-Asa Partner’s Meeting. Hapag-Asa(literally “Table of Hope”) is an integrated nutrition program initiated by the Pondo ng Pinoy Community Foundation and established by Cardinal Gaudencio B. Rosales of the Archdiocese of Manila along with 13 other bishops in July 2005 together with Assisi Development Foundation and Feed the Children Philippines. The program aims to feed at least 120,000 poor and hungry children nationwide once a day to improve their overall nutritional status. Its program components are : Supplemental Feeding, Education Classes and Livelihood and Skills. The Apostolic Vicariate of San Jose is a partner of Hapag-Asa in Occidental Mindoro.

While the President was rendering her SONA at the Batasan Complex, complete with figures and percentages boasting the country’s economic growth under her administration, Ms. Florinda Lacanlalay of the Hapag-Asa Secretariat is informing us that malnutrition has been one of the major problems affecting Filipino children. Statistically, according to the 6th National Nutrition Survey of the Food and Nutrition Research Institute, 3 out of 10 Filipino children are suffering from under weight and under height. The Mindoro, Marinduque, Romblon and Palawan or MIMAROPA Region has the highest prevalence of malnutrition in the whole island among 0 to 5 years old with 34.2%, followed by Cagayan Valley with 34.1% and Autonomous Region of Muslim Mindanao (ARMM), 34%.

One of the participants, Msgr. Reggie Hizon, Social Action Director of Diocese of Balanga, said by way of a reflection: “Feeding is a new way of being a Church. It is a homily”. Twenty seven (27) out of every 100 or 29.9% of pre-school aged children, 0 to 5 years old, are underweight. 25.6% of children, 6 to 10 years of age, are underweight. These children are suffering from Protein Energy Malnutrition and/or micronutrient deficiencies such as Vitamin A Deficiency Disorder (VADD), Iron Deficiency Anemia (ADA) and other related disorders brought by the emptiness of our every table. According to World Health Organization (WHO), “Malnutrition prevalence rate of 5% is considered a public health significance”.

After her SONA, President Arroyo and her entourage, including our representative to the Philippine Congress had their US trip and that controversial dinner happened. New York Post news article posted that the group of just more or less 20 people, paid $20,000 in a world-acclaimed restaurant. The amount is equivalent to almost one million in Philippine currency or P955,400. That lavish dinner at Le Cirque, that famous French restaurant in Manhattan, is one heck of a scandal even it was not a taxpayers money, if we are to believe Press Secretary Cerge Remonde. According to Remonde, Leyte Representative Martin Romualdez paid the bill. Even if the expensive dinner was paid by somebody else, it is still scandalous in face of situation of full-blown malnutrition among our children which was discussed to us at Antipolo while President Arroyo was delivering her SONA...

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("Hapag ng Pag-Asa" painting by Joey Velasco)

3 comments:

  1. And Cerge Remonde is barking like a mad dog just to save his mistress. He even branded Bayan Muna as the one who "agitates" the people because of that simple dinner, while in fact it is a New York newspaper who published the story.
    Anyway, it is also a very sad fact, noting that our very own Amelita Villarosa partook in that "simple meal" while her constituents were suffering because of the typhoon.

    I'm now wondering did they ever say grace before and after meal?

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  2. It is an irony that being a food basket and rice granary of the Philippines, Mindoro island and Occ Mindoro in particular has the highest prevalence of malnutrition in since 1998. Ten years have passed and we're still one of the topnotchers.

    Why are the barkers and bootlickers of the local politicians haven't think of it, too? Ah, life...

    Le Cirque is a French restaurant.

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  3. To Eunice

    Sad indeed...

    To Dyoma:

    Mea Culpa. Le Cirque is indeed a French restaurant and not Italian. I've edited it anyway. Thanks...

    ReplyDelete