Uniquely Pinoy

The year 2006 will see a lot of uniquely (and proudly) Pinoy inventions on the market. Assorted consumers got a sneak peek of some of these products at eco fairs and the National Inventors’ Week held last year. Hold your breath now as we rattle off some of them. Amid a polluted environment, inventor Joseph Sy comes up with one whiff of a refreshing idea: healing water or bottled oxygen that can increase within minutes the oxygen content of 1L of regular purified water up to 2,000 ppm (ordinary tap water has 5-7 ppm oxygen content, running water of clean rivers and streams as much as 10 ppm, and commercially available bottled oxygen beverages boast up to 100 ppm).

Necessity is, indeed, the father of invention. Our eco man Gene Romero reports that back in 1990, inventor Sy had been aware of the diminishing level of oxygen in the atmosphere (brought about by environmental pollution, use of toxic chemicals, deforestation, etc.). This triggered his interest in developing a machine that produces oxygen in water, patterned after the thunderstorm principle. Sy points out, "After a thunderstorm, check your surroundings and you’ll notice the proliferation of kabute (mushroom) on the open field. This indicates the high content of oxygen in the rain as produced by the thunderstorm."

An electronic communications buff, Sy focused his energy on developing a prototype. His first attempt was a disaster: His guinea pig, a fish, was electrocuted. Several inventions (like a sleep-inducer machine) later and after taking a brief hiatus, he was back at work on his "oxygenating" idea. He used a fish again as his guinea pig, but this time, he used a water tester to ensure desired results. He put his fish in an aquarium with plants and sustained it with nothing but oxygenated water for one week. The fish remained alive and energetic. Also, the plants grew taller. Probably drunk with excitement over the results of his experiment, Sy made himself the main guinea pig. He drank eight ounces of oxygenated water and swore it gave him a "feeling of tremendous energy in my body and light-headedness. Parang nakalutang sa ere, ang gaan ng feeling." It also eased his hunger pangs.

Those who have tried Sy’s "healing water" are claiming miraculous results. Among them are people suffering from goiter, asthma, low blood pressure, high blood pressure, high uric acid, food allergy, and body pains, among other ailments.

For inquiries, call 0917-4777749 or 655-5674.

Then there’s the bignay tea from Batangas, which is touted as a cheap, herbal alternative to Viagra. The hard fact, says its inventor, is that it’s a stamina builder.

Here’s one suds story: the virginity soap (feminine hygienic wash), a natural feminine wash soap and an alternative to the expensive synthetic feminine wash. Formulated by Carlita Doran, it‘s made of tea oil, guava extracts, lavender, coco oil, and essential oils. The 63-year-old lola attests to its sweet-smelling effect.

This certainly is one tea-tillating invention: kamagong tea which, claims its inventor, is a potent remedy vs. diabetes and other ailments.

Sugar is sweet and so is this invention: Pangasinan’s natural sugar from the palm tree’s (selag in Pangasinan) sap/nectar. If the Visayans have their muscovado, the Pangasinenses have their melt-in-the-mouth pakasyat. Take it for dessert or as coffee mate.

From Pangasinan also come the organic bignay and duhat wines. Let’s drink to that!

For a truly meaty offering in 2006, there are the veggie noodles, organically cooked with green charcoal. Inventor/entrepreneur Ricardo Navis Jr. of Bayombong, Nueva Viscaya has come up with various flavors for his all-natural veggie noodles: saluyot, ampalaya, pechay, malunggay, carrot, squash, spinach, and soy beans. Quite a best-seller in fairs, these veggie noodles may soon invade the school canteens looking for a healthy food alternative to offer the school kids.

For more exciting eco news or inquiries, e-mail Gene Romero at ekomarket2005@yahoo.com.

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Don’t be fooled

Businessmen will do everything to separate consumers from their priceless peso, like coming up with more exciting sales pitches or introducing a new product left and right. Stiff competition has pushed conventional marketing strategies towards more creative, non-traditional approaches.

But sadly, for the unscrupulous businessmen, creativity means trickery or ploys that, under the Consumer Act, are deemed as deceptive, unfair, and unconscionable sales acts. Such deceptive sales acts are designed to mislead consumers into buying a product. The producer, manufacturer, supplier/seller may use concealment, false representation or fraudulent manipulation to induce the consumer to avail himself of a certain product or service.

Consumers easily fall prey to such abusive practices, especially when they don’t know how to spot or avoid them. In view of this, here are some helpful tips to keep in mind, according to the Department of Trade and Industry:

• Beware of sales "gangs." Picture a troop of sales agents swarming around you, talking to you at the same time. They speak exaggerated praises for their products while flattering your appearance. The result: You get so distracted you are unable to think clearly and you end up buying their products even if you don’t actually need them.

• Free items should be given free, that is, without compelling you to purchase another product before you can claim it.

• Do your own research by comparing the product or service you wish to acquire with those available in other stores. Does it really work better, cost cheaper or have more benefits?

• Never rush into entering any sales contract. Read the terms and agreements carefully or request the seller to explain them clearly. Do not sign your name on the document until you understand and fully agree with the terms.

• Before buying, see to it that you will gain substantially from the purchase of a product. For instance, you are offered a complimentary dinnerware set that you can claim only if you buy an electric oven. Before getting too excited on the reward, ask yourself first if you really need the oven and the dinnerware set.

• If a product or service is said to have the sponsorship or approval of a prominent body or individual, ask for validating documents or an authorization from the alleged sponsor.

• After buying a product with warranty, look for a warranty card or any such indication before leaving the store. Check if the terms stated are favorable to or agreed upon by both you and the seller.

• Inspect a product carefully before buying it. Look for possible hidden defects such as faulty stitches, cracks or discoloration. The seller may be passing it off as brand-new even if it is already used, deteriorated or reconditioned.

A toast to more vigilant consumers in 2006!

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