Why we should use our coconut

Okay, oil right, we received some e-mails as a rejoinder to Dr. Jun Respicio’s absorbing piece on canola oil, where he separated fat, er, fact from fiction and dwelt on the good, the bad, and the oily. For instance, one anxious reader wanted to know what oil we use for cooking before she makes the dramatic shift from canola oil because she did not want to be jumping from the frying pan into the fire (figuratively speaking, of course). Another housewife asked which is the best bet when it comes to cooking oil. Here’s an e-mail to answer the latter query:

Dear Consumerline,

I enjoyed reading your article on canola oil in the Nov. 4 issue of Philippine STAR. I am the son of the late Dr. Conrado Dayrit and have been doing research on the chemical aspects of VCO (virgin coconut oil). This research is funded by DOST. I am quite familiar with the issues regarding vegetable oils, including the tropical fats scare, polyunsaturated fats, the American Soya Association lobby, and canola oil. Let me share with you some thoughts on canola oil. Actually, canola oil is being genetically engineered not only to remove the erucic acid content, but to boost its lauric acid content to levels beyond that in coconut oil. This is significant to us for two reasons:

1) While I am not opposed as a matter of scientific principle to GMOs, GMO food products certainly have their concerns. In this case, the consumer no longer knows what s/he is getting because the composition of the canola oil has been changing. I am sure that the canola oil of 15 years ago was not the same as the canola oil of today. This can be dangerous.

2) This is an example of double standard or doublespeak by developed countries against developing countries. Even as they badmouth coconut oil (which is a high lauric product) for being high in “saturated fats,” they develop their own high lauric product.There’s a lot of political and economic bullying in the international food industry. Unfortunately, our coconut has been at the receiving end of this for over 50 years now. We have to keep our faith in our own coconut. While there’s no such thing as the perfect food (it’s always good to have diversity in one’s diet), I believe that coconut ranks as one of the best. It’s our challenge to prove this and to convince people of it.

— Dr. Fabian M. Dayrit

Dean, School of Science & Engineering

Professor, Department of Chemistry

Ateneo de Manila University

Loyola Heights, Quezon City

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Let there be environment-friendly lighting

Here’s one really bright idea:

Dear Consumerline, 

Greetings from Greenworld LED Solutions, Inc.! We are writing this letter in reference to your article “Shedding light on fluorescent bulbs” dated Oct. 21, 2008. This has perfectly complemented our advocacy to promote the use of not only energy-efficient but most importantly, environment-friendly lighting technologies so as to ensure and sustain a green tomorrow especially for the next generation of Filipinos.

Since we started out in February this year, we have been promoting and pushing for the use of Light Emitting Diodes (LEDs) for general lighting because of these reasons:

1) LEDs have been developed to last for at least 35,000-50,000 hours as compared to the 5,000-10,000 hours that the CFL’s life has.  This further results in fewer spent lamps in the landfill and less frequent lamp purchasing/changing.

2) LED lamps generate less heat than CFLs. And with the proper heat management techniques, it could dissipate heat totally. This would then decrease the load on air-conditioning systems, reduce the danger of burning from touching the light lamps, and reduce fire hazard.

3) LED lamps typically use less power (watts) per unit of light generated (lumens). A qualified LED lamp only generates half as many lumens as a CFL to reach the same illumination, which means there would be less greenhouse gas emissions from power plants and lower electric bills for the consumers. 

4) Global experts have actually confirmed that LED-based lighting systems can also reduce total cost of ownership (TCOO) through avoidance in maintenance and waste disposal costs, and the reduction of electricity charges when compared to traditional incandescent or fluorescent lamps.

5) CFL has at least three to five milligrams mercury content. Although that is minimal, if you add up all the mercury for every bulb disposed by each household, it becomes a major concern especially for the children and pregnant women. So, finding your article was actually manna from heaven in its superlative terms for us.  Thank you so much for sharing your article with the public.

Karen Maestrado

MarComm manager 

Cebu City

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A-Book-Saya Group meets Abu Sayyaf kids

You can say that this one’s for the books: 

Dear Consumerline,         

 Thanks to your support, we recently headed to our hometown Zamboanga City to bring our first set of books to a remote island where the Abu Sayyaf Group is known to bring their hapless kidnap victims. The A-Book-Saya Group (ASG) finally got to meet the children of real Abu Sayyaf members. Your column and the e-mail-brigade convinced a lot of people here and abroad to donate about 400 used books, magazines, and encyclopedias, which we distributed to Muslim children in Sacol Island, Zamboanga City last Oct. 27.         

People’s support for our dream of flooding Mindanao with books had shown us that there is hope for the country because there are still many good and caring Filipinos. They did not only help us get books; they helped us recover our faith in the innate goodness of ordinary Filipinos like all of us.         

But a lot remains to be done to convince poor Muslim and Christian kids that there is better hope in picking up a book than a gun. Recent news reports from there show that not only are Mindanao children being recruited to join the ASG, the MILF, and the NPA, local warlords and politicians now also tap children as young as 12 years old to be their bodyguards. Obviously, children are not only cheap, their romantic notion of war and recklessness make them more than willing to kill and die for their patrons. And when they’re jobless, where do you think will they go? Armed and gullible, they are easy prey to rebel or extremist groups. Manila is just a boat ticket away from the next bomb explosion.

So, let’s help stop this vicious cycle of poverty and violence and give these children a better view of a peaceful and happier world. Nothing can deliver this message to them better than books. Let your books reach their hearts and minds while they are young.         

Considering the poverty level and the high illiteracy rate in Mindanao, the books that may appear discarded trash to us here in Manila are glistening gold to them. It may well be the first and last book that they will receive in their lifetime.          

When you do give books, give us those with lots of pictures because while we take it for granted that our kids can read before reaching Grade 1, most Mindanao kids can hardly read well even in Grade VI. Picture books will surely entice them to read.         

Drop your books at our Satti Grill House outlets at the SM Fairview Food Court, Quezon City or at the corner of MH del Pilar, Ermita, Manila. Donors may call Ann at 799-2745/339-3732 or 09175208013/ 09195897879. For more information, log on to www.sattisfaction.blogspot.com.         

Armand and Annora Nocum

Concerned Christian

-Muslim couple  

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We’d love to hear from you. E-mail us at ching_alano@yahoo.com.