Charantia gets boost from BFAD

I must admit that politics sucks and can distract from the serious affairs of life. And that is what happened to me last week, not only because President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo visited Negros Occidental, but that visit sparked a string of political events, including speculations as to future developments.

Thus, I failed to write what I had long wanted to tackle – the Bureau of Food and Drugs’ recognition of Charantia tea as beneficial to diabetics.

Actually, it was long overdue. The BFAD has confirmed the reclassification of the Charantia ampalaya tea as a "food supplement" to an herbal tea for "the special dietary use of diabetics."

In short, said Lito Abelarde, president of Herbcare Corp. that produces Charantia, the BFAD merely affirmed what had long been known to physicians and medical scientists about ampalaya and its beneficial effects on diabetic patients.

In short, the BFAD listed Charantia among the 10 local herbs, which the health department has found to be scientifically proven as help in toning down diabetes among victims.

By calling it scientifically proven and not just the products of folkloric tales, the BFAD reclassification validates that the Charantia ampalaya tea helps lower blood sugar level and improves glucose tolerance. These are the two factors that are expected to benefit millions of Filipinos who need to watch their sugar levels.

An estimated seven million Filipinos today have diabetes and half of them do not know why they have it.

For Abelarde, the BFAD report was not only long in coming, it also boosted the prestige of the Philippines as the home of ampalaya, which has gained worldwide acceptance as a medicinal herb.

Actually, he pointed out, the local chamber has long submitted to the BFAD and the DOH numerous pre-clinical and limited clinical studies on ampalaya and "a study on our tea."

However, it is only now that BFAD found the time to upgrade Charantia to highlight its special use for diabetes.

Funny, but several years back, ampalaya had already been listed among the 10 local plants scientifically proven to have beneficial effects. But seven years ago, BFAD suddenly changed it to "folklorically" studied, thus undercutting an adequate explanation on the previous status of Charantia.

Anyway, Abelarde said Charantia is made from 100 percent dried whole ampalaya and contains the key components that "we believe" lower sugar levels.

Researchers have reportedly isolated polypeptide-P in ampalaya. This is a plant insulin that acts like animal insulin. Only ampalaya reportedly contains this compound in Charantia.

The DOH, incidentally, made Charantia the official food supplement for Operation Diabetes, indicating a positive response to the Charantia tea. This operation endorses the grassroots diabetes awareness and prevention program of the health department.

Charantia tea drinking, Abelarde pointed out, may benefit even non-diabetics.

Besides, Abelarde added, Charantia is an alternative to coffee and regular tea. It reportedly has zero sugar, fat, calories and caffeine and can help maintain a health person’s normal blood sugar level.

Charantia, incidentally, is exported by Filipino Ampalaya Product to the USA, Europe, Korea, Japan, Mexico, the Gulf states, and Nigeria.

With diabetes becoming a global problem, Charantia is definitely a boon to diabetics, claimed Abelarde.

He also pointed out that with the BFAD endorsement, Charantia will also pave the way for similar products to be reclassified as such. He hopes that the scientific community would conduct more trials that may finally end doubts as to ampalaya’s efficiency against diabetes, said Abelarde, who is also the president of the Chamber of Herbal Industries of the Philippines.

Amen to that.

Murder raps vs suspects in radioman’s slay

Sometimes, cases involving the killing of members of the journalism profession in the provinces sleep because the mediamen themselves overlook them.

Not so in the case of the killing of Rolando Ureta of RMN-dyKR in Aklan.

The resolution of the Aklan provincial prosecutor’s office was recently reversed by Justice Secretary Raul Gonzalez. The resolution previously dismissed the complaint filed by the Philippine National Police against Amador Raz and Jessie Ticar.

Ureta was gunned down on the night of Jan. 3, 2001 by several armed men on his way to Lezo town in Aklan.

Three years later, a witness named Gerson Sonio, turned up, alleging that he saw Raz driving a yellow motorcycle. His back-rider was reportedly Ticar, who shot Ureta three times.

The provincial prosecutor subsequently dropped the complaint against the two suspects who contended that they were not in Aklan at the time but in Iloilo.

The Ureta family and media organizations filed a petition for review with the DOJ.

Gonzalez, in his review, pointed out that Sonio positively identified the respondents as the persons responsible for the killing of Ureta.

"Weighed against the denials and alibis of the respondents, said witness’ affirmative testimony is stronger than a negative one," Gonzalez ruled.

Besides, Gonzales added, despite the lapse of about three years before the witness showed up, "we cannot set up, on a permanent basis, a standard of human behavioral response when a person is confronted with a stranger, startling or frightful experience."

Lopez Jaena clan reunion

It was a startling development. Members of the Graciano Lopez Jaena clan in Negros Occidental will sponsor the clan’s reunion. But this time, the affair will be hosted by descendants of Fermin and Eustaquio Lopez of Silay City.

This development caught me by surprise. An initial meeting was called by Jess and Virgilio Lopez, both descendants of Eustaquio, the so-called favorite cousin of Graciano.

The choice of Silay City as the venue for the reunion was anchored on the fact that Lopez Jaena stayed in the hacienda of his younger brother, Pedro, in that city where he worked and honed his writing skills.

It was there that Eustaquio continued to help Graciano, and finally bankrolled his trip to Spain to pursue his medical studies and resume his propaganda war asking for equal treatment for Filipinos by the Spanish overlord of the islands.

Three venues are being eyed – the Kansilayan court, the Silay civic center and the Santa Teresa Academy covered court.

Among those present during the meeting with the US-based Jess and Virgilio Lopez were Romeo Lopez, Dr. Ma. Estrella Ledesma, Leticia Octosa, Mrs. Lopez Violeta Bunol, Nene de Leon, Josie Macascuñana and myself.

Normally, the direct descendants of Graciano would pick up the tabs for the clan reunion. This time, however, the descendants of Eustaquio decided to host the reunion, hoping to be able to know all the clan members.