Eminent Person

Former President Fidel V. Ramos busies himself writing about social and political matters, among them population issues. He has openly pushed for a vigorous and realistic population management policy. "Population has long been a crucial concern in the Philippines, which has a much higher growth rate compared to other predominantly catholic countries and our neighbors in Southeast Asia, who are also our closest competitors," he told legislators, businessmen and the media on several occasions.

Unfortunately, he said, the Arroyo Administration, through its Population Commission (PopCom), "is going against the people's basic right to health and informed choice" by insisting on providing only "natural planning" methods, even as the National Statistics Office has consistently shown that pills are the Number One family planning choice.

As proven in the long experience of United Nations agencies, he said, "There is no better way to mitigate the population problem than to strike a synergistic balance among such factors as population, environment and development. Indeed, our population, environment and development policies are crucial to our political stability, social equity, and economic competitiveness as a nation. These are the essentials needed to be balanced, reconciled, and put to positive use in our strategic programs – if we are to substantially reduce mass; poverty, insure a higher quality of life for younger Filipinos, and regain a place of respect and dignity in the community of nations – a position the Philippines once occupied."

"Family planning – guided by the concept of responsible parenthood – is one such program that can offer so much to our people," he said. "But we need to understand what the program specifically stands for. First and foremost, family planning is anchored on the basic rights in our Constitution, one of the most fundamental of which is the freedom of conscience guaranteed to all."

During the Ramos Administration, it was articulated that family planning is "the exercise of the freedom of conscience of the married couple, as responsible parents, according to their aspirations for a better quality of life for themselves and their children. Such a policy fosters quality instead of quantity, and, more importantly, social responsibility over self-gratifying behavior. In the end, the family achieves improvement in measurable terms – in sanitation, nutrition, life expectancy, health, education, housing, etc. – and the entire country benefits."

* * *

Mr. Ramos, who is honorary president of the Human Development Foundation (RPDev), was recently conferred the title of The Eminent Person of the Forum for Family Planning and Development Inc. for his having given his full support to the Philippine population management program during his term (1992-1998), and for "continually espousing the critical link of population management to the general development of the country."

The Forum is a non-stock, non-profit, non-government association composed of experts, well-known personalities who are supporters of population, reproductive health, and family planning that will result in universal access to information and services, especially for the poorest. Ben de Leon is Forum chair.

Many households till have leftovers from the holiday feasts – to be heated up and creatively redesigned to serve in forthcoming meals. Yes, it's undeniably true that Pinoys have a passion for preparing more food than the family can consume. And there is no exception – Christmas is celebrated with lots of food from nipa huts to mansions. A neighbor's daughter's American boyfriend, seeing the table in Manila and in Davao City , could not help but exclaim, "My, my, my," and learned in a matter of days the art of eating, Pinoys-style, and that Christmas in the Philippines is one long celebration.

One would think it's only in homes that feasts are held. In restaurants too, during the holidays, Bangus Restaurants in Greenhills Carpark, Robinson's Galeria Mall, and Asia Mall, were full not only with balikkayans but also with happy "natives" who associate Christmas dishes with home-cooking fare. The Bangus menus are Capampangan – rich, delicious, food to remember and go back to.

Diana Santamaria, chair of Bangus Republic, which owns and runs Bangus restaurants, told me at a dinner in Greenhills where I brought my friends from Mindanao, that love for food is "a very Filipino trait," as is the colorful jeepney, and the mano po practice of the young kissing their old folks' hands.

Diana and her sister Linda Yap have come up with "Kaing Yaman," a tray of dishes that the family can enjoy eating together, at the same time engaging in merry conversation. "Ang Pampamilyang Blowout!" consists of plain bulalo soup, rellenong manok, grilled milkfish (bangus) belly with sampaloc candy sauce, lumpiang Capampangan, pancit bam-I, green mango and ripe mango salad with bangus longanisa slices, sago't gulaman, especial turon ng saging, and pandan rice. The tray is good for four persons and costs only P995.

As the restaurant's name suggests, most of the dishes served are made from bangus, the Philippines' national fish. It is the boniest of fish, with as many as 208 bones, or tinik. But not to worry: the restaurant serves only deboned bangus. And every conceivable bangus dish is served by the restaurant: sotanghong lumpia, bangus escabeche, binusog Na tinapang bangus, bangus pochero, rellenong bangus, bangus salads, prime cut bellies, sizzling bangus, bistek bangus, paksiw na bangus, bangus Orientale, bangus sinigang with green sampaloc sauce, bangus sisig, and bangus samosa. And you get crazy over bangus chicharon, fish skin made intro cracklers.

But Bangus Restaurant also serves non-bangus dishes, like their famous bulalo soup, sinigang na hipon, sinigang na baka sa bayabas, sinampalukang manok, adobong sugpo sa aligi, rellenong alimasag, adobong kangkong, puso ng saging, laing, crispy pata (said to be the best in town), sirloin pata, crispy tadyang ng baka (this is superb), chicken-pork adobo, and binagoongang baboy. (My mouth waters as I write this, you know.) I must mention the unbeatable maja Blanca for dessert.

Bangus Restaurant turned 25 years old last month, and it can be truly said that its staying power is the result of the loving, tender care with which the Santamaria sisters and their well-trained staff prepare quality food.

For inquiries, call 722-3038/722-8750; 630561, and 556-0386. Those interested in franchising may call 725-2751 or 721-0794 (loc. 33).

My e-mail: [email protected]