Quo vadis?

The political situation these days is so fluid that pundits are clutching at every single development that comes through the grapevine in the hope that something, anything can be drawn from it.

This much seems clear. Senators Manny Villar, Loren Legarda, Mar Roxas, Dick Gordon, Chiz Escudero, and Ping Lacson have signified either their intention or availability to take a shot at the presidency in next year’s election. The same goes for former President Erap Estrada, Vice President Noli de Castro, Defense Secretary Gilbert Teodoro, Metro Manila Development Authority Chairman Bayani Fernando and Makati Mayor Jojo Binay.

From that roster, only de Castro, Teodoro and Fernando are allied or associated with the administration. Picking one from the three would be a lot less messy job for the admin than it is for the opposition to decide on a standard bearer from among eight wannabes. 

Party alignments are also quite difficult to figure out at this stage. For the administration, there’s Lakas-NUCD-CMD in merger talks with Kampi and, reportedly also with the Nationalist People’s Coalition (NPC) and the Liberal Party Atienza faction. A major snag in this effort at uniting these parties will be the choice of candidates on the local level, as well the fact that the NPC is divided between pro and anti administration members.

A number of Lakas members have also expressed their desire to have their party stand on its own since the other parties, Kampi in particular, have neither the numbers nor the resources to add strength to Lakas. This, plus Kampi’s close association with PGMA could work against the chances of the candidates, what with all the negative issues that have been and continue to be raised against the president.

On the other hand, the opposition parties seem to be disjointed as well, considering that some of the eight hopefuls represent different parties while others have the same political affiliation. Erap has his Partido ng Masang Pilipino; Villar and Gordon, Nacionalista Party; Legarda and Escudero, NPC; Roxas, Liberal Party Drilon wing; Lacson, formerly LDP and now Genuine Opposition (which I believe is not officially registered as a party); and Binay, PDP-Laban.

Where are all they, the individuals and parties, headed? Who knows? As far as parties go, can we really tell one from the other? It will all probably boil down to, again, a contest of personalities, images, resources and yes, (hopefully) track record. And on that last item, many will or should fall by the wayside by yearend.

In the meantime, let’s enjoy the ongoing political telenovela as it unfolds.

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Enjoying food of any kind is definitely one of life’s simple joys. Unfortunately, there are some individuals who have predisposed allergies towards certain types of food. It becomes a very difficult situation for them if they accidentally ingest (or in some extreme cases, even come in contact with) certain quantities of these foods.

For most of us who are fortunate enough to be able to eat almost anything, it’s sometimes difficult to empathize with those who have to carefully watch their diet. Unlike most people, these diet watchers have to be extra wary about the food they eat lest they go into what medical practitioners call an anaphylactic shock which, according to the dictionary, is “a condition of hypersensitivity to protein or other substances requiring previous exposure to the allergenic substance and resulting in shock or other physical reactions.”

To get more information about this particular topic, a colleague of mine managed to catch a lecture entitled “Food Allergies? Beware - They’re a Serious Business!” It was recently held at the Discovery Suites.

The resource speaker was Dra. Aurora A. Saulo, an Extension Specialist in Food Technology from the Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition of the University of Hawaii at Manoa, It turns out that Dra. Saulo is a highly respected authority on food safety, food sanitation, risk communication, and process development. She has conducted various seminars across the globe, and has served as a technical consultant for a number of companies.

It was interesting to hear that Dra. Saulo’s first order of the day was to state that there is really no cure for food allergies. The best thing to do is to cope with the condition, and the best way to achieve this is through education and avoidance. Apparently, the major food allergens are peanuts, tree nuts, milk, eggs, soy, fish, shellfish, and wheat.

I admit, this is not the usual thing my friends and I talk about when we get together. So why was Dra. Saulo’s lecture so significant to me? It’s because several months ago, I wrote a piece entitled “To MSG or not to MSG”, which sparked quite a number of comments and discussions among my readers.

I was therefore happy to be told that Dra. Saulo was in full support of the earlier claims of my son Andres, himself a Food Technology major from UP. Despite the widespread fiction surrounding it, MSG (or Monosodium Glutamate) is absolutely, categorically safe.

In Dra. Saulo’s own words, “MSG is one of the most extensively researched food ingredients in the world, and it has passed every test. Natural or manufactured glutamate makes no difference to the human body, so if someone says they are ‘allergic to MSG’, they should also be ‘allergic’ to ripe tomatoes, peas, corn, mushrooms, and parmesan cheese.” 

Thanks to certifiable data and precise scientific research, those who claim that MSG is safe don’t have to eat their words.

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Powernut, a health and wellness store carrying malunggay in its food products, will display and sell bread, cookies nuts, polvoron, malunggay capsules and tea, and, is introducing meat pieces (chicken or beef), at the Food Expo, 5th floor, Megatrade, SM Megamall, starting today, March 5, up to March 7. Powernut is located at GSquare Arcade, Barangka, Mandaluyong. It will soon be selling Domini’s Sans Rival cakes. One can place orders at 4802079.

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