Bonifacio Shame

Insult To Injury

 "A-tapang A-Tao Hindi A-Takbo

A-Putol A-Saliri Hindi A-Takbo"

Ask any person on the street for a famous line from Andres Bonifacio and  chances are that these lines would come on top of their mind.

In spite of having started the Revolution, Bonifacio, the Katipunan's Supremo is remembered not for his patriotism but for his lack of formal education - and with it a perceived lack of intelligence.

Bonifacio Trial

Supremo

 

While routinely translated as "independence," the meaning of kalayaan runs deeper: it stems from the word layaw, meaning childhood bliss, bodily pleasure, and the satisfaction of necessities. The revolutionists coined the term kalayaan to define independence not just in terms of political autonomy from Spain but also as a general condition of well-being, abundance, and happiness -- a return of the golden age. 

Obesity in the Midst of Poverty

McObese and Malnourished

In the US, all value-added food products are  labeled with their nutritional contents. Burgers, for example,  are labeled accordingly with the amount of fat, protein, carbohydrates contained per serving - providing American consumers with data to allow "informed" decisions when purchasing food items.

There are even websites that consumers can visit wherein products are categorized according to their type (fruits, vegetables..etc) and according to source (Krispy Kreme donuts, Burger King Whopper..etc), allowing for ease of use and convenience for the public.

Unfortunately, the foregoing is a far cry from the situation in the Philippines. Ironically, in spite of the prevalent practice among Filipinos of copying all things American, we have yet to come up with a formalized system of establishing the nutritional content of food items we purchase here.

Sure, packaged consumer goods manufactured my MNC's have nutritional facts on their labels, but this is in keeping with SOP's set forth by their mother company abroad. Local manufacturers need not bother in researching on the nutritional content of their product as there is no government directive for them to do so.

Among food-retail chains,

Mudbricks: Inexpensive building material for the informal settlers

Informal Settlements

 

Defining the landscape in a lot of areas in the Philippines are the unsightly features of the flimsy homes of the Informal Settlers. This type of building is the typical shelter of a great portion of our people.

Informal settlements are a common feature of the Philippine landscape. Dotting the archipelago are houses made of scrounged materials, these settlements are a constant source of headache for nearby residents and establishments, but also an eyesore and source of embarassment for the government. 

Apart from the aesthetic problems associated with this form of housing, informal settlements are typically made from flimsy, haphazard materials which the settler managed to gather from the nearby environs.