IT SEEMS that anyone can just start selling free range and cage free chickens and table eggs in the market today, without knowing where these came from, and what standards are being used to make such claims. And as if that is not bad enough, these are being sold at prices that are much higher than the supposedly “regular” choices.
Since we are all fully aware that there are so many scams out there now, and there are so many bogus products out there, we should be careful about what we are buying, especially if we are paying higher prices than what we usually pay.
In theory, it should either be the Department of Agriculture (DA) or the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI) that should have jurisdiction over the packaging and labeling of food products. But if they could not agree on which one of them should be on top, then perhaps that is something that the President could decide in a Cabinet meeting.
Being free range implies that the chicken only eats organic and natural food within the “range”, but that is not always the case, because they could still be fed with feeds that are mixed with GMOs (genetically modified organisms) and chemicals. Being cage free implies that the chicken was raised under “humane” conditions, but there is no way to guarantee that, until standards are set. In the meantime, the producers and the marketers of these products should study this matter.
REFUGEES FROM RISING SEA LEVELS
At first, I thought that refugees from areas affected by climate change and rising sea levels can only be found abroad, and not here in the Philippines. To my surprise, I found out that there are already some islands that are already threatened, and some are already affected by it.
I am referring to Tubigon, Bohol and some nearby islands. Typical of many Filipino communities, the people who live in these islands may have already gotten used to the perennial floods in their homes and in their streets, perhaps not even realizing that sooner or later, their islands could be completely engulfed or swallowed by rising sea waters.
But who knows when the waters will finally rise to critical levels? And who is keeping watch? Does the government know? Is the government keeping watch?
If the answer is yes, which agency is keeping watch? Is it the Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council? The Department of National Defense? The Department of Environment and Natural Resources? Or the Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources? Or the Philippine Coast Guard? Or perhaps even the Philippine Navy?
I dread to see the day when a disaster would happen over there, and the outcome would just be a lot of finger-pointing and blame throwing as to who is responsible as the lead agency, so to speak. That is the reason why we should know who that agency is, as soon as possible.
And is there a timetable or a timeframe as to when an evacuation should already happen at the soonest?/PN
