Moral of the story

As I write this, Chief Justice Renato Corona is still sharing his testimony with the impeachment court, attempting to explain the sources of his wealth and—most riveting so far—the background of the family feud between his wife Cristina and her uncle and aunts, cousins and nieces and nephews.

What emerges is a fascinating tale of sibling rivalry between Cristina’s mother and her uncle, Jose M. Basa. If previously the Basas had painted a picture of a family victimized by the Basa-Rocos, Cristina’s side of the family, hounded by shady corporate dealings, a libel suit and its successful pursuit; by Corona’s account, it is his wife and her side of the family who lost a considerable portion of the clan wealth when their shares in a huge property in Quezon City were suddenly taken over and placed under the sole ownership of Jose M. Basa.

It is unfortunate, though, that to defend himself, the Chief Justice chose to malign the memory of a dead man who could not defend himself or present an alternative version of the events that supposedly led to the decades-old feud.

Members of the Basa clan were present at the hearing, and it appeared during the break that they were sufficiently perturbed by Corona’s opening statement. I wonder if they will be given the chance—and enjoy the same amount of leeway—if and when they are allowed to take the stand and give their own spin on the story.

One moral I can take from this tale is that inheritance issues, especially over property, as Corona himself pointed out, can break family relations and indeed rend a family asunder. My own grandfather, as my father told it, told his children early on that “I have no property to leave you. The only thing I am leaving you is a good education.” And having shown his hand, when he passed away, Lolo Ponso Jimenez left behind a family intact, with the siblings having no inheritance to squabble over.

Regardless of Corona’s fate, the Basa family’s story will prove to be a valuable lesson shared with the rest of the nation.

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On to matters beyond the impeachment trial.

At yesterday’s Bulong Pulungan, small red lunchboxes were handed out to guests and members of the media. The lunch kits contained a packet of biscuits by the name of Tiger Energy Biscuits, which its manufacturer Kraft Foods claims could give school children “their daily energy and nutrition requirements.”

At the forum, nutritionists from both the Food and Nutrition Research Institute (FNRI) and Kraft discussed the problem of malnutrition, undernutrition and underweight and stunted children in the country’s schools. Data gathered in 2008 and covering all 17 regions of the country reveals that 26 of every 100 children between six and 10 years old were underweight, while 33 were below the national height average.

It was also found that 21.5 percent or almost four out of every five Filipino children were not meeting their daily energy needs.

Undernutrition is a concern that, if not addressed, could lead to a weak immune system, poor growth and development and various micronutrient deficiencies, said an FNRI nutritionist. In addition, undernutrition can lead to poor school performance, which can lead to compromised futures for the children when they reach adulthood.

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One solution, it was noted, is “to ensure that the food children eat while in school is as nutritious as the meals they get while at home.” But while mothers may wrack their brains and get up as early as they can to prepare their children’s lunch baon, they do not pay as much attention to snacks during recess or merienda after school.

Usually, snack items consist of biscuits, chips or candies that may be very popular with children who love them for their sweet yet empty calories, but hardly contribute to nutrition, energy levels or alertness. They may “supplement” them as well with drinks such as sodas and fruit drinks that are heavily laced with sugar but contain little else by way of nutrition.

Now, as the manufacturer claims, with Tiger Biscuits, children can avail of a snack that is at once delicious as it is nutritious. Made of wheat, Tiger Biscuits have milk and fortified with Enermaxx, a combination of nine vitamins and six minerals that help children meet their daily nutrition needs and give them the extra energy boost they need to see them through a busy and hectic day at school.

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One of my media colleagues at yesterday’s session pointed out that the “real” solution to solving the crisis of malnutrition and undernutrition is to provide or train mothers to prepare healthy meals for the whole family. What use, after all, would it be to flog a healthy biscuit brand among poor Filipinos families and children if, when they get home, they have nothing to look forward to but a packet of salt-laden instant noodles, to be shared by everyone in the family?

Poverty need not be a hindrance to proper nutrition, Numerous experiments have proven that mothers in urban poor areas can feed their children if they would only take the time to take care of backyard (or even window) vegetable gardens and rely on such rich nutrient sources like malunggay, monggo, beans and bean curd to make filling, hearty, satisfying and most of all healthy meals.

Perhaps, beyond promoting a new brand of biscuits, food manufacturers could also promote cheap and convenient ways to add to the nutritional value of meals served to the family, meals that could create a more energetic, alert and healthy next generation.