Neglect by President Arroyo and
squabbles over turf and money have derailed government
efforts to establish the country's new archipelagic
baseline, and may jeopardize the Philippines' claim over
resource-rich Spratlys that fall within its extended
continental shelf.
With a year left before the May 13,
2009 deadline for filing its claim for an extended
continental shelf under the United Nations Convention on
the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), the Philippines is nowhere
near completing the studies, surveys and report required
to bolster the country's claim over its extended
territory.
The UNCLOS, which the Philippines
ratified 14 years ago, requires coastal states to declare
their extended continental shelf, which is the underwater
extension of the land.
AGRICULTURE Secretary Arthur Yap yesterday
said Filipinos should eat more of the brown rice variety which
he said has more health benefits than the white variety.
Yap, citing studies, said brown rice is a
rich source of dietary fiber and is a healthier alternative for
people suffering from diabetes, obesity and heart-related
ailments, and has both preventive and curative properties for
cancer.
A program spearheaded by the National Food
Authority aims to encourage Filipinos to eat brown rice, or "pinawa"
in Tagalog.
