By Edwina Luz D. Seduco and Cyril V. Satimbre

Filipinos used to eat only one kind of rice, brown rice. That was before the advent of machinized rice mills. Today, people prefer to eat white rice and only a few knows about brown rice.

As defined by the Asia Rice Foundation (ARF), “brown rice is unpolished whole grain rice that is produced by removing only the hull or husk using a mortar and pestle or rubber rolls.” The brown grain coating of an unpolished rice is locally known as Pinawa. Traditional processing of these rice grains involves hand pounding to remove the inedible husk or hull. The resulting product is brown rice. Meanwhile, white rice still undergoes further proccesses like polishing and whitening where the next layer called bran is also removed.

There have been extensive efforts for the promotion of brown rice. In the Philippines, the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) and the Philippine Rice Research Institute (Philrice) lead the dissemination of information about brown rice in the hopes of attracting consumers into buying brown rice instead of white rice. There is also the Brown Rice Advocates group or BRADS which has their headquarters in Vega Center in Los Baños, Laguna that also campaigns for the promotion of brown rice consumption. Based on various reports, brown rice has several advantages over white or polished rice.

More healthy

The brownish coating or Pinawa of the dehusked and unpolished rice is rich in nutrients. What’s unique in this grain is that it is the only form of grain that contains vitamin E which is an important antioxidant in flushing out free radicals in the body. Reports from BRADS indicate that in the average Filipino diet, a 100g of boiled white polished rice per meal constitutes 50-80% of the energy intake among children and adults.  The complete milling process of white rice, however, destroys half of its essential nutrients such as manganese, iron, fat, calcium, phosphorus and all of the dietary fibers it contained. Thus, health experts really encourage consumers to eat brown rice.

BRAD further shared that brown rice provides the requirements for health conscious individuals and those with special dietary restrictions.  Its high fiber content is good for the digestive system while its high protein content is enough to provide the energy requirements of adults. Lastly, it is a source of antioxidants that prevent cancer because of its phytochemical content.

White vs Brown

According to the article of former UP President Emil Q. Javier published on Rice Today in 2004, most consumers in Asia prefer polished white rice over brown rice because the latter is associated with poverty with its unpolished appearance.  Ms. Abigail Faith Luistro, an anthropologist, explained that this social phenomenon maybe due to the association that was formed with what is traditional (brown rice) and modern (white rice).  According to IRRI’s official website, brown rice has a gritty texture and nutty taste. The element of taste also factors in the preference of the consumers. Because of the popularity of the white rice commercially, most people are more attuned to its refined texture.  Most of the time, it is the prevailing notions surrounding the properties and preparation of brown rice that affect the choice of most consumers and not its color.

(Mis)Conceptions

The difference in the cooking procedures of brown rice and white rice is another factor why most consumers choose white rice. People say cooking brown rice is hard. Even Ms. Luistro states that people not familiar with the preparation of brown rice may end up with hardened cooked rice.

However, Dr. Cezar P. Mamaril, former IRRI scientist and the current consultant of the Department of Agriculture-Philippine Rice Research Institute says, “It is not harder to cook brown rice but rather it takes longer time to cook because you add more water compared when you are cooking polished rice.” When asked about the prevalence of white rice over brown rice in the market, he responded, “When you find in the market what is claimed to be brown rice and yet white rice is dominant, it is likely that it is a mixture of polished and unpolished milled rice. When it is white, that means both the hull and the bran are removed from the endosperm. When it is brown, the hull (the outer coating) is the only one removed while the bran remains with the endosperm, thus it is called unpolished rice.”

According to the report of PhilRice consultant Silvestre Andales on About Brown Rice, the publication of BRADS, 40% of the milling operations done with white rice such as whitening, polishing, shifting and blending are not necessary. Brown rice undergoes dehusking process only while white rice still undergoes whitening and polishing processes. On the dehusking process alone, the power requirement is already reduced by half in brown rice.

Because of the shortened process, the parts of a rice grain where most minerals and nutrients are stored are retained, making it more nutritious than white rice. However, because brown rice is more nutritious, it is also more prone to insect infestation. The study cited by McGaughey (1974), states that brown rice is more likely to be infested by eight species of pests than white milled rice. That makes it harder to store and that means more effort in devising methods to control these insects. The risk of pests also accounts for the shorter shelf life of brown rice.

Price Tag

The major consideration, however, is the price. Brown rice is marketed as a health food making it popular among the rich who are generally health conscious. Ms. Luistro adds, “Kasi sa movement for going healthy and organic, nagiging aware sa health benefits of unpolished rice ang mga tao” (This is due to the movement for going healthy and organic, people become aware of health benefits of unpolished rice). In the Philippines, in the effort of bringing brown rice back in the market, Dr. Emil Javier, a staunch brown rice advocate, also targeted the upper class market because of these reasons. Brown rice is admittedly sold in a higher price than white rice.

The present low demand and high cost of manually removing undehulled palay from brown rice out of small mills makes brown rice expensive, said Dr. Juliano Bienvenido, a cereal chemist in PhilRice. This low demand for brown rice is in turn caused by the apparent lack of information about it. It is therefore not a surprise when a study conducted in 2011 by Isabelita M. Pabuayon and Antonio Jesus A. Quilloy, agricultural economists at the University of the Philippines Los Baños, shows that despite the benefits of brown rice, it still comprises a very small share of the household rice basket.

Bringing Brown Back

Since the nutritional advantage of brown rice is already established, the only question that remains is how to make the public accept it? This process of promotion should not be very difficult. Consumers may be willing to give brown rice a try if a few of their concerns are answered.

A mother, Merlyn De Juan, doesn’t see a problem in eating brown rice. She told us that she used to eat brown rice in the province. However, brown rice is more expensive than white rice in Manila. She also said that it is harder to find brown rice in the markets here and so, she takes what it readily available, which is of course the white rice.  Brown rice advocates are trying to answer the price and supply concerns of the consumers by producing and selling brown rice themselves. Dr. Mamaril, a rice miller himself, is the first to produce brown rice in Los Baños and only sells it at P35. On the other hand, his price for the white rice is at P32.

BRADS sees the need of a rice mill wholly dedicated to producing brown rice. That way, it would be more readily available in the market. IRRI also does its share in promoting brown rice consumption by encouraging their employees to eat brown rice served in their cafeteria. Philrice also doesn’t tire of producing promotional materials about brown rice.

They are doing their best in information distribution in the hopes of erasing the prevailing notions about brown rice. If people are properly informed, then maybe they will be enticed to buy brown rice instead of white rice. That would increase its demand in the market and rice producers may see the potential of considering brown rice for mass consumption.

However, until these concerns are answered, brown rice advocates could only hope that consumers will discover brown rice and stick to it. This is the challenge that they face. But with the dedication that they show, a time may come that brown rice would be the norm again.

By Myra G. Ramos and Ashley M. Venerable

How environment-friendly is your house?

In Quezon Province, there exists a house so green it might bring your house to shame. It uses renewable energy and other cost-effective facilities. The house was constructed by the Philippine Center for Water and Sanitation Deputy Director, Jose Carmelo Gendrano.

The Gendrano’s residence

The house is known by their neighbors for its unique shape—unlike usual house designs, their house is circular in shape.

When asked about the house’s shape, Engr. Gendrano explained that the circular shape makes it more resistant to structural stress. He calls the house a ‘ferrocement house with reusable mold.’ Its roofs have a welded rebar framing and each room has its own skylight roof that can be opened for ventilation.

‘It is also relatively cheaper than other houses since it costs P150,000 as compared to other houses which usually cost double the price,’ Engr. Gendrano added.  There is also a decreased dependency on skilled labor since ferrocement application is simple and easy.

The 42 m_­­² house is located at Brgy. Lusacan, Tiaong, Quezon Province.

Green Facilities at Home: Rain or Shine

Rainwater Collector. Saving energy and money at the same time, the house is built with a rainwater collector tank. During rainy seasons, the family has no problem getting water. Instead of consuming P8 per day, the Gendranos only pay P4 daily for their water bill since they use collected rainwater for washing their clothes and watering their plants.

Solar Water Heater. The Gendranos can also have hot bath or drink hot coffee using their solar water heater. The heater was cleverly made to provide the family with hot water during the day.

The hose looped around the roof is covered with insulators made up of used plastic bottles.  As the hose gets hot, the water that passes through it also becomes hot.

Green sanitation: From wastes to fertilizers and gas

Urine as fertilizer. Aside from the cost-effective construction and green facilities, the Gendranos also have a unique type of sanitation system—a green sanitation system. Even their toilet bowl is designed in an economic and environment-friendly way. It has a urine diversion hole attached to a hose that carries the urine to a pit.  A pail is placed in the pit to catch the urine which can be used as fertilizer afterwards.

Human sewage as a means to cook. For about P6,000, Engr. Gendrano also constructed a biogas septic tank. The biogas septic tank is a means of digesting the human sewage anaerobically (without air) to produce methane gas which is burned to bring heat. Methane gas is produced when an organic material such as sewage decomposes in an airless environment.

The septic tank, which contains the collected human sewage, produces an effluent or an outflowing of gas. The effluent goes into a baffled reactor containing several divisions where wastes are digested. It then passes to a planted gravel filter before it is infiltrated into the ground via covered trench. The gas from the septic tank is then used in cooking.

Green facilities at home: Can you do it?

Since Engr. Gendrano has the skills and the education to build great green facilities, it’s easier for him to build such green systems compared to those who don’t have the skills. However, there are other green choices you can make at home.

Collecting water from your roof and using it for washing and watering the plants is simple. Natalia Geronimo, a 68 year-old grandmother from Quezon City collects rainwater to clean her garage, too. However, solar heaters are way more complicated and the guidance of a professional is necessary. The same goes for the other green sanitation systems.

Meanwhile, Gerardo Baron, a retired engineer from the Philippine BioDigesters had constructed a Home Biogas System (HBS). However, it requires a 2.5 meter by 2.5 meter pit away from roots or trees, making the design not compatible for those in urban areas where houses are constructed together. It is also designed for piggeries, where huge manures are dumped every day. The estimated amount of HBS construction and monitoring amounts to P22,800, but with huge amount of manures per day (80 L pig manures), P1,000 amount of biogas can be produced a month.

For a greener future, there are now environment-friendly technologies, even for households. But even without such technologies, simple acts like saving and reusing water are just as green.

By Christele Jao Amoyan

Mang Reynaldo’s life starts at 7 am. He drives his way from Bay, Laguna to his tending contract farm at PhilRice on his two-wheel ride, rain or shine. Early on, he will be spotting birds picking palay grains, and will be weeding wild grasses sprouting on the half-hectare rice paddy. This would be his day-to-day routine for the next 30 days before harvest-time nears mid-week of October.

The 45 year-old farmer Mang Reynaldo is the breadwinner of his family.  He has four children. Two of which – Reyciel, 26, and Realyn, 24 – got married at a young age. Not one of them were able to finish high school.

Mang Reynaldo and his family are among the two million households that depend on rice-based farming in the country. He has been a farmer for over 20 years. Currently, he is working as a contractual laborer at PhilRice Los Baños with an income of P390.00 per day. Mang Reynaldo says that the money he receives can barely support his family’s needs. “Kulang ang kinikita ko. Ang mamahal na ng bilihin ngayon. Kaya nga ibayong pagtitipid na ang ginagawa ko.”

According to the Bureau of Agricultural Statistics, a farmer earns about P75,000 annually on the average. Basically, a farmer’s salary is considered underpaid labor compared to a white-collar-job’s whose workload is less physically taxing than that of manning the rice fields.

The RICEing Crisis

“May krisis ngayon sa bigas,” says Rey Buhat, a rice retailer in Barangay Batong Malake, Los Baños. For six years that Rey has been experiencing rice price increase, it is only now that he felt the erratic shift of rice prices. From the regular milled rice of P34.00 per kilo, it went up to P41.00. Some of his costumers were surprised about this.

However, Rey’s costumers still pick the good quality rice. He said that buyers still prefer quality rice despite the price hike. “Di bale ng medyo mahal ang bigas, basta masarap naman kainin,” Rey explained.

Rice price crisis has already been a problem since 2007/2008. The price tripled in six months after a steady slow trend in 2005 according to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Hence, there are two reasons why there is rocketing price of rice. The International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) claims that the shortage in supply and heightened demand keep the price up. This means that the price yield produced does not meet the consumers’ demand or consumption requirement.

The RICEing Consumption

Thirty to seventy per cent of a person’s caloric intake is derived from rice. Rice is enriched with nutrients and carbohydrates to fuel up the daily body energy need. It serves as the primary staple food in the Philippines.

Rice is every Filipino’s favorite. It matches well with almost any kind of viand. Rice can also be served anytime of the day, may it be day-in or day-out. Pinoys have sinangag (fried rice) during breakfast, mixed with savory garlic and spices – a perfect combo for beef tapa and egg. For lunch, nothing wins the appetite than a freshly cooked rice and caldereta. And for dinner, bahaw (leftover rice) swam in hot soup of sinigang will finally satisfy your day.

Gil Suazo, a junior student in the university spends half of his 100-peso allowance on rice. Every meal, he consumes three to four cups of rice a day. “Mas importante na may kanin,” says Gil.

Gil and the rest of the 3.5 billion people on earth eat on rice. That is half of the world population. Moreover, 90 per cent of that comes from Asia alone, where still, extreme hunger is faced by 560 million people in the region.

Based from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) 2013 consumption forecast, the Philippines produced more than 11 thousand tons of milled rice in the first quarter of the year. Though the country tops 6^th as the largest rice yielding country in the world, the production rate is yet to meet the domestic consumption at 12, 900 tons. 

The RICEing Problem

“Meron tayong isang mabigat na problema. Tumataas man ang production natin, ang population naman natin ay tumataas din,” told Richard Romanillos, development coordinator at PhilRice Los Baños. The booming count of Filipinos is essentially one aspect of concern to rice production. According to the Population Commission (PopCom), the Philippine population is expected to reach 98 million by the end of 2013.

Aside from the growing need for rice, another challenge is the shrinking arable farmlands. FAO reported that after a couple of decades since 1991, two-thirds of the 10 million hectares of rice fields are gone.

In spite of these stumbling blocks to achieve rice self-sufficiency in the country, Filipinos remained accountable for rice wastage. In 2010, 13 per cent of rice has been wasted. This much could already feed 2.6 million people for a year’s time. Furthermore, PhilRice survey shows that for every two tablespoons of leftover rice, 17 million pesos is spent for rice supply.

(Y)our RICEponsibility

This RICEing demand paves way to the National Year of Rice 2013. This campaign works in the national arena venturing from rice production to rice consumption. NYR 2013 shares the advocacy of rice self-sufficiency.

This is embodied in President Benigno C. Aquino III’s Presidential Proclamation No. 494 launched in October 18, 2012 conveying the theme “Sapat na Bigas, Kaya ng Pinas.” Hence, during the President’s 2^nd State of the Nation Address (SONA), he mentioned: “Ang gusto nating mangyari: Una, hindi tayo aangkat ng hindi kailangan. Ikalawa, ayaw na nating umasa sa pag-angkat. Ang isasaing ni Juan Dela Cruz dito ipupunla, dito aanihin, dito bibilhin.”

The said nationwide campaign joins farmers, consumers, policy makers, and even the private sector to foster a rice self-sufficient Philippines. Moreover, IRRI being a non-profit organization also extend its support to the government for better rice production. “IRRI does develop new rice varieties,” told Sophie Clayton, IRRI Public Relations Manager. In fact, with their new varieties, they have assessed an additional P2,180.00 income of farmers per hectare per year. “This helps the national economic figures as well,” she added.

NYR 2013 aims to make every Filipinos RICEponsible. We can make it happen, right?

By Kristin Chloe Pascual and Maria Carmel Rimpos

When Marivic had her second child, Miko, she expected him to follow the same journey as her first child. However, Miko walks on a different path. At the age of two, Marivic saw his first signs of autism.

“There was something wrong with him,” Marivic, now a trainer at the Autism Society Philippines Laguna Chapter, recounts the first time she noticed the signs in his then two-year-old son. She said that Miko did not know how to play with a toy car. Instead of running its wheels against the floor, Miko would just turn the wheels in his hands repetitively. He also would not have eye contact when someone is talking to him.

The lack of eye contact also alarmed Shiela, parent of Althea, an autistic child. The mother became more concerned when she observed that Althea never cried whenever she was hungry.

Sharon’s son, Daron, on the other hand has a slightly different case from Miko and Althea. He doesn’t pay attention when someone calls him. Something else would catch his interest instead. His mother shared, “when music from Disney movies are played, he pays attention immediately.”

The three children have shown signs of autism, a development disorder. Autistic children don’t usually make eye contact when a person calls their attention. According to Joseph Languez, an occupational therapist, they look at the person talking to them for one second and then they drift away. Also, they exhibit repetitive behavior by continuously flapping their hands, flipping their fingers, and even banging their heads.

Languez explained that as early as 10 months, parents can start seeing signs of autism in their child. A simple “peek-a-boo” would normally trigger the baby to laugh. If this isn’t the case, something could be wrong with the child. Usually, symptoms of autism are visible at the age of two years. However, autism can only be officially diagnosed by a developmental pediatrician when the child is already three years old. At this age, a normal child will already fully participate in social interaction, communication, and behavior, while an autistic child will encounter basic learning problems in these three aspects. Aira Kristina Basmayor, a speech language-pathologist stated that these three are known as the “triad of impairments.”

For diagnosis, a child must first take the standardized diagnostic criteria indicated in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual IV (DSM-IV). It shows a list of a child’s problems in social interactions, communication, and behavior or activities. Languez added, “at three (years of age), all of the criteria would be observed because at two years old, the language is not yet that developed.”

Though the real cause of autism is still unknown, it has already been linked to social factors, heritage, and a combination of both. Recent materials from Mt. Sinai Medical Center have shown that people with autism have an incomplete set of genes. However, this case is not always inherited from the parents.

People with autism encounter problems in processing the sensory inputs transmitted in their brains. Languez said that autistic children have problems specifically with their five basic senses (touch, sound, sight, hearing, and taste) as well as proprioceptive and vestibular senses. Proprioceptive senses refer to the sense of joint movement which allows us to move objects and respond to other’s touch. On the other hand, vestibular senses refer to the sense of balance and direction. It enables a child to stand properly and distinguish left from right.

These problems can be observed mainly through an activity children naturally engage in as part of growing up such as playing. Autistic children are very peculiar in the way they play and interact. When playing, one would notice that an autistic child has his “own world” which means that he isolates himself from other people.

It is important to note that each child diagnosed with autism is unique. According to Basmayor, “they manifest different levels of severity and also have different characteristics.” One technique that benefits one child could have a different effect on the other. Hence, it is important that each child is treated with utmost care.

Autism still has no cure but it can be monitored through special education, occupational therapy, and speech therapy. Children with autism need assistance to properly perform basic activities of daily living such as taking a bath, brushing their teeth, dressing up, and eating. They do not learn by themselves; they should be taught.

The goal of a speech therapy is to improve the child’s communication and socialization skills. Basmayor stated that it would be difficult and frustrating for the children and their families if they don’t know how to express even their basic needs and wants. “Our role is to help children with autism learn how to express themselves, engage into communication (verbal or non-verbal), exhibit appropriate social skills and be functional,” she added.

In line with this, the goal of occupational therapy is not really to correct the children’s behavior but to teach them to become independent. When they grow up, it wouldn’t be difficult for them to adapt. Their parents wouldn’t have a difficult time assisting them anymore. Moreover, the occupational therapists would want to let the children experience the “normal” life, without any discrimination. “We give them ways to make their lives meaningful,” Languez said. “We make them feel that they’re also normal.”

Unfortunately, the parents can also hinder the progress of the child. There are cases when the parents won’t accept their child’s condition. “Denial is the number one defense mechanism,” he said.

The tendency of parents with an undiagnosed autistic child is to evaluate them as having delayed development. Languez added that the earlier the parents would accept the situation of their child, the sooner the possibility of intervention towards the progress of their child.

Glaiza Ozarraga, another occupational therapist, said that parents who are in denial always ask for a second opinion from other doctors. “They won’t stop going to doctors until someone would tell them that their child is just delayed,” Ozarraga added.

Moreover, Ozarraga said that this kind of thinking of parents greatly affect the progress of the child as they might not put him into therapy right away. And if they decide to, they might even control the flow of the session.

To boost the esteem of the parents, Languez suggested the Autism Society of the Philippines (ASP) as a support group. “They offer free seminars to have an idea [about autism] and to accept that it’s okay to have such a kid,” he said.

Basing on the figures from the United States social mapping data, Autism Society Philippines believes that one million Filipino families live with an autistic member. As mechanisms for diagnosis have become sophisticated, more and more people are likely to be diagnosed autistic. Shiela, who is also part of the Autism Society Philippines Laguna Chapter has realized that of all people, she should be that one person who will not discriminate her own daughter. Before, she was still scared bringing Althea to public places for fear that other people might discriminate her daughter.

However, she has learned that she should take risks and let Althea blend in. Althea is currently enrolled at the Anos Day Care Center and is able to cope with the lessons. She also added that Althea does not throw tantrums anymore whenever they go to malls. She even knows how to run an errand already and buy from a neighborhood store. “My approach is that I play with her but at the same time I also train her,” says Shiela.

Aside from denial, the capacity of a family to pay for therapies and special education could also be a great barrier. During diagnosis, the developmental pediatrician would usually require the patient to undergo a costly Brainstem Auditory Evoked Response (BAER) to rule out that the disability is not caused by impairment in the brain.

Therapy sessions are costly. For the speech therapy, initial evaluation ranges from Php1,500 to Php2,500 while actual therapy costs Php500 to Php700 per session. On the other hand, the estimated value for an occupational therapy is about Php500 to Php650 in one session. If a family could afford the expenses, they would opt to go to private hospitals and pay the rate.

Meanwhile, some of the parents go to public hospitals, like the Philippine Children’s Medical Center and Philippine General Hospital just to get an intervention or correction in their child’s behavior. However, they sometimes need to wait for months before they could be accommodated.

According to Ozarraga, intervention is important because there is a major difference between the behavior of a child who underwent therapy and who didn’t. She said that the latter would be uncontrollable if they would go to a session. “Those who had therapy already knew the routine, so they’ll sit down once they get inside the room,” she explained.

In Daron’s case, Sharon shared that they were not able to enrol him to the school and therapy center recommended to them by their first development pediatrician due to its high cost. As a result, they opted to enrol Daron to a less costly special education. She said that they have seen changes in Daron’s development but the expenses are still relatively high since it’s located far from their home. When a special education center was established in Paete, they immediately transferred Daron to make some adjustments with their family budget.

Sharon admitted that along the way, Daron’s follow up at home became inconsistent causing the regress of his son’s development. “At the end of the day, follow up and consistency is still the essence of improvement,” Sharon explained.

According to Ozarraga, therapy won’t be effective if the parents don’t participate in changing the kid’s behavior once they go home. She said that they must also help the child practice what he learned at school. “We always encourage families on what activities they can do at home, because the home is the best learning place for the child,” Basmayor expressed.

Marivic agrees with this. Though she didn’t have much resource to give her child a therapist, she tried her best to teach her own child. Upon Miko’s diagnosis of autism, she started researching about the disability through books and magazine articles in libraries and decided to learn how to teach an autistic child. Ever since then, she has always been Miko’s teacher and guidance. She proudly stated that her child has become more independent after many years of training. He could even now travel and ride an airplane alone.

She emphasized that parents have a big role in improving their child’s situation. “In a therapy, they only learn for an hour a day,” she said, “but we spend 23 hours with them. We [the parents] have to be the one to guide them.”

by  Joyce Anne Alvero and Jossellejane Raizza Alvarez

Fascinated with online shops, Justine Audrey Pasion decided to open her own online business called “Vogue Ensembles.”  Justine is just a simple student who is now enjoying extra income and other perks from her online shop.  According to her, it doesn’t require much hard work.  Justine shared several tips on how to start an online business based from her experience.

Identify supplier and target buyers. Look for a supplier of the products that you want to sell online. Identify as well who are the target buyers of the products.  Remember that your supplier may not have everything that your consumers want.

Set up an online shop. There are many social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram and even Youtube to showcase your products. As for Justine, she prefers Instagram because she finds it much easier to use.

Decide on the transaction process.  Canvass different modes of payment that will best suit you and your clients.  According to Justine, opening a bank account has its advantage because it has no charge fees while the use of remittance centers can help track the actual payment of your customer. “May mga napepeke kasing resibo,” Justine shared.  How the products will be delivered to your clients should also be considered.

These steps are no different from what Mae Anne Alejandrino did when she started her own online shop.  Mae Anne got bored from just surfing the web, checking updates on social networking sites and watching videos on youtube every weekends. With the need to have extra allowance, she decided to open an online shop, the “Mhirhy Cosplay Shop.”

Cosplay is Mae Anne’s hobby.  She used to buy stuff for her costumes online. “Since hilig ko rin ang cosplay at anime, naisipan ko na gawin itong business. Nung nagba-browse ako sa isang cosplay online shop, nakita ko na pwede pala akong magbenta din ng mga cosplay items. Dun na nagsimula yung Mhirhy Cosplay Shop.”

Mae Anne shared that it is very important to find your interests in order to be happy doing what you love while earning money. Opening a business and doing it like a chore will just make you want to quit easily. Also, being honest and accommodating at all times helps in gaining costumers’ trust. A lot of patience is also a requirement.

Mae Anne uses Facebook for her online shop. She suggested LBC Express and JRS Express for shipping items to buyers.  For receiving payments, she gave the following options: Smart Padala; Gcash; BPI bank deposit; BDO bank deposit; LBC Pera Padala; Cebuana Lhuillier; M. Lhuillier; and Western Union.

From what Justine and Mae Anne shared, it seems that an online shop is just another easy way to earn money.  But there is more to this when you do your own online business.

Online shops fall under the category of e-commerce industry. In this type of industry, transactions such as buying and selling of products or services are done online.   Few examples of these online jobs or businesses include English or language tutorials, language translations, editing services, selling new and used products, medical transcription services, web-development/design services and many more.

Online businesses require less capital.  Renting a place for your store is not a concern. You can start off by simply selling products or services using different social networking sites. However, the downside in doing this type of business is that the buyer’s identity could not be quickly verified. Anybody can easily make online accounts using fake names and identities.

Prof. Jeanette Angeline Madamba from the Department of Agribusiness Management and Entrepreneurship of the College of Economics and Management shared that the use of social networking sites are not necessarily ideal for selling or buying products but it can help boost market reach. Prof. Madamba explained that verifying the online buyer’s profile is difficult.  It would be hard to trace the buyer should there be problems in payment collections.  Thus, one should take precautions to make sure that the buyer is trustworthy.

Prof. Madamba shared that venturing in e-commerce can also contribute to the country’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP).  The GDP is the market value of all final goods and services produced within a country in a given period of time. Per capita, it reflects a country’s standard of living. “E-commerce allows a more expanded market reach which translates to more product demand which in turn increases GDP,” explained Prof. Madamba. “Using the expenditure approach, e-commerce boosts the consumption side of GDP which is the sum of consumption, investment, government spending and net exports. It can also trigger growth in investment, government spending and exports, not just the consumption side,” she added.

Still according to Professor Madamba, another advantage of e-commerce is the flexible hours it offers. Since online businesses do not need a physical space, it is easily accessible to everyone who has access to Internet. Other than shipping schedules or appointments for the services, an online entrepreneur has control over his/her time.

However, just like any other businesses, e-commerce also has its own challenges.  Prof. Madamba shared that the fast pace of changing technology could be one. Adapting to certain changes may be difficult but an online entrepreneur should not stick to the idea that what he/she knows is already enough. Another is that a good online entrepreneur must be daring enough to take risks and follow the trends in technology or better yet, make innovations that will help him/her expand the business. Online security of the payments is also a challenge. Because Internet is a vast world, the security of each transaction cannot be fully assured. Lastly, online businesses are easily replicated and therefore competition may be stiffer.

Do you want to start your own business while you’re still in school? Why not try having your own online shop as well? Get up and be ready to venture out. Welcome to e-commerce!

by Gian Carlo D. Camacho and  Maureen V. Cambay

It is a common sight to see numerous sampaguita vendors in Los Baños, especially near the UPLB gate. Usually, they could be seen in Vega Center, Carabao Park, and some of them may be seen around Freedom Park and outside the Student Union building. With all these vendors around, people could notice one thing. Most of them are children.

Most sampaguita vendors are children since they are more pitiful to look at compared to their parents. Sometimes, parents of these vendors could be seen sitting near them while just watching their kids sell sampaguita.

A 14-year-old sampaguita vendor who lives at the back of the St. Therese chapel sells sampaguita as part of his daily routine ever since he was a young kid. Considering that they are 13 siblings in the family, he sells sampaguita to help his family with the finances. He also wanted to have extra money for his allowance when he goes to school.

Another sampaguita vendor shared that he uses his money to eat whenever he is hungry. Some of their sampaguita vendor friends have the same reason as well –to help their family and to have pocket money when they go to school. Since they go to Lopez Elementary School during day time, they can only be seen in Vega Center during late afternoons and night.

Ms. Hanna Erika Laviña, a social worker from the Department of Social Welfare and Development (DSWD), revealed that the number of children selling sampaguita in Los Baños is not really increasing. The children selling sampaguita today are almost the same children who sold sampaguita few years back. She shared that the DSWD used to hire someone who roamed around Los Baños (LB) to stop the children from selling sampaguita. However, the children couldn’t be put in their custody because their parents are actually working.  Caught children vendors are just usually brought back to their parents.

The DSWD currently plans to conduct livelihood programs for the parents of these children. However, with the conduct of livelihood programs, the parents must promise that they will never allow their children to sell sampaguita again.

According to aProf. Helga P. Vergara from the Department of Human and Family Development Studies (DHFDS) in UPLB, one reason for the existence of the sampaguita vendors is the need for a source of livelihood. Some of the parents of the sampaguita vendors are just at home taking care of their younger siblings. Because most of these parents have many children, they do not have a choice but to stay at home and take care of them. This situation forced some of their children to sell sampaguita.

Selling sampaguita is popular in LB.  This is another reason why the number of  sampaguita vendors continues to increase every year, according to aProf. Vergara. Though some people get annoyed and do not entertain them, most people are still fond of them. This has resulted in other vendors even from other places to go to Los Baños to also sell their sampaguitas.

Another reason given by aProfessor Vergara is the increasing number of relocation sites near Los Baños. She believes that some sampaguita vendors are not actually from Los Baños. Some may be from the Bayan ni Juan relocation site in Calauan and some may be from other relocation sites from nearby towns.

Whether to buy sampaguita from the children vendors or to just give them money depends on one’s decision. But personally, aProfessor Vergara believes that buying from them or giving them money should not be practiced. Aside from making the children used to the situation, it can also attract other vendors outside Los Baños.

On the other hand, according to aProf. Argee Albor who is also from DHFDS UPLB, the authorities must implement programs that would educate and keep the parents of sampaguita vendors busy and productive in their day to day lives. Examples of programs they must offer are seminars about family planning. He believes that lack of family planning is a big factor that causes such increase in the number of sampaguita vendors. Parents tend to have many children whom they can hardly support with their income. He also suggested livelihood programs for parents. He also added that having a job is a natural contraceptive for parents because it keeps them busy in their everyday lives.

Sampaguita vendors have been present in Los Baños for many years already. Some get annoyed by them, some just ignore them while some talk and entertain them. But should we really buy sampaguitas from these children vendors or just give them money? Will there still be time when no more children will sell sampaguita in Los Baños?