Editorial

Rights of children to keep; rice just right

We have to look on other important issues than keep on ranting over high inflation rate, still at 6.7 percent. This month of November, our country celebrates two events: Children’s Month and Rice Awareness Month. Our staple food is so important to the growth of children that the former should not be voluminously served but just put to waste.

        Statistics is lamenting that there continues to be sexual abuse on children, both in the homes and dens where they are marketed, including the internet. Distressing it is for some parents and relatives who induce children into sex slavery and cyber-sex trade. Those behind these crimes deserve to be unforgivable.

        Parents and those entering family life should be doubly conscious of their obligations on the rights of their sibs, among these: the right to family, education, and health. Supposed to be righteous parents, including guardians, have to raise their children with quality endowments of protection and comfort. Kids have to be properly reared, given the nutritious food, and provided support for their education so they can pursue their respective careers and become self-reliant  andresponsive, productive citizens. When kids grow up, they look on their parents with love and gratitude… and the supposed cycle of family life is sustained qualitatively.

        Planning the size of the family is rather an important optionto provide the offsprings with quality care and attention given the economic standing of couples. Sex appetite has to be tamed and timed as part of family planning so as to prevent the unwanted large family size to the deprivation of the sibs. The fate of the young generation lies on the responsibility of parents who should also join the crusade for child protection.

        On the other hand, wastage of rice is senseless… money is lost by wastage. Statistics indicate that Filipinos leave cooked rice to waste because of left-overs almost every meal, including those ordered in restaurants as they end up in trash containers or fed to the dogs that later desist on consuming them. This recent, our country has suffered rice supply shortage and high price which causes hunger to some segments and nutrition problem. Rice as part of the menu should be properly budgeted in terms of cooking volume to prevent wastage and sustain cost savings at best. What is enough should be enough to our “tummies”… a little of this and that is ideal and not become gluttons. A balanced diet is a healthy habit, including rice intake. So cook rice that is just enough for us in the family… wastage is loss of income in the long run if we count what are thrown away as garbage.

        Remember: Children have their rights when they are born. They are born because of love between couples and this love is shared on children. On the other hand, we don’t put to waste staple food so we continue to have such supply in the homes for all members of the family to share, including the young sibs. Just think that the poorest, including children,  out there go hungry and yet we throw away much rice. Pity yourself when the time comes you go hungry because you can no longer afford to buy the staple food.