No need for Chinese briefs and panties

IT was unbecoming of former National Security Adviser Clarita Carlos to say, “Boycott made in China? Eh, yang briefs and panties mo galing dun! Paano na?”

She said it in response to alleged calls to boycott China-made products “flooding” the Philippines.

The Philippine Coast Guard (PCG) spokesperson for the West Philippine Sea, Rear Adm. Jay Tarriela, quickly denied reports that he had initiated the boycott calls.

Such calls have long been resounding from the Philippine Senate. Way back in August 2023, Sen. Juan Miguel Zubiri urged us to boycott Chinese-made products and companies, and to reduce economic dependence on China following a Chinese Coast Guard water cannon attack against Philippine supply vessels at Ayungin Shoal. These attacks have gone on and on.

In a number of TV interviews, Tarriela had commented against Chinese Ambassador Jing Quan’s remark about China’s ability to defeat the Philippines in a territorial conflict, apparently referring to the West Philippine Sea.

Jing had said, “If we want to use force, we may easily win.”

Anyway, coming from Carlos, 80, a retired political science professor at the University of the Philippines, the allusion to briefs and panties imported from China only serves to remind us of the harm that China has done to Filipino manufacturers of underwear and other garments.

We all know that some local manufacturers of high-end underwear, lingerie, and brassieres have folded up due to cutthroat pricing from Chinese competitors.

It has also shut down the local supply chains of major global intimate apparel and clothing brands, such as Victoria’s Secret and Calvin Klein, that used to rely on Filipino tailors.

The spacious Levi Strauss & Co. apparel manufacturing plant in Pasong Tamo, Makati City, closed in August 2008, terminating 257 workers.

China is now its primary production hub.

-oOo-

MEDICAL MARIJUANA, WHY NOT?

RODOLFO ALBANO III, the current governor of Isabela, is well remembered for his advocacy of legalizing cannabis for medical purposes. Now in his third term as governor, he might run again for congressman in 2028.

“It doesn’t kill,” Albano told social media users when explaining why he had proposed a bill aimed at legalizing medical marijuana that failed to pass. “Have you heard of anybody dying from marijuana overdose?”

Filed in 2014 as House Bill (HB) 4477, the bill was dropped like a hot potato due to massive opposition from officials of the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), who argued that the drug could be abused.

Albano asserted that while all drugs have side effects and could be toxic, “it doesn’t mean they do not provide relief or help. It all depends on the doctor dispensing the medicine, which is no different from what we are proposing in our bill.”

My research revealed that unprocessed marijuana has not yet been approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). But the same agency has approved certain cannabis-derived or cannabis-related medications, such as dronabinol (sold as Marinol capsules or Syndros oral solution), prescribed to treat chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; and Epidiolex, prescribed to control seizures associated with rare, severe forms of epilepsy.

Marijuana contains chemicals called cannabinoids, which affect various bodily functions, including blood pressure and sensory perception.

Certain cannabinoids may also be useful in reducing pain and inflammation and controlling epileptic seizures, while their potential for treating mental illness and addictions remains under investigation.

Laboratory and animal studies have shown that some marijuana extracts may help kill certain cancer cells and reduce the size of tumors. Some studies have also explored whether cannabinoids can enhance the effects of radiation therapy.

Albano had taken marijuana in his younger years and found it safer than drinking alcohol.

Albano had 68 co-authors of the House bill, or roughly 25 percent of the 289 House members. Since it did not decriminalize unprescribed marijuana, its legalization would depend on safeguards against abuse.

Legalizing regulated marijuana strictly for medical purposes would encourage its production into cheaper, well-formulated, doctor-prescribed preparations.