Tanjusay, Ma. Loida C.

1/15/20
BT601A Task Performance – ECOTAX
Reaction Paper

Nutritionist ‘Agrees’ with Villar’s Unli-Rice Ban Suggestion

Asians love rice, no doubt. It is a staple food in most dining of every Asian family. For
Philippines, it becomes part of their daily providence, culture and habit. A certain
gathering or meal won’t be complete without rice in a menu or in an a la carte. In fact,
there are restaurants in the Philippines that offers unlimited rice to their customers. And
surely, “unli-rice” became a hit. Brilliant restaurant owners, right? Who doesn’t like rice
anyways?

However, just recently, Senator Cynthia Villar expressed her opinion about the negative
impact of these "unli-rice" servings to the health of her fellow Filipinos. Because of this,
many were disappointed and assumed that serving unlimited rice in restaurants will be
banned in the country.

There are several hits and misses of the unli-rice. One of the hits is, it is for the masses.
Everybody enjoys eating rice especially if it is for free. And it is affordable. It’s like
having multiple meals for the price of one. Low income earners can really satisfy their
hunger without spending money. Another, it is great for those who have physically tough
jobs, we all know that rice can provide large amount of energy to the body needs for the
day. There are couple of misses of unli-rice of course, one great example is that eating
rice in large quantity is really unhealthy because it can cause high blood sugar level that
may lead to diabetes. And a lot of rice refills are being wasted. Other people do not
consume the full refill serving, as it also encourages gluttony.

Although given this issue which put a lot of people on a burning stove, I think have
awakened us as Filipinos when it comes to our diet and health, thanks to Sen. Cynthia
Villar for igniting though. But there are a lot of things to consider when this banning of
“unli-rice” may be passed into law. Come to think my fellows that at first, we considered
ourselves as a rice-eating nation, it is already embedded in our blood and in our culture
for this is what we are known for, because of rice we learn how to be strong and how to
work hard like a “carabao.” Personally, in my own thoughts, I don’t see anything wrong
with this kind of restaurant offer. It is not mandatory. Customers still have the option if
they want to avail the “unli-rice” serving or not. We just have to be responsible and
moderation is the key, to never get food that you cannot finish or consume even if that
food is for free.