Food pills for poor Pinoys? Marcoleta broaches idea at CA panel hearing

Can food pills, like what astronauts eat in space, be manufactured in the Philippines to feed the poor?

This was the question raised by Sagip party-list Representative Rodante Marcoleta during Tuesday's confirmation hearing of Department of Science and Technology (DOST) Secretary Renato Solidum Jr.

"I'm thinking aloud na kung sakali pong makaimbento tayo nung kinakain nila, ibibigay ko po sa mga mahihirap na kababayan natin. Even for months hindi sila kakain, hindi sila mamatay," Marcoleta said during the hearing of the Commission on Appointment's (CA) Committee on Science and Technology.

"Kasi pag kinain niya yun, it will last for several days, if not months," he added.

An Unang Balita report quoted Solidum, whose appointment was confirmed by the bicameral body, as saying that Marcoleta's suggestion will be looked into by the DOST's food security committee.

At present, he said, food pills, whose shelf life could last for several months, are not available in the Philippines. —KBK, GMA Integrated News