Scientists are just discovering the wonderful health benefits of watermelon, writes Dr. Willie T. Ong. In his Starweek article, Dr. Ong cites findings of an ongoing study conducted by Texas A&M’s Fruit and Vegetable Improvement Center.
The deep-red watermelon variety contains the pigment lycopene which helps slow down aging and prevents prostate cancer. Watermelon has vitamins A and C which are beneficial for our eyes. Watermelon increases the body’s arginine, an important amino acid that relaxes the blood vessels making it good for the heart and for men suffering from erectile dysfunction.
Watermelon is made up of 92% pure alkaline water which makes it safe for the stomach and a good alternative drink. It has health benefits for the whole digestive tract, starting from the mouth, esophagus, stomach and intestines. For example, it can relieve people with mouth sores. It can treat constipation and normalize bowel movement. Like coconut water, it cleanses the kidneys and bladder.
It is a rich source of B vitamins, electrolytes and potassium. Compared to an apple, it only has half as much sugar, and yet it tastes sweeter because of its high water content. It is effective for preventing heat stroke and heat exhaustion. The pulp can be used to treat heat rash and burns. Finally, which makes Dr. Ong’s article even more interesting, watermelon contains more glutathione per bite than 95 other fruits and vegetables making it an alternative solution for whitening and antioxidants.
Do you know that the best watermelon in the country is produced in Bani, Pangasinan?
Bani is noted for producing the sweetest, reddest and juiciest watermelon in the country. When Anna Levy of Washington D.C., Ashley Acedillo of Institute for Solidarity and Asia and I visited Bani, Dr. Beth Navarro, Mayor Marcelo Navarro’s wife, served us the reddest, juiciest watermelon I have ever tasted. It was colorfully delicious, a delightful combination of color and sweet taste.
Bani farmers started planting watermelon in commercial quantities only in 1989, three years after the Bureau of Soil introduced the product to them. With a combination of talent, hardwork, government support and the Bani community spirit, Bani farmers have mastered the art and science of producing the sweetest, juiciest and reddest watermelon in the country.
Bani is quite an interesting town. Dubbed as the "Golden West", it is located in the westernmost part of Luzon and lies between Tampac Bay on the northeast and South China Sea on the west where its coast is punctuated by a handsome cove . It is surrounded by four more popular towns -- Bolinao on the north, Anda on the northeast, Alaminos on the east, and Mabini on the southeast and Agno on the south. Honestly, I never heard of Bani until I visited the town in February 2009. Bani is a third class municipality with a population of only close to 46,000 people.
As unremarkable as it may seem as compared to other more popular towns in Pangasinan and other provinces, I see the municipality of Bani as one of the brightest stars in local governance in the country. The successful venture in watermelon production is not an isolated episode that demonstrates successful partnership between government and community. There are many other excellent programs. Let me cite two.
First, Bani has received many awards one of which is the Presidential Award for Child Friendly Municipality. Bani won the award for its innovative programs and interventions in the promotion of the rights of children including the Community-Based Child Protection Unit (CPU), establishment of Barangay Civil Registration System, Supervised Neighborhood Play, active participation of children in planning activities, and a functional Municipal Council for the Welfare of Children. Other Bani awards are Cleanest Coastal Municipality, Jueteng Free, Gawad Pangulo sa Kapaligiran and Linis Dayat.
Second, the city hall and a multi-sector coalition have committed to a long-term vision that will make Bani into a city by 2020. Not just a city that qualifies because of population and income but a model green city in Southeast Asia. To prepare itself, Bani has enrolled in the Institute for Solidarity in Asia’s (ISA) Public Governance System (PGS). PGS is a management framework that prepares local governments for governance. Bani’s roadmap defines in quantifiable terms how it intends to become a model green city by 2020.
Bani has institutionalized many initiatives that can help it realize what it envisions to become by 2020 including becoming an educational hub for green technology in Pangasinan, implementing all critical greening technology, and encouraging farmers to exclusively use green farming technology. What gives me the confidence that Bani can successfully journey to its desired future is Bani’s greatest asset – a strong, working partnership between government and the community.
(This article was publised in Business World on April 30, 2009. for comments, write to abfontanilla@yahoo.com or nick.fontanilla@gmail.com)
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