In a bid to help boost Filipinos’ immunity, SL Agritech Corporation (SLAC), the manufacturer of Doña Maria Premium Quality Rice, donated 25,000 kilograms of brown rice to foundations, hospitals, and donation networks.
SLAC chairman and chief executive Dr. Henry Lim believes brown rice will help improve the health of those on the front lines and in other affected communities, citing a research that brown rice contains essential phytonutrients and vitamins such as vitamins A, C, and E, and selenium which boost the immune system.
In fact, the Philippine Rice Research Institute has campaigned for a change in the Filipino diet staple from white to brown rice given the latter’s health benefits.
Dr. Robert Michael Gan, an internist and endocrinologist from Metropolitan Medical Center and Makati Medical Center, is one of the many medical professionals advocating for the inclusion of brown rice in the Filipino diet.
“There is a good number of articles, both locally and internationally, that underscore the health benefits of eating brown rice. Now that we are up against a pandemic, it is imperative that we have a healthy diet to boost our immune system,” notes Dr. Gan.
Lim, through SLAC, hopes to help secure food for those most impacted by COVID-19: the frontliners and vulnerable communities.
In addition to the sacks of brown rice, the company donated a total of 100,000 kilograms of white rice to its partner organizations. It also gave away 7,000 packs of its snack food product Doña Maria Brown Rice Puff and 3,000 servings of ready-to-eat meals to different hospitals, including COVID-19 referral centers UP-Philippine General Hospital and Dr. Jose M. Rodriguez Memorial Hospital.
Other SLAC beneficiaries include the Research Institute for Tropical Medicine, UERM Memorial Hospital, and University of Sto. Tomas Hospital.
Lim encourages everyone to rise to the occasion and show compassion to each other as members of one global village.
“We at SL Agritech try our best to help alleviate the unfortunate conditions of our countrymen and to provide aid wherever and whenever we can. During these uncertain and challenging times, we remain committed to helping ensure food supply, especially for our frontliners and our fellow Filipinos with scarce resources. Together, we can heal as one,” he shared.
In August 2019, Lim was conferred the Order of Lakandula with the rank of Marangal na Pinuno by President Rodrigo Duterte for his outstanding contributions to the improvement of the country’s economic and civic welfare.